BILLY BARNES & FRIENDS at THE PANTAGES THEATRE and GETTING HAROLD ARLEN BACK TO BROADWAY!

(Show Host, Barry Williams performs “Flash In The Pan”)
Yesterday, I received information on two of my favorite composers which led to the perfect content for my blog today. Billy Barnes and Harold Arlen. On Monday night, The Actors' Fund in Los Angeles did a tribute to Billy Barnes. I was lucky enough to be in Los Angeles in February when they honored Carol Channing on the occasion of her 90th birthday. I've always loved Billy Barnes. I'll get to Harold Arlen a little further into the blog.

Barbra Streisand - Have I stayed too long at the fair (from Color me Barbra)
Director/Producer John Bowab along with producer Martin Wiviott have yet again brought another successful “Musical Monday” cabaret to the historic Pantages lobby. Under the musical direction of Steven Smith, the most recent sell out production focused on the stellar career of beloved composer and lyricist, Billy Barnes with a special evening of “Billy Barnes and Friends.” In addition to performances by Eileen Barnett, Carole Cook, Nancy Dussault, Jane A. Johnston, Karen Morrow, Barry Williams and JoAnne Worley along with host Barry Williams, were multi media clips from film, television and stage featuring the talents of Judy Garland, Bette Midler, Carol Burnett, Barbra Streisand,
Angela Lansbury, Goldie Hawn, Joel Grey, Carol Channing, Diana Ross, Lucille Ball and Cher performing classic songs, created by the man affectionately known as “the Revue Master of Hollywood”-Billy Barnes.
Production numbers included: “MOVIE STAR”, “CHAPLIN WALKED HERE,” “INNER CHILD,” “CAPTAIN'S DAUGHTER,” “BUNS,” “THE VALLEY,” “LEADING LADIES” “QUEEN OF EQUITY WAIVER,” “FLASH IN THE PAN,” “WHO IS…,” “A LITTLE LIFT,” “DOES ANYONE HERE LOVE ME,” “SHOW VOICE,” “SOMETHING COOL,” and “HAVE I STAYED TOO LONG AT THE FAIR.”
Among those in attendance were noted Billy Barnes Revue performers such as Ruta Lee, Mitzi Gaynor, Patricia Morison, Jackie Joseph, Marcia Wallace and more. Barnes hits include "(Have I Stayed) Too Long at the Fair" recorded by Barbra Streisand (in her album "Color Me Barbra"), and "Something Cool", recorded by jazz vocalist June Christy. His revues were the springboard for many talented comics and singers, including Bert Convy, Ken Berry, JoAnne Worley, Jackie Joseph, Ann Morgan Guilbert, Donald Ross, Dick Patterson, Dave Ketchum and Barnes' former wife, Joyce Jameson. On television he wrote special material and original musical production numbers for Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, The Danny Kaye Show, The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, Cher and The Carol Burnett Show, as well as writing opening production numbers for several Academy Awards telecasts. He wrote the songs for the 1976 television musical adaptation of Pinocchio starring Sandy Duncan in the title role, Danny Kaye as Mister Geppetto and Flip Wilson as the Fox. Barnes also had a recurring acting role on Mad About You in the 1990s as "Mr. Edlin," the musical director and pianist of a community theatre.(Carole Cook performs “Queen of Equity Waver”)
Producer/writer, David Rambo, remarked “What an amazing night! This show could easily go on the road and perform to sold out audiences everywhere.” Rambo is currently very actively working with colleague Marc Cherry on the upcoming Actor's Fund Tony Awards® Party honoring the remarkable career of Hal Holbrook on Sunday, June 12th at the Skirball Center. The evening will feature host Marilu Henner and a special presentation of the Julie Harris Award to Mr. Holbrook by friend and colleague Sean Penn.(Eileen Barnett performs “The Valley”)
The highly anticipated Musical Monday's series benefits THE ACTORS FUND, a national human services organization that helps everyone - performers and those behind the scenes - who works in performing arts and entertainment, helping more than 12,000 people directly each year, and hundreds of thousands online. Serving professionals in film, theatre, television, music, opera, radio and dance, The Fund's programs include social services and emergency assistance, health care and insurance, housing, and employment and training services. With offices in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, The Actors Fund has - for nearly 130 years - been a safety net for those in need, crisis or transition.
Visit www.actorsfund.org.
Nancy Dussault (pictured)was born in Pensacola, Florida, her parents were George Adrian, a naval officer and Sarah Isabel (née Seitz).She grew up as a "Navy junior". A former resident of Arlington, Virginia, she graduated from Washington-Lee High School (W-L) where she was an actress and singer in the W-L drama program under director Jack Jeglum and a choral singer in the nationally known Washington-Lee High School Choir and Madrigal Singers under director Florence Booker. She is an alumna of Northwestern University.
In 1962, Dussault stepped into the role of Maria in the Broadway production of The Sound of Music. She received a Tony Award nomination in 1961 for Best Featured Actress (Musical) for Do Re Mi and was nominated for her performance in Bajour (1965). Of her performance in Do Re Mi and later career, Bloom and Vlastnik wrote: "Confidently clowning alongside such pros as Phil Silvers and Nancy Walker...she never faded into the scenery. Equally comfortable as a pure soprano or a rangy high belter, her versatility was well captured on the...cast album...Well cast as a situation comedy wife, she spent much of the 1970s and 80s in California." Other stage shows included Quality Street in 1965 at the Bucks County Playhouse in Pennsylvania.She also appeared in the City Center Gilbert & Sullivan NYC Company, directed by Dorothy Raedler, with such Metropolitan Opera singers as Nico Castel, Muriel Costa-Greenspon, and Frank Poretta, Sr. Dussault took over as the Witch in Into the Woods on Broadway (1987–89).

