The Duplex News

After a successful launch with two shows / competitions in April, New York City's exciting, new musical theater songwriting challenge, TUNE IN TIME, returns to Stage 72 (The Triad) tonight, June 25 and Tuesday, July 1 at 9 pm.

Special Agent Galactica, along with critically acclaimed jazz/classical guitarist, Peter Fields, weave together an intimate evening of songs, stories and a good old laugh or two. Featuring music of the Golden Age of Jazz, the Blues of Burlesque, Hollywood standards and a few rock and roll favorites from today, Galactica enchants with tales about her past missions, her love life, her time as a cadet, important people she's met along the way, and other anecdotal gems from her life as a hired galactic assassin for the privately owned underground organization referred to only as 'The Agency'.

The biggest challenge in personalizing a tribute show is when the set list is structured to tell a story about the performer's life. Those songs better be good, that life better be interesting, and that storytelling patter better be clever, humorous, and self-deprecating or an audience (let alone a reviewer) will tune you out quicker than a liberal accidentally hitting FOX News on the remote. I recently saw two different shows at The Duplex from enchanting young women performers—Carly Ozard and Nikki MacCallum--who deftly managed to weave their love of a singer (Bette Midler for Ozard) or a songbook (Kander & Ebb for MacCallum) into a tale of life journey and personal growth to produce charming and entertaining shows.

Back by popular demand, THE BOOK OF MORMON, which played a record breaking two week run in 2013, returns for a limited engagement at the Detroit Opera House, July 1 through July 13, 2014.

New York Theatre Barn will present the next installment of their New Works Series, featuring musical theater writers Michael Cooper and Timothy Huang on Monday, June 23rd at 7:30pm at the DR2 Theatre (Daryl Roth Theatre, 101 E. 15th Street). Tickets are $15.00 ($10.00 for students) and are available for purchase in advance at www.web.ovationtix.com/trs/pe/9916053

The 23rd Annual HOT!, the NYC Celebration of Queer Culture, will run July 5th through August 2nd at Dixon Place. The world's longest-running LGBTQ Performance Festival, HOT! offers theater, music, dance, puppetry, performance art and homoeroticism for the whole family! HOT! is the pioneering celebration of queer performance and culture - and the oldest annual festival of its kind in the world. Dixon Place is proud that HOT! serves as the model for other queer festivals across the globe and has become a performance destination for emerging talent in the LGBTQ community.

New York Theatre Barn will present the next installment of their New Works Series, featuring musical theater writers Michael Cooper and Timothy Huang on Monday, June 23rd at 7:30pm at the DR2 Theatre (Daryl Roth Theatre, 101 E. 15th Street).

Stearns Matthews is a three-time MAC Award nominee in three different categories (Best Male Debut, 2009; Best Male Vocalist, 2011; Best Musical Comedy Performer, 2013), has appeared twice at the Mabel Mercer Foundation's Annual Cabaret Convention at Jazz at Lincoln Center, and was the first-ever first runner-up in the Metropolitan Room's MetroStar Talent Challenge in 2008

The Yale Institute for Music Theatre announces the creative teams and casting for the two original book musicals, Afterland, music and lyrics by Benjamin Velez and book and lyrics by Kathryn Hathaway, and Clouds are Pillows for the Moon, music by Tidtaya Sinutoke and book and lyrics by Ty Defoe, which will be developed in an intensive lab setting in New Haven, June 3-15. The Institute culminates with open rehearsal readings of each project, presented as part of the International Festival of Arts & Ideas, on June 14 and 15.

After a successful launch with two shows/competitions in April, New York City's exciting, new musical theater songwriting challenge, TUNE IN TIME, returns to Stage 72 (The Triad) on Wednesday, June 25 and Tuesday, July 1 at 9 pm. A new roster of great up and coming musical theater--six composers and six lyricists-is ready to take on the challenge of writing a song from a musical whose title is, literally, picked from a hat in the style determined by a spin of The Dreaded Genre Wheel. Will it be a historical epic? Something a la Rodgers & Hammerstein? Experimental? Or even [insert name of large theme-park owning mega-corporation-turned-Broadway-megalopolis here]? Oh . . . and they have just 20 minutes to do it.

