My Lady's Honor 1915

Mary Shelley's shocking classic novel, Frankenstein, receives new life at Cleveland Play House. A haunting and highly theatrical adaptation of the classic horror story. Directed by Michael Barakiva, the production features Josh Bates, Madeline Calais, Ellen Grace Diehl, Gavin Michaels, and Kayodè Soyemi.

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) has announced the exciting line-up of the highly anticipated TD James Moody Jazz Festival. This year's program offers events combining jazz luminaries in collaboration with artists known for R&B, poetry, hip hop, and so much more. 

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) announced the exciting line-up of the highly anticipated TD James Moody Jazz Festival. This year's program offers events combining jazz luminaries in collaboration with artists known for R&B, poetry, hip hop, and so much more.   

The cast is comprised of established Broadway artists and local rising stars. Part of the Virginia Arts Festival's 25th Anniversary Season, the new production is led by Conductor Rob Fisher, the Festival's Artistic Advisor of Musical Theater & American Songbook and Stage Director Matt Kunkel.

The Virginia Arts Festival has announced the complete cast for The Sound of Music, co-produced by the Festival and the Virginia Opera May 13-15 at the Harrison Opera House.

The New World Symphony, America's Orchestral Academy and Artistic Director Michael Tilson Thomas have announced I Dream a World: The Harlem Renaissance and Beyond, a multi-disciplinary, multi-tiered festival that celebrates the history and influence of this cultural movement.

Modeled after the highly acclaimed retrospective of Tito Puente in 2017, the Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture will honor the late iconic singer and bandleader Francisco Machito Grillo (1908-1984) and his Orchestra (the Afro-Cubans) in a 3-day celebration May 2-4 on the campus of Hostos Community College, 450 Grand Concourse (at 149th Street), in the Bronx. Machito & the Impact of the Afro-Cubans at 80 examines the Orchestra's influence on a variety of Latin musical styles, including Latin jazz that affected the music of Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Stan Kenton and others.

Modeled after the highly acclaimed retrospective of Tito Puente in 2017, the Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture will honor the late iconic singer and bandleader Francisco Machito Grillo (1908-1984) and his Orchestra (the Afro-Cubans) in a 3-day celebration May 2-4 on the campus of Hostos Community College, 450 Grand Concourse (at 149th Street), in the Bronx. Machito & the Impact of the Afro-Cubans at 80 examines the Orchestra's influence on a variety of Latin musical styles, including Latin jazz that affected the music of Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Stan Kenton and others.

Modeled after the highly acclaimed retrospective of Tito Puente in 2017, the Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture will honor the late iconic singer and bandleader Francisco Machito Grillo (1908-1984) and his Orchestra (the Afro-Cubans) in a 3-day celebration May 2-4 on the campus of Hostos Community College, 450 Grand Concourse (at 149th Street), in the Bronx. Machito & the Impact of the Afro-Cubans at 80 examines the Orchestra's influence on a variety of Latin musical styles, including Latin jazz that affected the music of Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Stan Kenton and others.

At a time when black people were prohibited from walking through the front doors of public spaces, composer and soprano Ella Sheppard (1851-1915) and the Fisk Jubilee Singers performed on international stages for industry barons, cultural icons, and Queen Victoria. That trailblazing work was furthered by composer and baritone Harry T. Burleigh (1866-1949), whose compositions - crossing racial, religious, and class lines - served to bridge the sound and identity of America. Sheppard and Burleigh's barrier-breaking contributions to the foundation of the American music tradition will be examined in an upcoming concert and conference hosted by the Harry T. Burleigh Society on March 2 and 3 at Carnegie Hall.

At a time when black people were prohibited from walking through the front doors of public spaces, composer and soprano Ella Sheppard (1851-1915) and the Fisk Jubilee Singers performed on international stages for industry barons, cultural icons, and Queen Victoria. That trailblazing work was furthered by composer and baritone Harry T. Burleigh (1866-1949), whose compositions - crossing racial, religious, and class lines - served to bridge the sound and identity of America. Sheppard and Burleigh's barrier-breaking contributions to the foundation of the American music tradition will be examined in an upcoming concert and conference hosted by the Harry T. Burleigh Society on March 2 and 3 at Carnegie Hall.

Every picture tells a story; every journey begins differently.  The story of Dee Dee Bridgewater's stunning new album, Memphis...Yes, I'm Ready, begins in that city, where she was born at Collins Chapel Hospital, located not far from where the album was recorded at Producer Willie Mitchell's historic Royal Studios. 

Every picture tells a story; every journey begins differently. The story of Dee Dee Bridgewater's stunning new album, Memphis...Yes, I'm Ready, begins in that city, where she was born at Collins Chapel Hospital

Every picture tells a story; every journey begins differently.  The story of Dee Dee Bridgewater's stunning new album, Memphis...Yes, I'm Ready, begins in that city, where she was born at Collins Chapel Hospital, located not far from where the album was recorded at Producer Willie Mitchell's historic Royal Studios. 