Jo Anne Worley (pictured) (born September 6, 1937) is an American actress. Her work covers television, films, theater, game shows, talk shows, commercials, and cartoons. She is best known for her work on the comedy-variety show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In.
Worley was born in Lowell, Indiana, the third of five children. In 1962, her father remarried and his second union gave her two half-brothers and two half-sisters.
Always known for her loud voice, Worley once said that when she attended church as a little girl, she never sang the hymns but would only lip-synch them for fear that she would drown out everyone else. Before graduating from high school, she was named School Comedienne.(Eileen Barnett, Carole Cook, Nancy Dussault, Jane A. Johnston, Karen Morrow and JoAnne Worley)After graduating from high school in 1955, Worley moved to Blauvelt, New York, where she began her professional career as a member of the Pickwick Players. This led to a drama scholarship to Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas.(Eileen Barnett, Carole Cook, Nancy Dussault, Billy Barnes, Karen Morrow and JoAnne Worley)
John Bowab(pictured here with Billy Barnes and Martin Wiviott) is an American director and producer of television and theatre.

Bowab began his career in theatre, directing a number of stage productions. Such as Mame (1983), The Night of the Hunter (2003)[2] and most recently 70, Girls, 70 (2010).

In the late 1970s, he moved on to television, amassing a large number of notable directing credits.
Some of directing credits include The Cosby Show, Benson, Bosom Buddies, Gimme a Break!, Small Wonder, Making a Living, Full House, Who's the Boss?, The Facts of Life, Family Matters, Double Trouble, Ellen and among other series.

(Joni Berry, Billy Barnes and Ruta Lee)Barnes started writing musical comedy sketches while still in high school, and continued while at UCLA. He started collaborating in college with Bob Rodgers, and their first professional revue, a Cabaret Concert Show, was staged in 1956 in Los Angeles. (Patricia Morison and Dale Olson)He wrote the songs for the 1976 television musical adaptation of Pinocchio starring Sandy Duncan in the title role, Danny Kaye as Mister Geppetto and Flip Wilson as the Fox.(Cast, Crew and Actors Fund staff - Back Row: John Bowab, Meg Thomas, Eileen Barnett, Barry Williams, Steven Smith, Carole Cook, Keith McNutt and Louie Anchondo, Front Row: JoAnne Worley, Jane A. Jonston, Billy Barnes, Nancy Dussault and Karen Morrow)




(Photos Credit: Daniel Lam) (Source Harlan Boll)

FORGET WONDERLAND! BRING THE MAN WHO TOOK US "OVER THE RAINBOW" TO BROADWAY!


My dear friend Fred Barton(pictured, right) is collaborating on a new show with Scott Thompson, a musical celebrating the music of Harold Arlen. (http://www.oneformybaby.com/demo.html)
ONE FOR MY BABY is a sexy new song-and-dance book musical based on the songs of the legendary Harold Arlen, celebrating the Golden Age of Big-City Nightlife. ONE FOR MY BABY will be directed and choreographed by Scott Thompson, with arrangements and musical direction by Fred Barton.
They both have collaborated on the book. Of course, we ALL grew up with Harold Arlen thanks to THE WIZARD OF OZ! Wow! What a rich legacy Mr. Arlen has left us. Harold Arlen wrote some of the greatest hits from the 30's and 40's, including the entire score to the classic movie, The Wizard of Oz. Songs such as Over the Rainbow, Get Happy, Stormy Weather, It's Only a Paper Moon, I've Got the World on a String, and Last Night When We Were Young are just some of the standards that live on today and have distinguished Harold Arlen as one of the Great American Composers of the 20th Century.
With shows like WONDERLAND (HOW DID THIS SHOW MAKE IT TO BROADWAY!?!?!), AMERICAN IDIOT (It kills me that this is in my beloved St. James Theatre!), and ROCK OF AGES, NOW, IS THE TIME FOR "ONE FOR MY BABY" ON BROADWAY!
About “ONE FOR MY BABY” and HAROLD ARLEN



This book musical is a sexy, funny, slightly dark, tribute to the golden age of night-life in the big city – a time when people smoked, drank, and danced, and weren’t nearly as afraid to die. Like a 1940’s film, the characters are fast-talking and familiar – yet as the story unfolds, their unique, intrigues and heartbreaks collide, culminating in an inevitable, fatal explosion.

