Judy and Me - 2008 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 20

Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, the performance venue located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond:

Last December, after I posted my list of the Best Cabaret Performers of 2012, I followed up my original 'listmania' with a column that served as a way to include some 'honorable mentions,' basically a recognition of other memorable shows and performances of songs that were striking, unique, and/or original that year. The column received a positive response so I thought I'd wheel it out again this year. So as the hours tick away on 2013 and we anticipate the coming of a new year, here is an addendum to the 2013 New York Cabaret Performers of the Year--a totally random list of 30 Honorable Mentions of the 'Best' and 'Most' in Cabaret for 2013 . . . mainly because I can and it's fun. Enjoy and Happy New Year!

The Great White Way is beginning to light up red and green and the massive sign of seasonal merriment represented by the several-story-tall tree in Rockefeller Center further cements the celebration with a brilliant blaze of light in New York City, signaling the season on Broadway and beyond - Christmastime is here again! Yes, indeed! Taking from the vast theatrical canon, today we are looking at some of the most memorable musical theatre moments pertaining to the holiday season with some of Broadway's brightest stars and some of the season's best selections, both old and new.

Ars Nova kicks off 2014 with Game Play, this year's incarnation of Ars Nova's annual Play Group production. Game Play, set to play 10 performances from January 29 - February 8, features original short plays and live music inspired by classic board game titles.

Jay is an enormous fan of Broadway and all its denizens and has done many Broadway Cast Albums, but he has also worked with every great star of our time in every category of music.

The ASCAP Foundation will honor prolific singer-songwriter Ne-Yo with the ASCAP Foundation Champion Award in recognition of his leadership in efforts to increase awareness of disadvantaged children in American cities.

2014 sees some new names and some returns to The Crazy Coqs. January starts with the London debut of the sizzling cabaret performer Carole J .Bufford and her show Body and Soul (January 7 - 11) followed by the popular Broadway star Brent Barrett and his show Night Songs (January 14 -18) and then actress and singer Linda Purl with her show Midnight Caravan: Celebrating the Great Ladies of the Glamorous Nightclub Era of the 40s & 50s (January 21 - 25).

Toronto – Alexander Neef, General Director of the Canadian Opera Company, today released details of the company's new opera commission, Hadrian, composed by internationally acclaimed Canadian-American singer, songwriter and composer Rufus Wainwright with libretto by award-winning Canadian actor, director and playwright Daniel MacIvor. Inspired by the Roman Emperor Hadrian and his love for Antinous, Hadrian is currently in development and is scheduled to open the COC's 2018/2019 mainstage season.

Westchester Broadway Theatre presents Irving Berlin's WHITE CHRISTMAS, based upon the Paramount PicturesFilm, with Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin and Book by David Ives & Paul Blake. Directed and choreographed byRandy Skinner with musical direction by Andrew Smithson, the show will run now through January 12, 2014. BroadwayWorld has new production shots below!

NEW YORK FESTIVAL OF SONG continues its new series NYFOS AFTER HOURS with “A GOYISHE CHRISTMAS TO YOU!” Yuletide Classics by Jewish Songwriters.

Maryland Ensemble Theatre (MET) is proud to present the cult holiday classic, The Santaland Diaries, adapted by Joe Mantello from the essay by humorist and best selling author David Sedaris. Sedaris' hilarious account of his time as an elf in Macy's Santaland display will run every Thursday through Sunday at Maryland Ensemble Theatre from December 6 through 29.

Westchester Broadway Theatre presents Irving Berlin's WHITE CHRISTMAS, based upon the Paramount Pictures Film, with Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin and Book by David Ives & Paul Blake. Directed and choreographed by Randy Skinner with musical direction by Andrew Smithson, the show will run now through January 12, 2014. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Segerstrom Center's 2013 - 2014 International Dance Season opened with the world premiere of Diana Vishneva: On the Edge, which introduced two new works commissioned by the Center and Ardani Artists for the internationally renowned and award-winning star of the Mariinsky Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. On the Edge is in two acts, and begins with Jean-Christophe Maillot's intriguing piece titled Switch, followed by Carolyn Carlson's profound solo work, Woman in a Room. After this world premiere engagement in Segerstrom Hall, On the Edge will make its European premiere in December at both the National Centre for Contemporary Choreography in Roubaix, France and in Monte-Carlo's Salle Garnier as part of the Les Ballet des Monte-Carlo dance season. There will also be performances in 2014 at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow in March and at Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg in April. Scroll down for photos from the performances!

