Magda Katz Takes You To The Wicked Stage at 54 Below | Times Square Chronicles
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Magda Katz Takes You To The Wicked Stage at 54 Below

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Christine Pedi, musical theatre comedienne & Sirius XMs On Broadway channel daily presenter hosted and performed and music director and rare music archivist Michael Lavine on the  piano lead an incredible cast of musical theatre folks  performing  in an  unforgettable evening telling ShowBiz tales and singing show biz songs In.


Featuring  Grammy Award nominee Marilyn Maye (“The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson,” Cabaret) John Bolton (A Christmas StoryAnastasia), Zal Owen (Harmony) and Tony Award® nominee Lee Roy Reams (42nd StreetThe Producers) entertained.

Christine Pedi, Zal Owen

Broadway performers from many of your favorite shows past and present, as well as cabaret’s divas and crooners brought to life iconic characters like Norma Desmond, Harold Hill, Momma Rose, George M. Cohan, Victor and Victoria, one (if not ALL) of The Four Seasons and more. Classics and hidden gems like “The Glamorous Life,” “Life Upon the Wicked Stage,” “Lullaby of Broadway,” and many more from jukebox musicals, backstage shows, the silver screen and the “boob tube,” were performed to exquisite perfection.

Lee Roy Reams

“Everything about it was appealing about this crazy business called “show.”

Magda Katz has been in the entertainment world for most of her life as a child actress, assistant to the head publicist of Avco Embassy Pictures, theatrical print agent. She went on to manage the show business career of her 2 children for over 15 years. For the last five years Magda has been filming and editing video trailers of live performances as well as celebrity interviews. Broadway After Dark was the first website to feature her video trailers. She contributed in creating a star studded 90th birthday party for Mickey Rooney at Feinstein’s at the Regency Hotel. Her video trailers have a large international following. Videos are featured on www.t2conline.com. All of Magda’s videos can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/user/MagdaCorrespondent

Broadway

Broadway Celebrates Earth Day Concert

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The Broadway Green Alliance and Times Square Alliance are proud to announce the return of the Broadway Celebrates Earth Day Concert. Taking place on Saturday, April 20th from 11am – 3pm ET in the heart of Times Square, this unique star-studded concert will feature live performances from Broadway’s top talent and young performers from around the region, as well as interviews with environmental thought-leaders. The concert will be held on Broadway between 45th and 46th Streets and serves as one of the key events for the NYC Department of Transportation’s “Car-Free Earth Day” being celebrated throughout the five boroughs of New York City that day.

This event underscores the Broadway community’s commitment to raise awareness about the climate emergency and inspire actionable steps towards a more sustainable future. The concert will be simultaneously live-streamed, offering audiences around the world the opportunity to join this musical celebration of sustainability.

Broadway performers joining the event include host Ben Cameron (Broadway Sessions), Tony Award Winner Ruthie Ann Miles (Sweeney Todd), Tony Award Nominee Anika Larsen (Almost Famous), Michael Maliakel (Aladdin), Jelani Remy (Back to the Future), Alexandra Socha (Wicked), Nik Walker(Spamalot), and more to be announced. Young performers taking the stage include students from Epic Players, Marymount Manhattan College, NYU Steinhardt, Perkiomen Valley High School, R.Evolución Latina, and Wolf Performing Arts Center. The event will also feature guest speakers from Headcount and Julie Tighe, Director of New York League of Conservation Voters. David Alpert serves as the director of the event and Rick Hip-Flores provides musical accompaniment.

The concert is presented along with media partner iHeartRadio Broadway, iHeartMedia’s free digital music streaming channel dedicated to the songs and stories of Broadway, with additional generous support from NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), Creative Goods, and Cup Zero.

