Make Me a Song - 2007 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 16

It started on Joan Rivers' afternoon talk show. This amazing female impersonator named Lypsinka came out and did a number that was unlike anything I had ever seen before. I hadn't seen a lot of drag queens in my twenty-five (ish) years on the earth but the ones I had seen didn't have an act like this - it was all telephones ringing and quotes from movies all pieced together with a big rousing musical finish, and I was as mesmerized as Joan Rivers appeared to be, sitting in her chair, captivated by the very original and fascinating performance. I never forgot it. A few years later I became friends with a man named Mark Sendroff and Mark had a hobby that brought him great pleasure and every one of his friends was the beneficiaries of this hobby. Mark Sendroff made these VHS videotapes called Potpourri that were 2 hours of weird and wonderful show business clips, a melange of oddities and treasures that he had collected over the years and turned into party tapes - because at our home we played these tapes at every party. There was a clip of a man named Michael West doing a 2-minute movie called 'Door To Door Dolly,' there was a clip of Mimi Hines singing 'Yesterday I Heard the Rain' at The Triad, there was a clip of Leslie Uggams messing up the words to 'June Is Busting Out All Over,' and there was Lypsinka on The Joan Rivers Show doing her act with all the telephones and lipsyncing to some astonishing recording of 'Get Me To The Church On Time.' If there was one thing I knew about Mark Sendroff, it was that he would know who sang that song and I could, finally, at it to my collection. I called him on the phone and asked him that which had been on my mind all these years and which nobody had had the answer to.

BWW Reviewer Peter Nason chooses the greatest theatrical works (non-musical) from 1920-2020; see if your favorites made the list!

BWW Reviewer Peter Nason chooses the best film musicals since the sound era began; see if your favorites made the list!

Craft Recordings is pleased to announce a vinyl reissue of the scorching, 2002 eponymous debut from progressive hardcore outfit Between the Buried and Me. The album, which has been remixed and remastered by its original producer, Jamie King, is set for a May 15th release date and is currently available for pre-order. A limited-edition version of Between the Buried and Me, pressed on clear-colored vinyl, can be found exclusively on the band's website and is also available to pre-order today. These reissues are both part of the band's 20th anniversary celebrations, which will be marked by special releases and extensive touring.

How do we make a list of the 101 greatest show tunes from the past 100 years? Well, we did the near-impossible task.  Check out our full list here! 

Visit our list of the best musicals & shows you can watch from home! We've got you covered with all the must-sees on streaming sites including Tony-award winners, favorite stars and top performances.

This Month, FEINSTEIN'S/54 BELOW will present some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.54Below.com/Feinsteins or call (646) 476-3551.

Birdland Jazz Club and Birdland Theater have announced listing for March 9 through March 22: 

The Minutes is officially in previews on Broadway! The cast of The Minutes includes Ian Barford, Blair Brown, Cliff Chamberlain, K. Todd Freeman, Armie Hammer, Tracy Letts, Danny McCarthy, Jessie Mueller, Sally Murphy, Austin Pendleton, Jeff Still.

The Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts is offering several of Broadway's biggest hits, plus amazing concerts and memorable special events for every entertainment preference, from classical music to political comedy, plus international superstars like Diana Ross to Kenny G to Chita Rivera, along with several fascinating talks and lectures throughout the month of March.

World's first and Europe's biggest science festival, Edinburgh Science Festival returns for its 32nd edition from 4 until 19 April 2020, presenting hundreds of events, talks, workshops and exhibitions for both children and adults across dozens of venues in the Scottish capital.

The popular cabarettist, Molly Pope, took some time off from the scene but she is back now... with a vengeance.

After announcing their first North American tour dates last month, CocoRosie (Sierra and Bianca Casady) are sharing a fourth new track “Restless” along with a music video (directors CocoRosie, editor Amy von Harrington) which is filled with rollerblading fun.