WHY ARLEN- WHY NOW?
Unlike his peers (Gershwin, Porter, Berlin, Kern), Harold Arlen has yet to receive his due on the Great White Way, and Fred Barton and Scott Thompson are passionate about changing that. We ALL think his time is long overdue.
After recording their demo CD, starring Anika Noni Rose, Carolee Carmello, and Gavin Creel, and attracting the enthusiasm of major Broadway producers, they are now ready to fund the all-important full Workshop production which will propel the show to Broadway.For an unprecedented figure of under $100,000, we will produce a FULL PRESENTATION, including choreography, musicians, and a full cast that will include major Broadway headliners.
(Carolee Carmello, pictured)
The workshop will be co-produced by the One For My Baby LLC, and The Broadway Musicals Company, a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation – so your contribution here will be TAX-DEDUCTIBLE.
( Pictured:Scott Thompson)
ONE FOR MY BABY is a cinematic song-and-dance extravaganza, which we intend to showcase in its fully-realized form. With the producers' interest we've cultivated, and the outstanding connections we've made, your contributions (matched by Broadway producers) will facilitate this Workshop, on our way to the ultimate Broadway production!

His music is everywhere! You have probably heard, and maybe even hummed, a Harold Arlen song today and didn't even know it! Though he is most noted for composing the songs for the film "The Wizard of Oz," particularly Over the Rainbow, which was recently named the Number One Song of the Century, he has written over 400 songs including favorites like: It's Only A Paper Moon, Stormy Weather, I've Got the World on A String, and Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive.


And yet, it’s been over 40 years since the last complete Arlen score was heard on Broadway. How is it that one of the greatest composers of popular, film and Broadway music has been absent so long from the Great White Way?

George Gershwin said of Arlen- “He’s the most original of all of us” and Irving Berlin opined, “He wasn’t as well known as some of us, but he was a better songwriter than most of us!” We agree- hence- “ ONE FOR MY BABY” - the Harold Arlen Musical.


At www.HaroldArlen.com, you can learn about Harold Arlen, one of the Great Twentieth Century Composers, and his music.

There you can discover how Harold developed his musical career, browse through his catalogue of compositions, and listen to several samples of his works. Take a look at his life in pictures by visiting their on-line photo album. Find out where you can see and hear Harold Arlen's works performed in "What's New" and then shop for your favorite Harold Arlen tunes from the comfort of your own home. For the media, they have provided an avenue for licensing and easy access to press releases and updates on various projects. HAROLD ARLEN (A fellow Aquarian! No wonder he wrote about rainbows!)
(Born Hyman Arluck)
February 15, 1905 - April 23, 1986At www.HaroldArlen.com, learn how his musical career developed, see pictures of him and his friends throughout the years, and hear clips of some of his greatest songs by visiting the LISTENING LOUNGE located in the MUSIC page of the site.


Please consider a contribution large or small to ONE FOR MY BABY at Kickstarter: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/21512231/new-broadway-musical-one-for-my-baby, if you love top-notch show music and great big Broadway song-and-dance musicals as much as we do – have we got a show for you!

DON'T LET THIS SHOW GET AWAY!


All you have to do today is bask in the LOVE and talent that surrounds you!


Tomorrow's blog will be about Ken Greves(who has his own Harold Arlen project happening!), Leslie Orofino (who just had two incredible appearances at The Laurie Beechman and is about to take this incredible show to Bob Egan's New York), and Barbara Porteus (who has a brand new show opening next week with Barry Levitt and directed by Peter Napalitano)...the first three suggestions I receive!

Please contribute to the DR. CAROL CHANNING & HARRY KULLIJIAN FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS: http://www.carolchanning.org/foundation.htm
TILL TOMORROW...HERE'S TO AN ARTS FILLED WEEK!
Richard Skipper, Richard@RichardSkipper.com

One week from Tuesday! The 26th Annual Bistro Awards are honoring Carol Channing, Dionne Warwick, and Tyne Daly! Do you have your tickets yet?

I am very excited to be working with Sherry Eaker for the second year in a row as associate producer of The Bistro Awards! I'm specially thrilled this year because we are honoring Carol Channing for all that she is doing to restore arts in education. I am proud to be part of the planning committee for the Dr. Carol Channing-Harry Kullijian Foundation For The Arts.
Carol and Harry are in town for the premier of Dori Berenstein's CAROL CHANNING: LARGER THAN LIFE which is premiering Saturday afternoon at The Tribeca Film Festival!I'm also in this film! I hope to see you there as well!

