I am thrilled that Sarah Rice has asked me to be part of the Zani's Furry Friends benefit at Birdland on Saturday, May 7th. I also am appearing with two of my favorite entertainers, Lee Roy Reams and Hayley Mills. I have been a fan of both all of my life. Zani's Furry Friends is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization committed to rescuing companion animals from New York City's shelters where, unfortunately, they are at significant risk for euthanasia due to overcrowding. As well as directly helping the animals we save, their rescue creates space at the shelter thus giving another shelter animal an opportunity to await a chance for adoption or rescue, thereby potentially saving yet another life. Zani's is a member of the Mayor's Alliance and a New Hope Partner with the Animal Care & Control of New York City (ACC of NYC). They are entirely funded by donations and depend on our great network of volunteers to continue our work.
Lee Roy has also been a major supporter of mine over the years and for that, I am truly grateful! Lee Roy Reams is an American musical theatre actor, singer, dancer, choreographer, and director.
Born in Covington, Kentucky, Reams earned a Master of Arts degree and was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. He made his Broadway debut in Sweet Charity in 1966.
Reams was nominated for both the Tony and Drama Desk Awards as Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance in the original production of 42nd Street in 1980.
He played the role of Frank Schultz in the 1989 Paper Mill Playhouse production of Show Boat, which was televised on Great Performances by PBS .
Reams has appeared on concert stages and in cabarets throughout the country. At present he is serving as the resident director of the Theatre at Sea program sponsored by the Theatre Guild. * 1966: Sweet Charity (Young Spanish Man) * 1969: Oklahoma! (Will Parker) * 1970: Applause (Duane Fox) * 1974: Lorelei (Henry Spofford) * 1978: Hello, Dolly! (Cornelius Hackl) * 1983: La Cage aux Folles (Albin/Zaza) * 1994: Beauty and the Beast (Lumiere) * 1995: Hello, Dolly! (Choreographer) * 1998: An Evening with Jerry Herman (Co-star & Director) * 2006: The Producers (Roger DeBris) Lee Roy will be a busy man tonight! Prior to The Bistro Awards, he is announcing The Astaire Awards! (Source: Brian Scott Lipton)
The nominations for the 2011 Fred and Adele Astaire Awards, honoring the best in dance and choreography on stage and in film, will be announced on Tuesday, April 26 by actor Lee Roy Reams.
The ceremony be held on Sunday, May 15 at NYU's Skriball Center for the Arts. Joe Lanteri will direct the event. Brian Stokes Mitchell, Bebe Neuwirth, and Len Cariou are among the stars expected to be presenters.
The awards are presented by Ava Astaire in tribute to her father and aunt and Patricia Watt in tribute to her father Douglas Watt, who was the renowned drama, dance and music critic and a founder of the awards in 1982.
This year's Nominating Committee Chair is Sylviane Gold. Committee members include Reams, as well as Anna Kisselgoff, Damian Woetzel, Wendy Perron, Manny and Lani Azenberg, Donna McKechnie, Wendy Federman, Barbara and Buddy Freitag, Michael Riedel, Marge Champion, Margaret Selby, Melinda Atwood, Bryan Bantry, Adam Zotovich, Andy Sandberg, and Bruce Michael.
As previously reported, legendary dancer and choreographer Jacques D'Amboise will be honored with the Douglas Watt Lifetime Achievement Award.
For more information, visit theastaireawards.org. Lee Roy Reams sings "La Cage Aux Folles" from Jerry Herman's 1983 musical of the same name.
This clip is an excerpt from the highly recommended DVD of the 1993 concert "Jerry Herman's Broadway at Holiday Bowl." Additional clips are available at http://www.thebestarts.com/JerryHerman/
Come say hello to Lee Roy this eve at the 26th annual Bistro Awards!