“The Times Square Alliance is thrilled to partner once again with the Broadway Green Alliance and the Department of Transportation to present a free Broadway Earth Day concert in the heart of Times Square as part of Car-Free Earth Day,” said Tom Harris, President of the Times Square Alliance. “Broadway in Times Square has been a leader in providing more space to pedestrians and we look forward to joining all the other neighborhoods throughout the five boroughs as we celebrate our public spaces and the great programming we can bring to them.”

“We are thrilled to collaborate again with the Times Square Alliance to harness the power of theatre to cultivate courage and community around the most pressing challenge of our time,” said Molly Braverman, Director of the Broadway Green Alliance.

“I love the Earth Day concert in Times Square and am excited to be participating again,” said Tony Award Nominee Anika Larsen. “It’s always so fun and inspiring and galvanizing. This year, I’m especially excited about this celebration because if there ever was an election year to think about saving our planet, this is the one!”

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Broadway’s The Notebook: The Musical Failed to Move Me 2 out of the 3 Paired Times From Standing in the Rain

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Girls like that dry their hands with dollar bills,” Noah is told by his best friend (a very fun Carson Stewart) one summer. On the opposing side, Allie is also dutifully warned by her gal pal (Hillary Fisher) that the handsome young man she is smiling at will not be welcomed into her home by her well-off parents. But you and I know that those warnings of societal inappropriateness will not be heard by those two who smile lovingly at one another in the musical remake of that beloved Nicholas Sparks bestselling 1996 debut novel, The Notebook, and that even more loved 2004 hit film with the same name. We are a sucker for those types of romantic tales involving love triumphing over all obstacles, especially class, money, and meddling mothers, lovingly played in this one by Andrea Burns (LCT’s The Gardens of Anuncia).

Yet, the triangle of love that exists in The Notebook: The Musical is not of a traditional nature. There is a classic one, eventually, involving Noah, Allie, and a handsome young lawyer named Lon, played by the beautifully voiced and dashing Chase Del Ray (“King Richard“). But it is not the most important triangular one created in the latest Broadway movie-to-stage musical. Nor is it the focal point, mainly because this musical, written with a loyalty to the surface by book writer Bekah Brunstetter (The Cake) with music and lyrics by Ingrid Michaelson (“The Way I Am“), creates three unique versions of the two lovestruck leads, crowding the stage, even when not required. All to tell the tale that we already know, with little suspense, nor emotional connectivity – at least for this fan of the movie and the four movie stars who made it all work so beautifully well.

From left: John Cardoza, Dorian Harewood, and Ryan Vasquez in Broadway’s The Notebook: The Musical. Photo by Julieta Cervantes.

On a set designed solidly and efficiently by David Zinn (The Shed’s Here We Are) and Brett J. Banakis (ATC’s Sunday), with nursing home vibes pushed up to the edge, tender lighting by Ben Stanton (Broadway’s Good Night, Oscar), and a solid sound design by Nevin Steinberg (Broadway’s Sweeney Todd), time is played out in threes, with love, hope, and dreams coordinated in colored parallels of brown and blue, courtesy of costumes by Paloma Young (Broadway’s & Juliet). With their raw histories overlapping, sometimes with power and sometimes by force, “one might say” the engagement is there, but not to the degree I had hoped. The three versions continually circle around one another, singing as one, again and again, when one might have been enough sometime. I wanted so much to be drawn into the approaching dilemma, pulled with emotional tenderness into the tale of Noah and Allie. But it never found its way, like we are told it did between the young Noah, played carefully by John Cardoza (Broadway/ART’s Jagged Little Pill), and the young Allie, portrayed by the fair Jordan Tyson (PCLO’s Into the Woods) as she summers by the shore with her protective and single-minded parents (Burns, Charles E. Wallace).