Today, I want to focus on Carol, Dionne Warwick, and Tyne Daly. Tomorrow's blog will focus on three other recipients.
As stated above, Carol will be honored for or her ongoing commitment and dedication to the performing arts through the Dr. Carol Channing & Harry Kullijian Foundation for the Arts, which promotes arts education in our public schools. I want to take this moment to say THANK YOU for all the joy you have given to me and the world. You have made my journey on this planet a lot nicer by your very being! Last summer when Carol was in New York to promote her latest cd, FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE, Perez Hilton posted on his blog: She's so presh!

Watch the legendary Carol Channing appear on The Wendy Williams Show — she's a hoot!

Carol says her father might have been half-black and that's why she's such a good singer and dancer!
LOLs!

So happy to see her looking so vibrant and healthy!
Cannot wait to see you next week, Carol! Safe travels!
The following is from Greg Hernandez' blog: I’ve been lucky enough to see the great Carol Channing at many events in recent years – including watching her perform her one woman show at The Magic Castle in Hollywood – and I can assure you that at 90, she’s still going strong.

Her longtime publicist, Harlan Boll, is the co-producer of the documentary Carol Channing: Larger Than Life with director/producer Dori Berinstein. Harlan tells me the film has been selected as a “Spotlight” film at the Tribeca Film Festival and premieres on April 23rd. It then heads to the Canada Film Festival, before hopefully going to the Los Angeles Film Festival.
The film features interviews with Lily Tomlin, Barbara Walters, Lee Roy Reams, Tommy Tune, Jerry Herman, Chita Rivera, Bruce Vilanch, Tippi Hedren, Phyllis Diller, Margaret O’Brien, Loni Anderson, Marge Champion, Bob Mackie, Debbie Reynolds, Tyne Daly, Rich Little, JoAnne Worley, Carole Cook, Mary Jo Catlett, and so many others including a remarkable interview with Carol’s NY roommate, Betty Garrett.

I am also thrilled that we are honoring Dionne Warwick! Being a child of the sixties, I grew up listening to her sultry sound. My favorite is still The Theme from Valley of The Dolls.
According to Wikipedia, Marie Dionne Warwick (born December 12, 1940) is an American singer and actress who became a United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, and a United States Ambassador of Health. THESE are the things we need to focus on..AND her body of work! Not her recent stint on Celebrity Apprentice."My legacy has already been built," ... "This show didn't do anyting but give me airtime. It didn't hurt me whatsoever."Here is a review of Miss Warwick's from a concert she did last week in Buffalo:
NORTH TONAWANDA — As artists from the ’60s and ’70s start to reach retirement age, it’s pretty easy to spot the ones who have given up on ever being relevant again — they put out a “Great American Songbook” album.

It’s a ploy that tends to sound as tired as the artists must feel. But Dionne Warwick’s new record of Sammy Cahn standards, “Only Trust Your Heart,” is a different animal. Unlike the bombastic rock singers who’ve tried to reinvent themselves (Rod Stewart and Michael McDonald being the most heinous that come to mind), Warwick is the original muse of two titans of American song—Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Interpreting the classics is what she’s been doing for the last 50 years.

And it’s what she did with class on Sunday evening in the beautiful Riviera Theatre. Always more of a restrained crooner than a fiery belter, Warwick remains the perfect foil for those lush, gentle Bacharach melodies, and she opened her set with eight straight highlights of their partnership.

With her five-piece band keeping things soft and light, the vocalist delivered the slinky melody and heartbreaking lyric of “Walk On By,” the sprightly, unlucky-in-love anthem “I’ll Never Fall In Love,” and the indelibly romantic “This Girl’s In Love With You.”

Things started to slow down during a salsa take on “I Say A Little Prayer,” which had me longing for the passion that Aretha Franklin brought to that song. And following it up with the lulling theme from “Alfie” didn’t exactly pick up the pace.

This was remedied right quick, however, by an homage to Warwick’s adopted home of Brazil, including a simmering take on Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Corcovado.” It was an enjoyable way to stretch the boundaries of Warwick’s approach, without really going too crazy —after all, many of those Bacharach rhythms and melodies are very much indebted to bossa nova.

Then came a pair of numbers from the new record, and they were performed with such polish, it would’ve been nice to hear a few more. “I’ll Never Stop Loving You” is a top-notch hyperbolic love song, filled with nevers and forevers, and Warwick gave it the full, smoky ballad treatment, the arrangement punctuated by an unexpected, tasteful bass solo.