I appeared with Hayley Mills (pictured here along with myself, John Wallowitch, and, Donna McKechnie "FROM PICCADILLY TO TIMES SQUARE" on November 19th, 2001. This was a benefit performance put together by Margot Astrachan for The St. George Society for the British families & victims affected by the tragedy of 9/11. As sad as we were, it was a thrilling night for me to share the stage with such brilliant artists. John Wallowitch and I had been friends for years and remained friends until his death. We also share a birthday. Donna and I have remained friends. I cannot describe the feeling of being on stage and seeing the gorgeous Hayley Mills beaming in the wings. She was incredibly nice to me and it is hard for me to believe that that was 10 years ago! Of course, I have been a fan of Hayley's since The Parent Trap and Pollyanna. Hayley Mills is an English actress. The daughter of John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell, and sister of actress Juliet Mills, Mills began her acting career as a child and was hailed as a promising newcomer, winning the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer for Tiger Bay (1959), the Academy Juvenile Award for Pollyanna (1960) and Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress in 1961. During her early career, she appeared in several films for Walt Disney. Hayley Mills, daughter of the late Sir John Mills, was one of the world's most famous child stars with films such as Tiger Bay and Whistle Down The Wind. Now a grandmother, she lives in New York and south-west London with her actor partner, Firdous Bamji.
I love you, Hayley, and I am SO looking forward to this! Hayley Mills and Lee Roy Reams are set to co-host Love Makes the World Go 'Round. The benefit concert will be held on May 7 at 4:30pm at Birdland, and will feature direction by JoAnn Yeoman. Once again,proceeds from the event will go towards animal rescue organization, Zani's Furry Friends.
Performers confirmed for the evening include: Elena Bennett, Carole Demas, Natalie Douglas, Rich Flanders, Janice Hall, Jon & Lynn, Sue Matsuki, Tanya Moberly, Sarah Rice, Steve Ross, Steve Schalchlin, ME, Julie Wilson, and David Vernon.
For more information, visit: http://www.zanisfurryfriends.org
FIRST PARK PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS THE NEIL SIMON PULITIZER PRIZE WINNING PLAY "LOST IN YONKERS"
First Park Productions (Committed To Promoting Diversity Through Theater), presents LOST IN YONKERS! Praised by Clive Barnes in the New York Post "Neil Simon has done it again with a craftsmanship and skill probably unmatched in the contemperary English-speaking theater", Lost In Yonkers also won four Tony Awards, including Best Play. Set in New York in 1942, this play is filled with laughter, tears, and insight. With masterful Director Dick Volker, and talented cast members Liam Bobersky (Jay); Alex LaBrie (Arty; Jason Czernick (Eddie); Margaret Streeter (Bella); Kevin Moroney (Louie); Jen Wall (Gertrude) and Vickie Phillips (Grandma Kurnitz), this "play is being produced by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc." Show dates are May 13 - 14 - 15 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 27 - 28 - 29. Friday and Saturday Showtimes at 8 p.m.. and Sunday Matinees at 2 p.m Presented in Franklin Hall of the First Park Memorial Baptist Church, located at the corner of Forest Park Avenue and Garfield Street, (in the Forest Park section of Springfield.. For Ticket Information/Reservations, call 413.654.9111. Advance Sale Discount Ticket Prices offered as follows: General Admission $15.00; Seniors/Students $12.00; At The Door $18.00 and $15.00. Discount for Groups of 12 or more also offered (All General Seating Admission). Checks should be made payable to First Park Productions and mailed to FPP at 4 Garfield St., Springfield, MA 01108,
For the perfect way to end a Spring Day in May......Get LOST IN YONKERS!
Don't forget The 26th annual Bistro Awards TONIGHT at The Gotham Comedy Club in NYC! (www.BistroAwards.com) Please click on the banner ads on our Bistro Award site and support our advertisers.
Tomorrow's blog will be a recap of The Bistro Awards, Phoebe Snow, and Elena Bennett.
