Robert Yacko News

Kritzerland at Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal presents BERLIN TO ROME: THE SONGS OF IRVING BERLIN & HAROLD ROME on Sunday, May 3, 2015 at 7:00 PM.

The always reliable and very informative host Bruce Kimmel unfailingly surprised his captured audience with the most interesting tidbits of Broadway trivia. Songs of this evening were chosen as to their fit in this, to quote Kimmel, 'potpourri of pleasant and perverse.'

The cast of fantastic singers included Kim Huber, Robert Yacko, Madison Claire Parks, Roger Befeler, special guest Jason Graae, and young singers Sami and Sarah Staitman, Brennley Brown, Paige Befeler and 10 year-old Hadley Belle Miller. Virtuoso pianist James Lent served as musical director for the event headed up by host Bruce Kimmel, who was in especially good form about to celebrate a birthday on December 8.

Kritzerland at Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal presents 'HAPPY HOLIDAYS! THE ANNUAL KRITZERLAND HOLIDAY SHOW' on Sunday, December 7, 2014 at 7:00 PM.

Jennifer Kranz, winner of LA's Next Great Stage Star 2014; and Stage Star top finalist Adrienne Visnic make their respective headlining debuts at Sterling's Upstairs November 16th and 23rd.

Admirably directed by 3-D Theatricals co-founder and resident artistic director TJ Dawson, this ambitiously impressive regional revival of RAGTIME: THE MUSICAL, continues through October 26 at its home-base at the Plummer Auditorium in Fullerton before moving north for its set of performances at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, November 1-9. A stunning, beautifully-rendered production enhanced by a supremely talented cast and Broadway-caliber production values, this rarely-produced musical is a Southern California must-see!

Since its creation in 1997, Ragtime has remained one of my favorite musicals for two reasons. Its simply gorgeous almost opera-like musical score by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens moves me to the bone, and it has more meaningful historical content about America at the turn of the 20th century than just about any other show. Now by means of 3D Theatricals' new, freshly staged production, onstage in Fullerton through October 26, Ragtime continues its deeply moving effect on audiences.

3-D Theatrical's opened RAGTIME at the Plummer Auditorium. Check out a first look at the opening night press night curtain call and stage door below!

On Sunday September 7, at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal, due to an advance sell-out crowd for the 7 pm show, an additional matinee show was performed for the Fourth Anniversary of Kritzerland. Needless to say, both matinee and evening performances were sold out, making the monthly Kritzerland tributes the most popular shows at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal. The anniversary party was entitled They're Playing Our Song: The Songs That Got Away III and along with special guests Kerry O'Malley and Bruce Vilanch, the big cast also included Robert Yacko, Evan Harris, Madison Claire Parks, Sami Staitman, Jenna Lea Rosen, and also little Hadley Miller, and in chorus numbers of What If?: Kimberly Hessler, Travis Leland, Bruce Merkle, and Adrienne Visnic, all under the baton of super musical director John Boswell. This marked the 49th Kritzerland show since its inception at the Gardenia in 2010, and its host Bruce Kimmel, founder of Kritzerland Records, was in rare form, doling out trivia-worthy anecdotes about every number presented, as well as singing a song himself, due to the absence of Guy Haines.

Kritzerland at Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal presents its fourth anniversary show -- THE SONGS THAT GOT AWAY III -- on Sunday, September 7, 2014 at 2 p.m. AND 7 p.m. Doors open at 1 p.m. before the JUST ADDED matinee for brunch/lunch.

It was a pleasure to return to Kritzerland Sunday July 6 for its 47th show saluting Off-Broadway shows: Kritzerland Goes Off-Broadway. Featured were stalwart hits: Hair, Ruthless!, Little Mary Sunshine, Dames at Sea, Falsettos, The Fantasticks and more recent hits such as Floyd Collins, Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years and Dogfight. With Bruce Kimmel as host, in dandy form as usual with his amazing trivia notes in between numbers, and sensational musical director John Boswell at the piano, the show got off to a rousing start with young Brennley Brown belting out 'Born to Entertain' from Ruthless! Also on the bill for the evening were the wonderful: Robert Yacko, Madison Claire Parks, Kim Huber, young folks Jenna Lee Rosen, Sami Staitman and special guest stars Jason Graae and Rita McKenzie.