The way those two youngins look at one another elevates the situation, and makes us want to swim into the turbulent waters of love with them, and dance in the (obviously coming) iconic rain storm, even if it feels more like a requirement than an authentic event. But the curiosity of one another doesn’t really seem etched in very much beyond rebellion and casual appreciation. Engagingly portrayed by the medium-aged middle Noah, handsomely embodied by the charming Ryan Vasquez (MCC’s The Wrong Man) with his young adult middle Allie, played stoically and compassionately by Joy Woods (CSC’s I Can Get It For You Wholesale), the visual works, but there isn’t much substance underneath those wet clothes. These two pairs are not the ones to be fully engaged with. They lack understanding and a reason for being, beyond attraction and superficial lust. The four do work hard creating the energy of a love blooming, but the feeling ultimately remains elusive, with the music and lyrics being too simple and superficial to really hold tight to.

Jordan Tyson and John Cardoza in Broadway’s The Notebook: The Musical. Photo by Julieta Cervantes.

These four are not the ones we care about. Our connectivity lies solely with the older Allie, played wonderfully complex by the captivating Maryann Plunkett (Broadway’s Agnes of God; ArsNova’s The Lucky Ones), as we rally around her struggle with dementia and that sad feeling of being lost and alone. And to a slightly lesser degree, her thoughtful momentarily-forgotten husband, Noah, played with tenderness and care by Dorian Harewood (Broadway’s The Mighty Gents). And like the older Allie, we just want to skip forward, basically to the end. Because that’s where we feel this musical has placed its emotional emphasis on, and it is in those elderly moments of tender remembrance when the lump gets stuck in our collective hearts. And not before.

Directed with a solid force by Michael Greif (Broadway’s War Paint) and Schele Williams (the upcoming Broadway revival of The Wiz), with musical supervision and arrangements by Carmel Dean (Broadway’s Funny Girl) and straightforward but circular choreography by Katie Spelman (Barrington’s Cabaret), The Notebook: The Musical tries to dramatize the layers but the repetitive music doesn’t feel authentic to the characters and the lyrics create simplistic metaphors that don’t have the weight of the true dilemma in its outstretched hands.

The journey is non-linear, telling us more than we need to know, too soon, and too fast. Maybe there is no way around this, as we are so aware of the secret subtext that is slowly revealed in the film – at least that is how I remember it. Changing the period and the background doesn’t even really register, mainly because I was never fully invested. It’s pretty, and everyone looks good and sounds good, but the whole thing feels forced and reconstructed for optimal effect. That is except for those two veteran actors who float in and out connecting us to the material and to their passion for one another. There’s some magic to be found there in The Notebook: The Musical.

Joy Woods in Broadway’s The Notebook: The Musical. Photo by Julieta Cervantes.For more go to frontmezzjunkies.com

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Theatre News: Sunset Boulevard, Paper Mill Playhouse, Redemption Story, Noël Coward and Michael Greif

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Director Jamie Lloyd’s new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard starring two-time Olivier Award® and Grammy® Award nominee Nicole Scherzinger will play Broadway’s St. James Theatre (246 West 44th Street) with preview performances beginning Saturday, September 28 ahead of a Sunday, October 20 opening night. The production, which features book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton, based on the Paramount Pictures film directed by Billy Wilder, recently received 11 Olivier Award nominations including Best Musical Revival, has won Evening Standard Awards for Lloyd and Scherzinger as well as seven WhatsOnStage Awards.

To get additional news about Sunset Boulevard, please visit www.sunsetboulevardbroadway.com. Tickets will then go on sale to the general public starting Friday, April 10 at 10 AM ET.

To coincide with the show’s Broadway opening, SSunset Blvd: The Album recorded live at the Savoy Theatre in London’s West End, is set for global release in October via The Other Songs.

Starting Tuesday, April 2, anyone who orders tickets as part of the Broadway presale will have the option of pre-ordering the album on vinyl and CD. Additionally, audience members who purchased tickets for the London run of Sunset Boulevard or signed up on the show’s website will be able to pre-order the album at the same time. Starting Friday, April 10, the album will be available for pre-order globally. Sign up to hear about additional details at www.sunsetboulevardbroadway.com

Joining Scherzinger on Broadway will be her acclaimed London co-stars, all of whom received Olivier Award nominations for their performances, Tom Francis as ‘Joe Gillis,’ Grace Hodgett-Young as ‘Betty Schaefer,’ and Olivier Award winner David Thaxton as ‘Max Von Mayerling.’