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, Associate producer of the 26th annual Bistro Awards , Richard@RichardSkipper.com
Raabe, 'Wizard of Oz' Munchkin actor, dies at 94 (Source:POLLY ANDERSON, Associated Press) Meinhardt Raabe, who played the Munchkin coroner in "The Wizard of Oz" and proclaimed in the movie that the Wicked Witch of the East was "really most sincerely dead," has died. He was 94.
His caregiver, Cindy Bosnyak, said Raabe — pronounced RAH'-bee — died Friday morning at a hospital in Orange Park, Fla. He was one of the few surviving Munchkins from the 1939 film.
Bosnyak said he complained of a sore throat at his retirement community before collapsing and going into cardiac arrest.
He was taken to Orange Park Medical Center, where he later died, she said.
"He had a headful of hair at 94 and he ... remembered everything everyday," she said. "To me he was a walking history book, very alert."
Raabe was one of the 124 Munchkins in the film classic and one of only nine who had speaking parts. He was 22 years old and a show business veteran, earning money for college as a "midget" performer, as they were called then, when the movie was shot in 1938.
Raabe portrayed the diminutive Munchkin official who solemnly pronounces the witch dead after Dorothy's farmhouse lands on her: "As coroner I must aver, I thoroughly examined her, And she's not only merely dead, she's really most sincerely dead." His costume included a huge hat with a rolled brim, and dyed yak hair was used for his handlebar mustache and long beard.
In a 1988 Associated Press interview, he said he had no idea the movie would become a classic, because at the time of its release, it was overshadowed by "Gone With the Wind."
"It was only after CBS got the film in 1956 and used it for their promotions that it became as well known," he said.
"There is nothing in the picture that dates it," he said. "There are no old vintage cars or old vintage streetcars. ... It's a fantasy picture that will be fantasy for generations to come." Raabe was about 3 1/2 feet tall when the movie was made. He eventually grew to about 4 1/2 feet. He toured the country for 30 years in the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile, promoting hot dogs as "Little Oscar, the World's Smallest Chef." He also enjoyed going to Oz nostalgia events and getting fan mail.
"It's an ego trip," he said. "This is our reward, the nostalgia."
In 2005, his book "Memories of a Munchkin: An Illustrated Walk Down the Yellow Brick Road," co-written by Daniel Kinske, was published. In later years, he lived in a retirement community in Penney Farms, Fla. In 2007, Raabe was one of seven surviving Munchkins on hand when the Munchkins were honored in Los Angeles with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Raabe said he couldn't remember what he was paid for his role in the movie, but that it was very low.
"By today's standards, people would say you were crazy to work for that," he said. Raabe, born in Watertown, Wis., in 1915, was a member of the Midget City cast at the Chicago World's Fair in 1934. He also performed at other fairs, including the San Diego Exposition in 1935.
"By working at these world's fairs as a midget, I was able to work my way through the university," Raabe said. He earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Wisconsin and, years later, a master's degree in business administration from Drexel University.
Raabe married Marie Hartline, who worked for a vaudeville show called Rose's Royal Midget Troupe, in 1946. She died in a car crash in 1997.
Raabe said some little people resented the word "midget," but that was the description widely used when he was in show business. "My wife and I were both in show business, were both midgets. My wife worked from 1929 to 1932 as a member of Rose's Royal Midgets, the largest midget troupe in vaudeville," he said. Raabe became a regular visitor to the annual OzFest in Chittenango, N.Y., the birthplace of "Oz" author L. Frank Baum, after reading about it in a magazine in the late 1980s.
"Meinhardt wrote us a letter and said, `You know I'm a Munchkin. I was in this movie. Would you ever be interested in having me come.' Of course, after we stopped screaming ...," organizer Barbara Evans said in 1998.
"Things didn't start to get really big until Meinhardt first came and we started getting the Munchkins to come," said Evans.
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Associated Press writer Daniel Yee in Atlanta contributed to this report.
