A Song to Sing - 1981 - West End Articles Page 3

The mainstay of Sydney’s high summer season, Sydney Festival, sails back this January with a first class line-up of World Premieres, extraordinary immersive experiences, cutting-edge public art, Australian exclusives, free events, trailblazing First Nations programming and an epic live music offering. 

Rise and shine, BroadwayWorld! It is October 19, 2023 and it's time to catch up on all of the theatrical happenings you may have missed in the last 24 hours.

Go inside the complete history of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's Merrily We Roll Along, playing at Broadway's Hudson Theatre now!

Read the reviews for the revival of Merrily We Roll Along, which officially opens tonight, following Sunday night's opening celebration!

OMD shares 'Verushka' single and video, announces UK headline tour and performance at Darker Waves Fest in LA. Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (OMD) have sold over 40 million records worldwide, establishing them as electronic synthesiser pioneers and one of Britain's best-loved pop groups.

Join Pacific Chorale for a captivating evening of music and film. Experience Richard Einhorn's 'Voices of Light' performed live to 'The Passion of Joan of Arc' on October 7th at Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. RSVP by October 5th for tickets.

Ms. Tucker Will See You Now, writer and performer Laural Meade’s rollicking cabaret theater piece, continues at the historic Gardenia Supper Club in Hollywood with a monthly engagement through the end of 2023. Learn more about how to catch the show here!

The nonprofit Sundance Institute has announced 10 producers selected to participate in the Producers Lab, taking place July 24–28 at Utah's Sundance Mountain Resort, as well as 11 producers for the fall Producers Intensive.

Birdland presented the return of pianist/singer Steve Ross on Monday, July 17. Check out photos of the evening here!

Get ready for the world premiere musical 'ON CEDAR STREET' at Berkshire Theatre Group, starring Stephen Bogardus and Lana Gordon. Experience the magic and unforgettable performances in this spectacular new production. Don't miss out on this enchanting musical event!

There was a lot of history crossing that stage, with performers reprising numbers they’d sung on the Great White Way as far back as the 1970s. Giving the proceedings a uniquely touching quality was the sweet meeting of the generations, with these still very vital veterans being welcomed by — and conversing with — a respectful master of ceremonies who’s still in his teens, but is immersed in musical theatre lore.

Looking for twentieth-century aesthetics (think an Art Deco club) and swingin’ music, making your heart sing, you’re in luck. Duke Ellington’s “Sophisticated Ladies” is a 1981 musical revue of the back of Duke’s celebrated history. From early songs like “The Mooche” and “Mood Indigo” to later hits “I’m Beginning to See the Light” and “Satin Doll,” this vogueish revue taps (literally) the Duke’s music back on the stage where it rightfully belongs.

The point of musical theater (for most people) is pure entertainment, and the New Theatre & Restaurant original production of 1981’s DREAMGIRLS hits the bullseye. DREAMGIRLS is directed by Jerry Jay Cranford and stars a comparatively large, twenty-one member cast backed by an eight-piece orchestra.  Cranford has assembled a cast of Broadway belters and fine dancers to tell the tale of a Supremes-like black female singing trio around 1960 and in the decade to follow.   The show is flashy and impeccably costumed.  The set, while relatively simple, is technically superior. LED screens are used across the background to simulate locations.  Not much was spared when the producer was asked to fund this production.  Choreography by Courtney German is frenetic, well drilled, and perfectly appropriate for this genre.  The musical score is spectacular by Henry Krieger and Tom Eyen.   Several numbers (including the title track) became number one hits outside the show.

The cast is led by Daniel Robert Burns (Victor Frankenstein), Marc Christopher (Creature), Grace Hwoang (Elizabeth Lavenza), Tim Bacskai (Henry Clerval), Ren King (Innkeeper), Jay Lucas Chacon (Innkeeper), Daryl Glenn (Victor's Father) and Lauren Coccaro (Justine), with Julie McNamara, Isaiah Delgado, Rebecca Ponticello and Melissa Cathcart.

The Dessoff Choirs, led by Music Director Malcolm J. Merriweather, today announces its 2023-2024 season, which begins a two-year 100th anniversary celebration. Featured composers include Rodgers & Hammerstein, Felix Mendelssohn (Elijah, in collaboration with the Abyssinian Baptist Church Cathedral Choir), Vicente Lusitano, Herbert Howells, R. Nathaniel Dett, Florence Price, Adolphus Hailstork, Valerie Capers (Sojourner), and James Whitbourn.

​​​​​​​The Dessoff Choirs, led by Music Director Malcolm J. Merriweather, has revealed its 2023-2024 season, which begins a two-year 100th anniversary celebration.

While the large majority of those who have won Tony Awards for performances on Broadway have put in significant stage time in their roles, there are a few notable exceptions. Who are the artists who impressed Tony voters so much that they won their trophies, even with relatively minimal stage time?

A new app is launching this spring, providing users with fascinating new way to explore Brixton. 

Jennifer Holliday, the Tony and Grammy Award-winning original star of Dreamgirls, appeared on Tamron Hall for a special performance of “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going.' Holliday won a Grammy Award for the performance of the show-stopping Dreamgirls song and her Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for playing Effie White. Watch the video!

The new song is one of six never-before-released tracks featured on the album and will be accompanied by a documentary TV special and DVD. The album will be available on CD through Gaither Music Group and on all streaming platforms via Arista/Legacy Recordings (in cooperation with The Estate of Whitney E. Houston) and may be pre-ordered now.

Watch a sneak peek of Broadway’s original Effie White, Jennifer Holliday, at 54 Below's Diamond Series.

Next week, 54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club & Private Event Destination, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond. A recipient of the 2022 Tony Awards Honor for Excellence in the Theatre, 54 Below celebrates Broadway musicals and writers of the past and present, promoting an ongoing engagement with their work.

54 Below will welcome Broadway’s original Effie White, Jennifer Holliday, to the popular Diamond Series for six performances from February 21-26 at 8:30pm.

Reviewer Peter Nason ranks his choices for Burt Bacharach's top 50 tunes.

BIRDLAND THEATER will present George Abud and Katrina Lenk – who starred together in the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical The Band’s Visit – in “Abud & Lenk: Swung” on Monday, March 6 at 7:00 PM.