The Yale Institute for Music Theatre announces the creative teams and casting for the two original book musicals, Afterland, music and lyrics by Benjamin Velez and book and lyrics by Kathryn Hathaway, and Clouds are Pillows for the Moon, music by Tidtaya Sinutoke and book and lyrics by Ty Defoe, which will be developed in an intensive lab setting in New Haven, June 3-15. The Institute culminates with open rehearsal readings of each project, presented as part of the International Festival of Arts & Ideas, on June 14 and 15.

Singer/ actor Joshua Dixon follows his acclaimed cabaret debut with a return engagement of FLY UP! at The Duplex on Sunday, June 22nd at 7:00PM and Monday, June 30th at 9:30PM. Using an eclectic mix of songs from Broadway, The Great American Songbook and contemporary music, FLY UP! will give us a glimpse into Joshua's life so far - from his Mormon childhood to his college years to becoming a man in music and theater. Stephen Sondheim, Jimmy Webb, Andrew Lippa, Jerry Herman, Scott Evan Davis, Cole Porter, andBastille, among others, provide a backdrop to his fascinating, funny and freeing tale of growing up and letting go.

A GAY SHOW FOR ALL PEOPLE! will play The Duplex on Sunday, June 15 at 9:30 p.m.

Dixon Place (Ellie Covan, Artistic Director) presents the 23rd Annual HOT!, the NYC Celebration of Queer Culture. The world's longest-running LGBTQ Performance Festival, HOT! offers theater, music, dance, puppetry, performance art and homoeroticism for the whole family! HOT! is the pioneering festival of queer performance and culture - and the oldest annual festival of its kind in the world. Dixon Place is proud the HOT! serves as the model for other queer festivals across the globe and has become a performance destination for emerging talent in the LGBTQ community. This year's HOT!, featuring hundreds of participating artists presenting their newest creations, will run July 5th through August 2nd at Dixon Place, located at 161A Chrystie Street in New York City.

'NCIS: Los Angeles' star and Broadway veteran Barrett Foa (Mamma Mia!, Avenue Q, ...Spelling Bee) will begin performances as Alex More in the smash hit comedy Buyer & Cellar tonight, May 27, 2014 at the Barrow Street Theatre (27 Barrow Street). For the past five seasons, Barrett Foa has co-starred opposite LL Cool J and Chris O'Donnell as tech geek Eric Beale on CBS' top-rated hit series 'NCIS: Los Angeles' which is currently the #2 show on television.

Veteran actress /comedian Angela Scott brings her funny friends William Stephenson (FX Networks 'Louie') and Rhonda 'Passion' Hansome ('Saturday Night Live') to the legendary Duplex cabaret-theater in Manhattan's West Village for a night of laughs tonight, May 22, 2014.

Pittsburgh CLO presents the rousing musical hit Ring of Fire, which will run today, May 22 through August 17 at the CLO Cabaret.

Stearns Matthews is a three-time MAC Award nominee in three different categories (Best Male Debut, 2009; Best Male Vocalist, 2011; Best Musical Comedy Performer, 2013), has appeared twice at the Mabel Mercer Foundation's Annual Cabaret Convention at Jazz at Lincoln Center, and was the first-ever first runner-up in the Metropolitan Room's MetroStar Talent Challenge in 2008

Singer/songwriter Ruth Carlin returns to the Laurie Beechman Theater this spring with an illuminating exploration of the eclectic repertoire of iconic folkie turned cabaret favorite, Judy Collins. 'A Light in the Window - Songs of Judy Collins.' Performances are tonight, May 17th at 7:30pm and June 12th at 7pm.

Micah CcCain - the creative talent behind viral internet sensation 'Bonjour Girl' and his sold-out, critic's pick cabaret debut 'HEY GURL!' and his sold-out, critic's pick cabaret 'BROADWAY CREDITS' - is set to perform two encore performances of 'Broadway Credits!' live at The Duplex Cabaret tonight, May 16th, 2014.