This high point was an ideal segue into the three ultimate crowd pleasers. First came “I’ll Never Love This Way Again,” the 1979 R&B hit whose towering chorus made for the most bombastic moments of the night. “What the World Needs Now Is Love” ensued, the quintessential example of Bacharach, David and Warwick at the height of their powers — that song could so easily sound like a dippy throwaway from a simpler time, but it just doesn’t. “That’s What Friends Are For” closed things out, its melody powerful enough to cut through the schmaltz, with Stevie Wonder’s harmonica line tugging at the heartstrings, even though this band played it through a synthesizer patch that made it sound like it belonged in the theme from “Perfect Strangers.”

As the crowd stood up and cheered, Warwick wrapped her arms around herself, a gesture that communicated her love for us, the venue, her band, everything. Sure, she’s singing the Great American Songbook. But she’s a Great American Singer.



Last Sunday evening in the Riviera Theatre, North Tonawanda.
Like many of my generation, we watched the brilliant actress Tyne Daly in many television movies and TV shows in the 70s culminating with her incredible show CAGNEY AND LACEY. I've always been a fan! Then in 1989/1990, I saw her in GYPSY six times! Each and every time, she hit a home run. I saw her at Feinstein's and, once again, I'm thrilled she is receiving this award for that show. From Wikipedia: Tyne Daly (born February 21, 1946) is an American stage and screen actress, widely known for her work as Detective Lacey in the television series Cagney & Lacey. She has won six Emmy Awards for her television work,[1][2] and the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical in Gypsy: A Musical Fable in 1989.I cannot wait to see her as Maria Callas in MASTER CLASS!The following is from THE NEW YORK TIMES: Behind the Poster: ‘Master Class’
By ERIK PIEPENBURG
SpotCo Click to Enlarge Image Manhattan Theater Club’s poster for “Master Class,” starring Tyne Daly.

In 1989 Tyne Daly won a Tony Award for playing Rose, musical theater’s most notorious stage mother, in the Broadway revival of “Gypsy.” Beginning in June, Ms. Daly will play a diva of a more classical stripe, the soprano Maria Callas, in the Manhattan Theater Club’s revival of Terrence McNally’s “Master Class.” (Ms. Daly is reprising the role she played last spring at the Kennedy Center.)

The play, which starred Zoe Caldwell when it opened on Broadway in 1995, is set at a master class taught by Callas, who prods her students into revealing intimate parts of their lives. The poster art for MTC’s revival was inspired by a 1957 portrait of Callas shot by the famed British photographer Cecil Beaton, according to Vinny Sainato, senior creative director of the Broadway advertising agency SpotCo. Mr. Sainato and the designer Amanda Spielman collaborated with the celebrity photographer James White on the black-and-white photograph of Ms. Daly, who was made up, dressed and posed to look similar to Callas.

Mr. Sainato recently spoke with ArtsBeat about what inspired the design. Following are excerpts from the conversation.
Q.

Where did you get the idea for this image? It’s done in a classic, black-and-white portrait style that’s kind of unusual for a Broadway poster.
A.

We looked at all these iconic images of Callas. She’s this great beauty. We saw images of the Beaton photograph everywhere. We used that as the inspiration for this shot. We homaged it.
Q.

How much do you think Tyne Daly and Maria Callas have in common in this picture?
A.

Callas is much younger in that Beaton photograph. She was in her 20s or 30s. We weren’t trying to make Tyne look like a much younger person. We were trying to capture that essence of a diva.
Q.

How would you describe that essence? What makes a diva?
A.

It’s the way she looks at you in that picture. It’s her Cleopatra eyes. It’s looking like this queen almost. It’s all that.
Q.

James White shot the photo, but who else worked on it?
A.

The look was created with Tyne and a creative team that included Angelina Avallone, who did the makeup. Paul Huntley did the wig, and Martin Pakledinaz did the costume.

When we were doing the retouching, Elizabeth Taylor had just died. Tyne was very aware of Elizabeth Taylor’s eyebrows. We worked hard on getting those right, with extreme liquid eyeliners. We were also very aware of the “What Becomes a Legend Most?” campaign.
Q.

What were some of the other ideas you had for this campaign?
A.

One idea was to show Tyne with cracked stage makeup, like a crack in the diva. But that was just not a diva. Callas would never let you see her stage makeup crack. A diva would put her best face forward.

“Master Class” is set to begin performances on June 14 at the Samuel J. Friemdan Theater.
You don't have to wait till June to see Tyne Daly! You can see Tyne along with Carol Channing and Dionne Warwick next Tuesday night at The 26th annual Bistro Awards! For a complete list of this year's recipients , go here: http://www.bistroawards.com/2011-recipients.html

Tomorrow's blog will focus on three more of our recipients: MICHAEL FEINSTEIN, LIZ LARK BROWN, and NATE BUCCIERI!

Please contribute to the DR. CAROL CHANNING & HARRY KULLIJIAN FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS: http://www.carolchanning.org/foundation.htm

TILL TOMORROW...HERE'S TO AN ARTS FILLED 2011!