Director Jamie Lloyd said, “I was extremely humbled by the amazing enthusiasm of our West End audiences and am thrilled we get to bring this production to Broadway. When we recorded the album live on the stage of the Savoy in London, I was once again overwhelmed by the depth and power of Nicole Scherzinger’s performance — these iconic songs have never been sung like this before. Having the exceptional Tom Francis, Grace Hodgett-Young, and David Thaxton join Nicole at the St. James Theatre will be an unforgettable experience.”

Andrew Lloyd Webber said, “I am very excited that Jamie Lloyd’s wonderful production of Sunset Boulevard is coming to New York with the incomparable Nicole Scherzinger.”

Nicole Scherzinger said, “It has truly been a lifelong dream of mine to perform on Broadway. So, to be bringing this iconic production to NYC with my London co-stars and our cutting-edge director Jamie Lloyd is a pinnacle moment for me in my career.”

Paper Mill Playhouse (Mark S. Hoebee, Producing Artistic Director; Michael Stotts, Executive Director), recipient of the Regional Theatre Tony Award, is proud to announce its 2024–2025 season, including a world premiere, the first New Jersey production of a Tony Award winner, family favorites, and a new musical based on a classic romantic comedy.

Paper Mill Playhouse’s 2024–2025 lineup of five musicals features Jersey Boys, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Mystic Pizza, Take the Lead, and Disney’s The Little Mermaid.

Christine Toy Johnson

Tony and Obie Award honoree Christine Toy Johnson (Come From Away National Tour; The Music Man on Broadway) will lead the cast for the World Premiere of Peregrine Teng Heard’s Redemption Story with The Associates Theater Ensemble (Shannon Sindelar, Producer). The production will be directed by Sarah Blush (Events with The Hearth; I thought I would die but I didn’t at The Tank) at the Jeffrey and Paula Gural Theatre at the A.R.T./New York Theatres (502 West 53rd Street, New York, NY 10019), May 4-19. The cast will also feature José Espinosa (Our Class at BAM; Los Complicados with EST), Dee Beasnael (Ulysses with Elevator Repair Service), Emily Stout (Pick Me Last at La Jolla Playhouse), Gregory Saint Georges (Cake Walk: A Digital Play with Garage Magazine/Jeremy O. Harris), and Mitchell Winter (Lortel Award-winner for Wolf Play with MCC/Soho Rep).
INT. DINER – LOS ANGELES, 1971. CONNIE LEE (50s, hardened glamor) drinks coffee, fingers her cigarettes. Her eyes glint with magnetism, even after years of playing clichés instead of characters. A MAN (20s, blond and eager) pushes through the door, and Connie does a double-take, then turns away. She’s already made the worst mistake of her life, and a fresh face can’t fix it. A new play about alienation, conditional love, and our distorted senses of self.
Performances are scheduled on Saturday, May 4 at 7:30pm, Sunday, May 5 at 7:30pm, Monday, May 6 at 7:30pm, Wednesday, May 8 at 7:30pm, Thursday, May 9 at 7:30pm, Friday, May 10 at 7:30pm, Saturday, May 11 at 7:30pm, Sunday, May 12 at 7:30pm, Monday, May 13 at 7:30pm, Wednesday, May 15 at 7:30pm, Thursday, May 16 at 7:30pm, Friday, May 17 at 7:30pm, Saturday, May 18 at 7:30pm, and Sunday, May 19 at 2pm. Tickets ($15-$45) are available for advance purchase at www.universe.com/events/redemption-story-tickets-SDVTKH. The performance will run approximately 100 minutes, with no intermission.