Storybook Musical Theatre, the Abington, PA-based professional Equity children's theatre company, just north of Philadelphia, will present the Hans Christian Andersen tale of a disheveled girl, who must prove she is a real princess by taking a very strange test involving twenty mattresses and a tiny pea. The family musical first plays at the Klein JCC Theater, 10100 Jamison Ave. in Philadelphia from November 23 to December 1, then at the Gratz College Theater from December 23 to December 30. It concludes it run at St. Joseph's University from January 14 to18. Tickets are $12 for children and $14 for adults. For reservations or more information call: 215-659-8550 or www.storybookmusical.org.

Westchester Broadway Theatre presents Irving Berlin's WHITE CHRISTMAS, based upon the Paramount Pictures film, featuring music and lyrics by Irving Berlin, book by David Ives & Paul Blake, and directed and choreographed by Randy Skinner with musical direction by Andrew Smithson. The show runs tonight, November 7, 2013 - January 12, 2014.

To celebrate the publication of The Untold Stories of Broadway on November 12 by Dress Circle Publishing, Jennifer Ashley Tepper will be sharing three short excerpts about each of the Broadway theaters featured in the book-countdown style! First up: The Richard Rodgers Theatre!

On December 9, 2013 92Y celebrates songwriting legend Mike Stoller on the occasion of his 80th year with An 80th Birthday Celebration, a one-night-only Lyrics & Lyricists Special Event hosted by Paul Shaffer and directed and written by Randy Johnson (director/writer of A Night with Janis Joplin). Confirmed artists performing expected and unexpected interpretations from Stoller's genre-spanning career in blues, R&B, rock 'n' roll and jazz include legendary vocal group The Coasters, along with artists Karen Akers, Mary Bridget Davies, Corky Hale, Maria Elena Infantino, Sally Kellerman, Bettye LaVette, Melissa Manchester, Billy Stritch, Tommy Tune and Steve Tyrell. Backed by Tyrell's band, the artists perform some of the greatest songs written by Stoller with his longtime lyricist partner Jerry Leiber and others. Leiber will be the subject of a special tribute during the evening. Stoller is planning to be in attendance for the celebration.

Westchester Broadway Theatre presents Irving Berlin's WHITE CHRISTMAS, based upon the Paramount Pictures film, featuring music and lyrics by Irving Berlin, book by David Ives & Paul Blake, and directed and choreographed by Randy Skinner with musical direction by Andrew Smithson. The show runs November 7, 2013 - January 12, 2014.

Chance Theater has announced its 16th anniversary season, which will be the first in its new home at 5522 E. La Palma Ave. in Anaheim, which is double the size of its current space. Chance subscribers and audiences will enjoy a bold line-up that includes cheerleaders taking a stand, a "passio

American Lyric Theater presents the first public libretto reading for the 2013-2014 season as part of its popular series, The Living Libretto, at the National Opera Center today, October 16th, 2013. Featuring guest actors from the Broadway and off-Broadway stage, each event is the culminating reading of an extensive libretto workshop conducted for new operas being written by ALT Resident Artists under the auspices of the company's Composer Librettist Development Program.

Symphony Space opens its 2013-14 Music season with 'Kurt Weill on Broadway,' tonight, October 7 (8 pm) at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre. Today marks the 70th anniversary of the Broadway opening of Weill's One Touch of Venus. Ted Chapin hosts a stellar cast featuring Melissa Errico, Brent Barrett, Judy Blazer, and Ron Raines, plus winners of the international Lotte Lenya Competition.

American Lyric Theater presents the first public libretto reading for the 2013-2014 season as part of its popular series, The Living Libretto, at the National Opera Center on Wednesday, October 16th, 2013. Featuring guest actors from the Broadway and off-Broadway stage, each event is the culminating reading of an extensive libretto workshop conducted for new operas being written by ALT Resident Artists under the auspices of the company's Composer Librettist Development Program.

The Art Institute of Chicago has announced the appointment of Susanne Ghez, former executive director and chief curator of the Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago, as Adjunct Curator in the Department of Contemporary Art, effective immediately. In this capacity, Ghez will bring her seasoned expertise in contemporary art to all aspects of the museum's engagement with the field, including exhibitions, acquisitions, and collections. She will represent the museum in Chicago, around the country, and abroad, traveling widely to visit contemporary artists and institutions, and engaging on behalf of the Art Institute in global contemporary programming.

Symphony Space will open its 2013-14 Music season with 'Kurt Weill on Broadway,' Monday, October 7 (8 pm) at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre. The show takes place on the 70th anniversary of the Broadway opening of Weill's One Touch of Venus. Ted Chapin hosts a stellar cast featuring Melissa Errico, Brent Barrett, Judy Blazer, and Ron Raines, plus winners of the international Lotte Lenya Competition.