Country Music will take over Berry on the South Coast of NSW on Saturday 9 May 2020 for the 2nd annual Big Country Festival featuring a line-up of Australia's top country artists.

Adelaide Festival Centre's Adelaide Guitar Festival 2020 (July 1 to August 9) is announcing two Festival Theatre shows on sale tomorrow.

The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center has announced that, after 16 years with the organization, CEO/Producer Preston Whiteway will depart in August 2020.

Hayley Williams has announced today's premiere of “Simmer,” the first single from the GRAMMY® award-winning Paramore singer and founder of haircare and color company Good Dye Young's hugely anticipated debut solo album. The smoldering track is available now via Atlantic Records at all DSPs and streaming services; an equally fiery official video – directed by Warren Fu (Paramore, The 1975, The Strokes) – is streaming now via the official Hayley Williams YouTube channel below!

Carol Wincenc 50th Anniversary: It's Golden!, a three-concert series that celebrates the acclaimed flutist's half-century onstage, continues with its second event, 'Only at Merkin with Terrance McKnight: Carol Wincenc,' part of the Merkin Hall series hosted by the WQXR evening host, on Sunday, February 23, 2020, at 5:00 pm.

Today, CocoRosie (Sierra and Bianca Casady) announce their first North American tour dates in honor of their upcoming album Put The Shine On (pre-order HERE). In April, they will play their new music and old favorites in one-of-a-kind live shows in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and New York.

Birdland Jazz Club and Birdland Theater are pleased to present the schedule for the month of February! At Birdland Jazz Club, catch the iconic Lionel Hampton Big Band Featuring Jason Marsalis, current GRAMMY nominee Catherine Russell, the Birdland debut of AGUAS Trio with Omar Sosa, Yilian Cañizares and Gustavo Ovalles, and iconic vocalist Jane Monheit. Internationally recognized trumpeter Rachel Therrien, the Seth Weaver Big Band, and The Voice contestant Melinda Rose Rodriguez will also be performing upstairs. 

On March 6th, Mandy Moore will release her seventh studio album, Silver Landings, via Verve Forecast. Her first new album in 10 years, 'Silver Landings' is a reference to a lyric on the album's titular last song: 'Reaching for golden ribbons up in the air/But I'm looking for silver landings.' The title track was the last song Moore wrote for the album and became emblematic of THE JOURNEY she's been through in the past decade, what it took to get to the point of re-embracing this part of her life, and the expectations therein.

On two cold January nights, The Flynn Center for the Performing Arts lobby smelled like a delicious pie shop, and the main stage was alive with a story about complicated love, motherhood, and finding the courage to make significant changes.

Houston Grand Opera (HGO) has selected the semifinalists for the 32nd annual Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers Concert of Arias, to be presented in the Wortham Theater Center on Feb. 7, 2020 at 7 p.m. A limited number of tickets for the performance are available for purchase here. The program will also be streamed live on Facebook and YouTube for all to enjoy, inviting viewers to cast their votes for the Online Viewers' Choice Award.

Waitress, adapted from the 2007 film of the same name, tells the story of Jenna Hunterson, a pie-maker/waitress working at Joe's Pie Diner somewhere in the southern United States. Jenna (Bailey McCall) is unhappily married to Earl (Clayton Howe), who is physically and emotionally abusive. When she finds out that she is pregnant, even though she doesn't want it, Jenna vows to keep the baby and find a way out of her loveless marriage. Her co-workers, the nerdy Dawn (Gabriella Marzetta) and the no-nonsense Becky (Kennedy Salters), have their own personal issues but provide much-needed comfort and support to Jenna.

The first national tour of The Band's Visit is now making its way across the country! After a mix-up at the border, an Egyptian Police Band is sent to a remote village in the middle of the Israeli desert. With no bus until morning and no hotel in sight, these unlikely travelers are taken in by the locals. Under the spell of the desert sky, their lives become intertwined in the most unexpected ways. THE BAND'S VISIT celebrates the deeply human ways music, longing and laughter can connect us all.