The Al Hirschfeld Foundation presents its latest online exhibition, “Men About Town: Al Hirschfeld Draws Noël Coward,” now live at AlHirschfeldFoundation.org/exhibitionsthrough June 1.

Nearly 40 of Al Hirschfeld’s drawings focus on Noël Coward’s life and work. In conjunction with “Coward 125,” an observance of Coward’s 125th birthday, the Al Hirschfeld Foundation presents this exhibition of 25 selections of Hirschfeld’s extensive artwork focusing on Noël Coward and his plays, ranging from Private Lives (1931) through Waiting in the Wings (1999). The exhibition is curated by Alan Pally, who served for many years as a Trustee of the Noël Coward Foundation and is currently a member of the Foundation’s Grants Committee. Selections in the exhibition include Coward, himself, as well as the many actors who appeared in his work, including Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Laurence Olivier, Joan Collins, The Lunts, Frank Langella, Elaine Stritch, Lauren Bacall and more.

“Hirschfeld and Coward were contemporaries who admired one another’s work,” says Alan Pally, curator of the new online exhibition. “In Al Hirschfeld’s house on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, a photograph of Noël Coward was prominently displayed in the living room. In the Noël Coward Room in Red Lion Square in London, a drawing of Noël Coward by Al Hirschfeld is prominently displayed as part of the rich repository of materials available for study. In celebrating Coward’s 125th birthday, I can’t think of a more fitting tribute than this look at Coward and his career through pen strokes of the great Al Hirschfeld. With this exhibition, we honor the work of an American artist who was an icon of New York theater and a British artist who loved New York and whose work in the fields of theater, music, film, and literature earned him the title of ‘The Master.’”

“Al Hirschfeld and Noel Coward entertained audiences in somewhat the same way,” says David Leopold, Creative Director of The Al Hirschfeld Foundation. “Their work was both witty and elegant as well as timeless. These Men About Town bought audiences a lot of joy.”

Go behind the lines of Hirschfeld’s art with “The Hirschfeld Century Podcast.” A special episode focusing “Men About Town: Al Hirschfeld Draws Noël Coward” will be released April 9 from  from AlHirschfeldFoundation.org/podcasts, iTunes and other popular podcast sites.New Dramatists, Tony® Honor recipient and the nation’s premier playwright development laboratory, will host its Annual Spring Luncheon Tribute on Tuesday, May 14 at the New York Marriott Marquis (1535 Broadway, between 45th and 46th Streets). The May 14 luncheon will begin with a champagne reception at 11:15AM and end promptly at 2:30PM. Tickets are $450, or $4000 for a table of 10 seats (a portion of which is tax-deductible). Premium sponsorships are also available. For tickets and information, visit NewDramatists.org/luncheon or contact Sofie Wasserman-Smith at (646) 381-4694, sofiewasserman-smith@newdramatists.org.

A beloved theater community tradition, this year’s luncheon honors Michael Greif, the acclaimed director of this season’s Days of Wine and Roses, The Notebook and Hell’s Kitchen. Tony Award-winning producers Kevin McCollum and Stacey Mindich serve as honorary co-chairs for this year’s luncheon.

“From Downtown to Broadway, and in theatres across the country, Michael Greif has built his outstanding career championing and directing new plays and musicals by legendary writers, including New Dramatists’ alumni Doug Wright, John Guare, Suzan-Lori Parks, Diana Son, Nilo Cruz, Jeffrey Hatcher, Jeffrey M. Jones, Kate Moira Ryan, and Kristoffer Diaz, this season on Hell’s Kitchen,” says Emily Morse, Artistic Director of New Dramatists. “With his remarkable resume, and three shows opening on Broadway, this feels like the perfect year for New Dramatists to honor Michael and his distinguished career, at our Annual Spring Luncheon.”