Richard Skipper, Richard@RichardSkipper.com

LIZA MINNELLI, CAST PARTY, SUE MATSUKI...AND MORE!

Liza Minnelli to Receive 2010 Pell Award for Lifetime Achievement

By: Andy Propst


Stage and screen legend Liza Minnelli will receive the 2010 Pell Award for Lifetime Achievement at the 14th annual Pell Awards Gala to be held on June 19 at the Sharpe Building at the Foundry Complex.

The event raises funds for Trinity Repertory Company's ongoing work.

In addition to the honor for Minnelli, the evening will feature the presentation of the Pell Award for Outstanding Leadership in the Arts to jazz impresario George Wein and artist Umberto "Bert" Crenca will receive the 2010 Rhode Island Pell Award for Excellence in the Arts.

Minnelli's most recent Broadway show, Liza's at the Palace, won a 2009 Tony for Best Special Theatrical Event, and Minnelli has also won Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Musical for Flora the Red Menace and The Act. She also won a special Tony Award in 1974 "for adding lustre to the Broadway season." She was Tony- nominated for The Rink and additional Broadway credits include Victor/Victoria and Chicago. She won the Academy Award for Cabaret and the Emmy Award for Liza With a "Z".

For further information, visit: www.trinityrep.com.


Jim Caruso and Billy Stritch's Cast Party has officially proven to be a bi-coastally
success with its West Coast premiere on Thursday, April 1st at the world famous
Magic Castle's highly popular Cabaret at the Castle. The Extreme Open Mic that has
become a Broadway mainstay was as equally well packed with Hollywood elite, some of
which took their turn at the mic. The witty and charming Caruso took charge of the
stage, while the musical genius of Billy Stritch brought brilliant music to the ears
of patrons and performers alike.

Just some of the many talents that took center stage were Erich Bergen singing "I'm
Not A Girl" and "Hero" in "Funny Thing Happened...Forum;" Joely Fisher sang "You Can
Always Count On Me" by Coleman/Zippel (with David Zippel in the house!); Shelly
Goldstein (Who appears at the Castle in her own show on the 18th of April) offered a
parody she wrote called “Just Call My agent in the Morning;” Jimmy James with "I Got
It Bad And That Ain't Good" as 8 divas (Bette Davis, Eartha Kit, etc); JoAnne Worley
sang a parody of her own called "If I Had A Rich Man;" as well as Melissa Manchester
singing “From This Moment On” from Cole Porters 1948 classic “Kiss Me Kate;” and
Cybill Shephard who also gave a rousing rendition of "I Got It Bad And That Ain't
Good;" while Julie Garnye sang from "Heathers" with composer Larry O'Keefe (who also
wrote "Legally Blonde") and closed the evening with "Gimme Gimme."
Some of those who
opted to remain in the audience and simply enjoy being entertained included, Eve
Plumb, Kate Linder, Teresa Ganzel, Michael Orland, Roslyn Kind and her nephew Jason
Gould.

Cabaret at the Castle is proud to announce the return of Cast Party on May 26th and
announced that ticket sales are already climbing.


Support THE ARTS! LIVE THEATRE! Go see a show this week!




TONIGHT: (April 5th, 2010) Please join us for Sue Matsuki(Eric Michael Gillet, Sue Matsuki, and Paulette Attie)


Sue Matsuki at the Beechman
Special One Night Only MAC Nominee Encore Performance
(Female Vocalist)

Tonight, April 5th at 9:30 pm (doors open for dinner at 9:00 pm)
The Laurie Beechman Theatre at the West Bank Café
407 West 42nd Street (off of 9th Ave.)
RESERVATIONS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED: 212-695-6909
SPECIAL $5.00 COVER PRICE! - $15 Food/Drink Minimum

Featuring Sue's Musical Director for the past 13 years,
GREGORY TOROIAN

Directed by MAC Nominated: ERIC MICHAEL GILLETT
(Come see his work on this show as well!)

"Matsuki's new show not only represents her best work to date, it is also one of the
finest shows I've seen anyone deliver this year. The most striking element of the
evening is the remarkable quality of her interpretations – each based on a chosen
point of view, devoid of extraneous frills or gestures. There are times when I
absolutely love what I do. This is one of them."
Roy Sander, Bistroawards.com

"If I would register one complaint, it was that the show was too short – not by my
watch, but by my heart. Sue's delivery and presence is that compelling!"
Stu Hamstra, CabaretHotlineOnline.com

NEXT TUESDAY NIGHT: THE 25th Annual Bistro Awards!