Every picture tells a story; every journey begins differently. The story of Dee Dee Bridgewater's stunning new album, Memphis...Yes, I'm Ready, begins in that city, where she was born at Collins Chapel Hospital

Cleveland Play House's Outcalt Theatre will be transformed into the rent-controlled apartment of ex-cop Walter 'Pops' Washington in the bold, fresh, and unfiltered work of renowned playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis. Packed with irreverent humor, lightning-quick dialogue, and tremendous heart, Between Riverside and Crazy is the Pulitzer Prize-winning dark comedy about family, pride, and redemption.

A diverse all-star lineup of GRAMMY Award nominees, GRAMMY winners, entertainers and film and TV stars took stage last ight for THE 59TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS

The New York Philharmonic will present Beloved Friend - Tchaikovsky and His World: A Philharmonic Festival, January 24-February 11, 2017, featuring Russian-born Semyon Bychkov conducting works by Tchaikovsky as well as composers he was influenced by and whom he influenced, with piano soloists Yefim Bronfman and Kirill Gerstein.

The Junction Theatre will present the West Coast Premiere of RED VELVET, a critically acclaimed play written by Lolita Chakrabarti, directed by Benjamin Pohlmeier, to be presented at Atwater Playhouse, 3191 Castitas Avenue, #100, Los Angeles, CA 90039, on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 5:00 p.m., March 26 - April 30, 2016. Tickets can be purchased by calling Brown Paper Tickets 24/7 at 1-800-838-3006, or online at http://redvelvet.brownpapertickets.com. General Admission is $25 per person; Students, Seniors and Veterans are $20 per person; and Groups of 10 or more $15 per person. To learn more, please visit www.thejunctiontheatre.org and http://atwaterplayhouse.com/

The Matrix Theatre Company honors Black History Month with the Los Angeles premiere of The Mountaintop, directed by Obie Award-winner Roger Guenveur Smith and starring Larry Bates and Danielle Mone Truitt. Recipient of London's 2010 Olivier Award, Katori Hall's gripping and often humorous re-imagining of events the night before the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. takes on new meaning with the advent of the Black Lives Matter movement. The Mountaintop opens at the Matrix Theatre on February 6, with previews beginning January 28. (Scroll all the way down to view links to high resolution photos.)

Producers Daniel Nardicio and Andy Brattain will honor Edith Piaf, the iconic French songstress on her actual 100th Birthday with PIAF: A CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION with stars from Broadway, London's West End, Jazz, Cabaret and Rock 'n' Roll.

Producers Daniel Nardicio and Andy Brattain will honor Edith Piaf, the iconic French songstress on her actual 100th Birthday with PIAF: A CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION with stars from Broadway, London's West End, Jazz, Cabaret and Rock 'n' Roll. Starring Elaine Paige, Christine Ebersole, Marilyn Maye, Vivian Reed, Little Annie, Gay Marshall, Molly Pope, Amber Martin, Aaron Weinstein and Meow Meow, the concert will take place on Saturday, December 19, 2015 at 8:00 PM at The Town Hall(123 West 43rd Street).

Monday night found me back at Zeb's on the West Side for another of Will Friedwald's iconoclastic 'Clip Joints'--this one in honor of the Billie Holiday Centennial. During a year that is already producing a glut of celebratory events (given that it's also the Frank Sinatra Centennial year), leave it to the intriguing and obsessive writer/journalist/producer to come up with something different. Instead of a roster of vocalists live or on film, performing material we now think of reflexively as belonging to Lady Day, we were offered the singular piano interpretations of Lara Downes, recollections by alto saxophonist Jerry Dodgion (who at age 22 played with Holiday), and eclectic clips from television and film appearances of the artist herself.

Frances Albert (Frank) Sinatra (1915-1998) was arguably one of the most important vocalists of 20th century. The Hoboken, New Jersey native began as a boy singer with big band leaders Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, became a heartthrob to bobbysoxers, a headliner in nightclubs during their heyday, and was one of the best selling recording artists of all time. Sinatra's illusively relaxed phrasing was as unique as the quality of swing he made popular. This centennial year of his birth will be filled with tributes. 'You beat the rush,' Producer/Writer/Host Scott Siegel quipped from a podium last night during the variety tribute show The Sinatra Century at 54 Below.

Cleveland Play House (CPH) will host their 18th Hall of Fame Luncheon today, November 6th in downtown Cleveland. The 2014 honorees have impacted the success of CPH through their wide-ranging achievements. This year's recipients include Joe Garry, George Gund II, Maeve McGuire, and June Squibb. Receiving the Heritage Award for his contributions to CPH will be Nelson Isekeit. Honorary Co-Chairs for the event are long-time CPH supporters Bob Blattner and Betty Fredman.