New Dramatists has also announced the presentation of a new award at this year’s luncheon. The Konecky Award, named for New Dramatists’ beloved Board President Isobel Konecky and her husband, renowned entertainment attorney Ron Konecky, recognizes those in the theatre and entertainment industry, who serve the field with passion, dedication, excellence, and leadership. The inaugural Konecky Award will be presented to Concord Theatricals.

“As the parent company of Samuel French – a founding name in theatrical publishing and licensing – and the steward of catalogs from R&H Theatricals, Tams-Witmark, and the Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection, Concord Theatricals is a strong, committed advocate of creative artists,” says Christie Brown, Executive Director of New Dramatists. “We are delighted to recognize their service to the field.”

“Concord Theatricals is deeply honored to be the recipient of the inaugural Konecky Award,” said Sean Patrick Flahaven, Chief Theatricals Executive of Concord. “Supporting playwrights and their work is our core mission at Concord and has been the cornerstone of my own career. In this 75th anniversary year of New Dramatists, we celebrate the many writers we share, from its founders, to contemporary icons, to the newest voices that need to be heard.”

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Music News: A Little Night Music In Concert, The Gardens of Anuncia, Lea DeLaria, Merman and Water for Elephants

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Producer Jeff Berger announced today that Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music In Concert, featuring brand new orchestrations by legendary orchestrator and lifelong Sondheim collaborator Jonathan Tunick, will play David Geffen Hall at New York City’s Lincoln Center (10 Lincoln Center Plaza).

Performances are Thursday, June 27 and Friday June 28 at 8:00 p.m. and Saturday, June 29 at 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Mr. Tunick himself will conduct the 53-piece Orchestra of St. Lukes, playing for an all-star cast that includes Susan Graham, Cynthia Erivo, Ron Raines, Kerstin Anderson, Jonathan Christopher, Jason Gotay, Ellie Fishman, Jin Ha, Addie Harrington, Shuler Hensley, Samantha Hill, Andrea Jones-Sojola, Ross Lekites, Marsha Mason and Ruthie Ann Miles. This 53-piece version nearly doubles the size of the original, which was orchestrated for a 27-piece orchestra.

With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by Hugh Wheeler, and orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick, A Little Night Music In Concert is directed and adapted by John Doyle.

“A life in the theater comes with few reliable constants,” commented Mr. Tunick, “but the ever-decreasing size of theater orchestras has been a discouraging trend across my five decades on Broadway. Whenever I’m asked to re-orchestrate one of my shows, the purpose is to make the orchestra smaller as well as hidden from the audience.  How refreshing to have this rare opportunity to present Sondheim’s score in its full symphonic glory! The orchestra has so much to contribute to the theater if only given the chance.”

A Little Night Music was originally produced and directed on Broadway in 1973 by Harold Prince, garnering 12 Tony Award®nominations and winning six Tony Awards including Best Musical. A Little Night Music is Sondheim’s eighth musical, featuring his widely beloved ballad “Send in the Clowns,” and is a musical adaptation of the 1955 film Smiles of a Summer Night.

Tickets for A Litte Night Music In Concert go on-sale on Tuesday, March 26 at 10 a.m. ET. For tickets, visit the David Geffen Hall box office, open Monday- Saturday 10am – 6pm, and Sunday 12pm- -6pm. Or call Center Charge 212-721-6500 Monday – Saturday 10am –  8pm and Sunday 12-6pm.

For more information, visit alittlenightmusicconcert.com.

Ghostlight Records has announced that The Gardens of Anuncia (Original Cast Recording) –based on the recent Lincoln Center Theater production – is available in streaming and digital formats, starting today, Friday, March 22. The Gardens of Anuncia features book, music, and lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa, and was directed and co-choreographed by Graciela Daniele. Michael Starobin provides orchestrations, with Deborah Abramson serving as music director. The cast album is produced by Lawrence Manchester and Michael John LaChiusa, with Kurt Deutsch serving as executive producer. Stream or download the album at ghostlight.lnk.to/TheGardensOfAnuncia

The musical stars Enrique Acevedo, Andréa Burns, Eden Espinosa, Priscilla Lopez, Tally Sessions, Mary Testa, and Kalyn West.