Kritzerland at Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal presents KRITZERLAND GOES OFF-BROADWAY!

Sterling's Upstairs - housed at popular LA hot spot The Federal in North Hollywood's NoHo Arts District - has not only been described by the Los Angeles Times as "LA's cabaret destination;" but was just cited by LA Weekly as one of Los Angeles's top five supper clubs, With an arsenal of similar accolades from LA based media, Sterling's Upstairs celebrates its eight-year anniversary this month with Broadway performers Maura Hanlon Smith (June 9), Sandy Bainum (June 22) and Bernard Dotson (June 29-June 30). Kritzerland Records' Nobody Does it Better... The songs of Dorothy Fields kicked off the month-long celebration on June 1st featuring Tara Browne, Cynthia Ferrer, Zachary Ford, Kim Huber, Jenna Lea Rosen, Sami Staitman, Sarah Staitman, Robert Yacko and Special Guest... Broadway's Kerry O'Malley.

The 46th Kritzerland show on Sunday, June 1 featured one of the most influential female lyricists of all time, the great Dorothy Fields. In a time when Tin Pan Alley was almost exclusively a male-dominated club, Dorothy Fields rose to the top, first writing hit after hit with Jimmy McHugh, and later becoming one of the first female lyricists on Broadway and in film. Fields created some of the cleverest and most beautiful lyrics ever written, and was a master of the craft who forged the way for so many other talented female lyricists. There was no one like Dorothy Fields.

Kritzerland at Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal presents NOBODY DOES IT LIKE ME -THE SONGS OF DOROTHY FIELDS on Sunday, June 1, 2014 - 7:00 PM.

On the first Sunday of each month, Bruce Kimmel's Kritzerland Records' presents a supper club musical cabaret at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal in NoHo. Sunday, April 6, 2014, the group celebrated its two-year anniversary with THESE APRIL FOOLISH THINGS with not only foolish songs but ones having to do with Spring or the month of April in general.

For our 44th Kritzerland show we celebrate the most foolish day and month of the year - April Fools Day. Yes, it's all things April and all things foolish, as well as some things that aren't so foolish. And not only are we celebrating the April Fools, we're celebrating the second anniversary of Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal - in April of 2012 we were the first show in Michael Sterling's new home at The Federal, and we've been there every month since. We have a potpourri of fun planned for our April 6th show, including lots of comedy, some beautiful April-themed songs, and an amazing cast. You'll hear songs you know and songs you don't know, including the world premiere of a brand new Richard M. Sherman song, written with Kritzerland's Bruce Kimmel. And playing it will be Richard M. Sherman, our very special guest star - and as if that and our great cast wasn't enough, we have another guest star, too, the beautiful and superlative Andrea Marcovicci. So, don't be too foolish and wait too long to make your reservations - our last seven shows have been early sellouts. Come and join us to celebrate all the wonderful foolish things we've got planned and to wish Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal a happy anniversary as the best cabaret room in the city enters its third year.

On the first Sunday of each month at Kritzerland at Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal, dinner cabaret nights are presented to packed houses. Due to the Oscars, this month's event was held on Monday, March 3, saluting THE PRINCE AND THE SHOWTUNE: A TRIBUTE TO HAROLD PRINCE whose career has spanned over sixty years and who, as producer and/or director is responsible for some of the greatest musical theater triumphs of all time.

Kritzerland at Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal presents THE PRINCE AND THE SHOWTUNE: A TRIBUTE TO HAROLD PRINCE on MONDAY, MARCH 3, 2014 - 8:00 PM.

Portland Stage's stylish and stirring production of Words by Ira Gershwin and the Great American Songbook offers fascinating insight into the alchemy of a song. Joseph Vass' 2013 play examines the professional life and art of "the other Gershwin," George's brother, his lyricist, and the creator of hundreds of popular standards, which have come to be part of The Great American Songbook.