At Gotham Comedy Club, 208 W. 23rd St., NYC – Tuesday, April 13 at 6:30 pm


Evening Honors Mitzi Gaynor and Elaine Stritch



Bistro Silver Anniversary Awards to Tovah Feldshuh,

Paul Trueblood, and Ronny Whyte



Michael Feinstein and Peter Napolitano Receive ASCAP and BMI Awards




NEW YORK, MARCH 9, 2010 – More than 20 of cabaret’s brightest stars will be honored at the 25th Annual Bistro Awards which will take place on Tuesday, April 13 at Gotham Comedy Club. Legendary singer-dancer-actress Mitzi Gaynor, star of such films as South Pacific, Les Girls, Anything Goes, and a longtime headliner in Las Vegas and the nightclub circuit, making her first NY night club appearance in years in May at Feinstein’s at Loews Regency, will be honored with the Bob Harrington Lifetime Achievement Award. Elaine Stritch, the uniquely sensational actress and singer and star of stage, film, and TV, will be recognized in the category of Extraordinary Cabaret Artist, noting her recent conquests of the cabaret stage.



The evening, under the direction of Eric Michael Gillett, will feature performances from most of the Bistro-winning artists and shows and will feature guest presenters singer-actress Klea Blackhurst, comic Jim David, and actress-comedienne Marilyn Sokol.



Celebrating its Silver Anniversary of awards presentations to the cabaret community, and the first-ever award in the industry, the Bistro Awards will this year honor three individuals for their 25-plus years of artistic accomplishments: multiple-award-winning actress-singer Tovah Feldshuh, musical director-arranger and conductor Paul Trueblood, and singer-pianist-songwriter Ronny Whyte.



The ASCAP Great American Songbook Award for Outstanding Duos goes to Michael Feinstein and co-stars Cheyenne Jackson, Christine Ebersole, and David Hyde Pierce, with whom he appeared in separate shows at the cabaret venue that bears his name, Feinstein’s at Loews Regency. For Outstanding Director, the BMI Award will go to Peter Napolitano, a BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop participant.

Some of the shows honored pay tribute to musical styles. Sarah Rice reflects on songs from old Hollywood (Outstanding Theme Show), the New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players puts a twist on operettas (Special Award), Loli Marquez-Sterling puts the accent on the Latin Big Band sound (Outstanding Entertainer), while Lee Summers delivers standards and classic R&B (Outstanding Entertainer). Singers such as Liz Callaway (Outstanding Major Engagement), Nicole Henry (Outstanding Jazz Vocalist), and Anne Steele (Outstanding Vocalist) croon various musical styles in their shows.



The Bistro Awards Committee has named two recipients in the Outstanding Recording category: Alan Cumming for his “I Bought a Blue Car Today” CD, and Julie Reyburn for her “Live at Feinstein’s” recording. The Ira Eaker Special Achievement Award, given to an outstanding performer on the rise, and named after Back Stage’s co-founder, co-publisher and first cabaret critic, goes to Danielle Grabianowski.



The gala event will be held on Tuesday, April 13 at Gotham Comedy Club, 208 W. 23rd Street. A champagne reception for the Bistro recipients and Premium ticket holders begins at 5 pm, followed by the awards presentation and show starting promptly at 6:30 pm. Producer Sherry Eaker will be hosting the annual event, along with members of the Bistro Awards Committee.



The Bistro Awards Committee comprises Elizabeth Ahlfors (Cabaret Scenes, CurtainUp.com, and BistroAwards.com), David Finkle (Village Voice, HuffingtonPost.com, and BistroAwards.com), Rob Lester (Cabaret Scenes, NiteLifeExchange.com), Erv Raible, executive/artistic director of the Cabaret Conference at Yale University, Roy Sander (BistroAwards.com), and Sherry Eaker, formerly the Editor in Chief of Back Stage.



The Bistro Awards are sponsored by ASCAP and BMI, with additional sponsorship from Branson B. Champagne and StageBuddy.com, and media sponsorship from Back Stage.



Ticket prices are: General Admission at $45.00; $75.00 for a Premium seat, which includes a pre-show Champagne reception and preferred seating. There is a two-drink minimum. A food menu is also available. Details and ticket information about the After Bistros party will be posted on Bistro Awards website. To purchase show tickets, go to www.bistroawards.com, or for more information, call: 917-239-5467.



A complete list of the winners follows:



THE BISTRO SILVER ANNIVERSARY AWARDS FOR ONGOING ARTISTIC ACCOMPLISHMENT/ Tovah Feldshuh; Paul Trueblood; Ronny Whyte (Ronny White, pictured)



ANNE STEELE/ Vocalist/ The Metropolitan Room



NICOLE HENRY/ Jazz Vocalist/ The Metropolitan Room



DANIELLE GRABIANOWSKI/ Ira Eaker Special Achievement Award/ The Metropolitan Room, Don’t Tell Mama



LOLI MARQUEZ-STERLING/ Entertainer/ The Triad, The Metropolitan Room



LEE SUMMERS/ Entertainer/ The Triad



LIZ CALLAWAY/ Major Engagement/ The Metropolitan Room



GRETCHEN REINHAGEN, “Special Kaye: A Tribute to the Incomparable Kaye Ballard”/ Tribute Show/ The Metropolitan Room