The Gardens of Anuncia marks the fourth collaboration between Michael John LaChiusa and Graciela Daniele at Lincoln Center Theater to receive an original cast recording following Hello Again (1994), Marie Christine (1999), and Bernarda Alba (2006).  The New York Times called the show, “A sweet reverie of a musical,” while the Wall Street Journal said, “Mr. LaChiusa’s score, its subtle harmonies and often clever lyrics, is one of his finest” and TheaterMania declared, “It’s awfully refreshing to hear smart, simple music like this. Michael John LaChiusa’s melodies in this heartwarming musical are so infectious that they make you want to get up and dance!” 

The Gardens of Anuncia was presented at Lincoln Center Theater’s Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater from October 19 to December 31, 2023.

Emmy Award winner Lea DeLaria comes to 54 Below this Mother’s Day. Lea has put together a fun-filled show to celebrate Mom. She, along with special guest Tony Award® winner Gabriel Ebert (Matilda the Musical, Pass Over, The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical), will perform duets of original tunes and songs from her repertoire, including Bowie, Sondheim, Kander and Ebb, and LaChiusa, as well as classic jazz standards. Come on, it’s Mother’s Day so take your mom to see the
biggest mother of them all.

The second iteration of this show celebrates Pride Month! Lea DeLaria, along with special guest Alexis Michelle (“RuPaul’s Drag Race”), brings you a fat, fast, and funny Sunday filled with her trademark comedy and musical chops in Brunch Is Gay. Let’s face it, brunch is a gay high holiday, so come and spend it with the highest,
gayest human on the planet.

Lea DeLaria was the first openly gay comic on television in America and is an accomplished jazz performer who has performed in concert venues all over the world. She is best known as ‘Big Boo’ from “Orange is the New Black” (3 SAG Awards). Lea can currently be seen in the indie feature film Potato Dreams of America, and in the Indigo Girls jukebox feature film, Glitter & Doom, but we all know her from Orange is the New Black.

The York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director, Marie Grace LaFerrara, Executive Director) “Where Musicals Come to Life,” will present a developmental reading of Merman (inspired by the book “Merman” by Brian Kellow) with book by Richard Sabellico, music and lyrics by Irving Berlin, De Sylva & Whiting, Elliot & Spina, George & Ira Gershwin, Henderson & Brown, Cole Porter, Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim, music direction by Jon Delfin and directed by Richard Sabellico. The presentation – by invitation only – will take place on Monday, April 1. These presentations are part of The York Theatre Company’s Developmental Reading Series. This reading was made possible by a generous gift from The Tanner Foundation.

Ethel Merman was the most important musical theatre star who ever took to the stage. A powerful woman in an era when women were not supposed to be powerful, her strength informed her work and her art. She redefined the musical theater and her influence is felt to this day. Ethel Merman was the star of her own story; she is the star of ours.

Cast: Megan Sikora as Ethel Merman, with Jeremy Benton, Michael Berresse, Adam Heller, Manu Narayan, Patricia Richardson, Diane Findlay, and Robert Sella. Stage Directions by Hans Friedrichs. The stage manager is Meg Meschino.

Ghostlight Records has announced plans for an original cast recording of the new Broadway musical Water for Elephants. The upcoming album will preserve the show’s soaring score by the acclaimed PigPen Theatre Co. (The Tale of Despereaux). Produced by Peter Schneider, Jennifer Costello, Grove Entertainment, Frank Marshall, Isaac Robert Hurwitz, and Seth A. Goldstein, Water for Elephants is currently in previews at the Imperial Theatre (249 West 45th Street), with an opening scheduled for Thursday, March 21. Water for Elephants is based on the critically acclaimed and New York Times-bestselling novel by Sara Gruen. The new musical has a book by three-time Tony Award nominee Rick Elice (Jersey Boys, Peter and the Starcatcher) and is directed by Tony Award nominee Jessica Stone(Kimberly Akimbo). The album will be produced by Mary-Mitchell Campbell and Ian Kagey, and recorded on Monday, March 25, to be released later this season. Pre-save the album at ghostlightrecords.lnk.to/WaterForElephants