SARAH RICE, “Screen Gems – Songs of Old Hollywood”/ Theme Show/ Laurie Beechman Theatre at the West Bank Café



MICHAEL FEINSTEIN and…CHEYENNE JACKSON; CHRISTINE EBERSOLE; DAVID HYDE PIERCE/ ASCAP Great American Songbook Award for Duo Shows/ Feinstein’s at Loews Regency



CELEBRITY AUTOBIOGRAPHY: In Their Own Words, created by Eugene Pack/ Comedy Series/ The Triad



I’VE GOT A LITTLE TWIST, conceived, written, and directed by David Auxier, musical direction and arrangements by Mark York, produced by Albert Bergeret/ Special Award/ The Triad, Laurie Beechman Theatre at the West Bank Café



THE CONCERTS AT TUDOR CITY GREENS/ Special Award/Created and produced by Raissa Katona Bennett



PETER NAPOLITANO/BMI Award for Director



THE SALON/ Special Award/Created and hosted by Mark Janas / The Algonquin Hotel, Etcetera Etcetera



ALAN CUMMING/Recording, “I Bought a Blue Car Today”



JULIE REYBURN/ Recording, “Live at Feinstein’s”



BRETT KRISTOFFERSON/ Songwriter



RICHARD EISENBERG/ “Two Again”/Special Material


ELAINE STRITCH/ Extraordinary Cabaret Artist



MITZI GAYNOR/ Bob Harrington Lifetime Achievement Award



Send me your reviews and suggestions and I will put them in my next blog coming out next Saturday! Here's to an ARTS-filled week! Don't forget to contribute to the DR. CAROL CHANNING & HARRY KULLIJIAN FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS: http://www.carolchanning.org/Foundation.htm

With grateful XOXOXs for your support!

Richard Skipper

Follow me on Twitter @RichardSkipper

HERE IS WHAT AUDIENCES ARE SAYING ABOUT MY WORK:
I really enjoyed LAST NIGHT'S CABARET, the FOOD WAS GREAT, THE HOSTS WERE FABOULOUS, AND THE PERFORMANCES WERE VERY INTERESTING! I will pass the word, and my cast were happy to be there.........Nickolas LONG, III






Thanks so much for a terrific show last night! All of us girls had a wonderful time. Wish there were a night of just Richard and Dana!!
LORNA DRAKE





What a great night! I have been to events where singers get up and share their music before. But I have never, ever experienced such a supportive, organized, professional experience doing so.(In front of a packed house of happy patrons!) Wednesday Nights at The Iguana is top notch. Dana and Richard host this event with such humor, warmth and expertise. They bring out the very best in each singer so that the singer when he or she gets up there does their very best to entertain this packed room. I was honored to take part. This is the real deal. What music making in NYC, "back in the day" must have been like. Dana and Richard have brought a bit of that magic back and I for one, am very thankful.
MEG FLANDERS, : http://www.megflather.com





FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NYC Now a night out in NY to see a show at a VERY AFFORDABLE price!
Dana Lorge and I have put our OWN spin on the variety show format and are now hosting every Wednesday night in NYC at The Iguana VIP Lounge (http://www.iguananyc.com) in the heart of NYC (240 West 54th Street 8-11PM/with an intermission).



Cover: $12 - no food or drink minimums – but remember – the food is great!
NOMINATED FOR TWO 2010 MANHATTAN ASSOCIATION OF CABARETS AND CLUBS AWARDS (MAC) FOR OUTSTANDING VARIETY SHOW AND OUTSTANDING HOSTS!

For more info, please call 845-365-0720 or visit _www.RichardSkipper.com_
RESERVATIONS A MUST!!!!!!!!
212-765-5454.
No one admitted before
7:30.



















April 7th: Wear BLACK & RED as we celebrate Helena Grenot's Birthday!Esther Beckman Group, Sina Lewis, Cindy Marchionda, The Iguan's very own MARIA GOMEZ making her Iguana SINGING debut, Susan Winter


April 14th: Naomi Miller, Karen Oberlinjoins us!

April 21st: Anaiza, Henry Dee, Rita Ellis Hammer, Jim Speake, Susan Eichhorn Young

April 28th: Bryan Anthony, Hector Coris, Kecia Craig, Sandra Davis, Rosemary Loar, Gretchen Reinhagen, and Frank Stern!

May 5th: Anton Van Der Merwe and Julie Reyburn

May 19th: Adrienne Haan, Barbara Gurskey, Bobbie Horowitz returns.


May 26th: Michelle Collier

June 2nd: D'Yan Forest and Tod Hall, Pam Palmieri




June 16th: 2010 Julie Reyburn, Lisa Raze returns!



TILL NEXT WEEK...HERE'S TO A MUSICAL WEEK!