The cast stars Grant Gustin (“The Flash,” “Glee”) in his Broadway debut, Isabelle McCalla (The Prom, Shucked), four-time Tony Award nominee Gregg Edelman (City of Angels), Drama Desk and Outer Critic Circle Award nominee Paul Alexander Nolan (Slave Play), Stan Brown (“Homicide: Life in the Streets”), Joe De Paul (Cirque du Soleil’s Dralion), Sara Gettelfinger (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), and Wade McCollum (Wicked), and features Brandon Block, Antoine Boissereau, Rachael Boyd, Paul Castree, Ken Wulf Clark, Taylor Colleton, Gabriel Olivera de Paula Costa, Isabella Luisa Diaz, Samantha Gershman, Keaton Hentoff-Killian, Nicolas Jelmoni, Caroline Kane, Harley McLeish, Michael Mendez, Samuel Renaud, Marissa Rosen, Alexandra Gaelle Royer, Asa Somers, Charles South, Sean Stack, Matthew Varvar, and Michelle West.

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Live From The Hotel Edison Times Square Chronicles Presents The Boy Band Project

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I am so pleased to announce our guests for this Wednesday’s show on March 27th is Travis Nesbitt and members of The Boy Band Project.

The Boy Band Project, transports you back to a time when the boy band phenomenon dominated pop culture and TRL was appointment television.  Delivered with their own special mix of handsomeness, tongue-in-cheek humor, and Broadway talent, these boys have been seen all over the world spreading their boy band love. Even if you’ve never demolished a Trapper Keeper notebook with pictures of your favorite boy bander, this show will make you party like it’s 1999 before you can say Bye, Bye, Bye.


The boys re-imagine the sound, movement, and energy of NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, Hanson, One Direction, 98 Degrees, O-town, BoyzIIMen, Jonas Brothers and more. This musical thrill-fest features a group of boys direct from Broadway’s Wicked, Hairspray, Mamma Mia, The Book of Mormon, Altar Boyz, and Rock of Ages.

They were seen in 2019 opening for US Pop star Todrick Hall on his “Haus Party Tour”, and featured on the US Television show ”Good Morning America,” They’ve headlined residencies in Provincetown, Puerto Vallarta, The Green Room 42 (NYC), Chelsea Table and Stage (NYC), and City Winery in New York City. Other notable performances include: Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruises, Holland America Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Atlantis Cruises, Washington DC Pride, Rehoboth Beach, The Playstation Theatre, Palm Springs, Iridium, The O2 Academy (London, UK), The Bourbon Room (Hollywood, CA), Wheeler Opera House (Aspen), The Crest Theatre (Delray Beach, FL), and Parker Arts Center (Denver)

The Boy Band Project started a popular weekly event in New York City called ‘Boy Band Brunch’ that garnered them the 2019 Broadway World Award for “Best Group”.

They received an astounding 8 nominations for the 2020 Broadway World Awards and won Best Original Song for their Holiday Hit Jingle My Bells and Best Ensemble Soloist, Chris Messina.

Boy Band Brunch with The Boy Band Project currently has a monthly residency at City Winery NYC.

Embrace your inner super fan…
2019 and 2020 Broadway World Award Winners!
– Best Group Show
– Best Original Song
– Best Featured Soloist

“Live From The Hotel Edison Times Square Chronicles Presents ”, is a new show that will be filmed live every Wednesday from 5 – 6 in the lobby of the iconic Hotel Edison, before a live audience. To see our first episode click here second episode click here,  third episode click here, our fourth episode click here, fifth episode and sixth episode.

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