An Evening With Lee Roy Reams at the Castle
The theatrical definition of a triple threat is someone who can act, sing and dance, but Lee Roy Reams takes this definition to even greater heights by not only being a great performer, but director and choreographer as well. Last night's performance of “An Evening with Lee Roy Reams” at Cabaret at the Castle in Los Angeles was extremely well received by an audience that included MaryJo Catlett, JoAnne Worley, Nancy Dussault, Sterling Clark, Bonnie Franklin, Rita McKenzie, Karen Morrow, Tony Charmoli, Carol DeLuise, Carole Cook, Carol Lawrence, Telly Leuoug, Jane Kean, Charlotte Rae, and Alison Arngrim, to name only a few. A portion of the proceeds from this engagement will benefit the Sealed With A Wish Foundation, Inc. www.sealedwithawish.org
Broadway has produced some of the greatest talents the world has ever known and in this, slightly over an hour, performance given by Lee Roy Reams, we are reminded that occasionally there are those remarkable individuals who raised the theatrical bar. (Lee Roy Reams, pictured here with Stewart F. Lane)
With the incomparable talents of Ron Abel on piano, Mr. Reams launched the evening's festivities with his own theatrical anthem, “Lullaby of Broadway,” then dedicated Irving Berlin's “Pretty Women” to “… all of the lovely ladies in the room … and those under suspicion.” He shared memories and anecdotes from the stage with an appreciative audience about all the leading ladies he has had the privilege of working with, an impressive list second only to Jerry Herman, including Juliet Prowse, Gwen Verdon, Carol Channing, Pearl Bailey, Carol Burnett, Lauren Bacall, Carole Cook, Ethel Merman, Ruby Keeler and many more. Of particular interest, were the images he shared from a childhood spent in Covington, KY.
Considering Mr. Reams has one the greatest resumes in Broadway history, which includes 10 Broadway hits, he could have easily kept patrons entertained for hours longer. Most recently, Mr. Reams won critical acclaim as Roger DeBris in the First National Tour of Mel Brooks' musical hit, The Producers as well as Lumiere in Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Many fondly remember his role(s) of Albin/ZaZa in La Cage Aux Folles, Cornelius Hackl in Hello Dolly! and Henry Spofford in Lorelei (both starring Carol Channing). As if that weren't enough there was his appearance as Duane Fox in Applause starring Lauren Bacall, Will Parker in Richard Rodgers' revival of Oklahoma! Bob Fosse's Sweet Charity starring Gwen Verdon, An Evening With Jerry Herman and, of course, his TONY nominated role of Billy Lawlor in “42nd Street.”
The Magic Castle is the world's most famous club for magicians and magic enthusiasts and home to The Academy of Magical Arts, Inc. Know worldwide as THE showplace for some of the greatest magicians from around the globe, its latest artistic contribution, the Cabaret at the Castle has become THE cabaret stage to appear and whose recent performers have included, Carol Channing, Florence Henderson, JoAnne Worley, Jason Graae, Ilene Graff, Rachel York and the recent addition of the popular New York hit Cast Party with Jim Caruso and Billy Stritch once a month.
Scheduled to appear in the next two months are the “Kitten With a Quip” girl herself, Ms. Shelly Goldstein, in ONE FINE DAY: THE GROOVY GIRLS OF THE 60s on Sunday, April 18th; MAGIC WITH MIRANDA SINGS starring Colleen Ballinger and magician Chris Ballinger on Monday, April 19th, Kathryn Crosby's one woman show (Date TBA) and the master mimic himself, Rich Little, on Sunday, May 23rd. Call 323-851-3313 x434 or email broman@magiccastle.com for tickets or more information.
Networking Events and Actor Etiquette Do’s and Don’ts at a Professional Mixer (SOURCE: Sean Pratt) Your behavior when attending an opening night celebration, awards show or cocktail party, can have a definite impact on your career.
We’ve all been to the actor’s party after a show at a cast member’s house. Actors cluster together to gossip, talk shop and commiserate about their careers. And while these gatherings are an important way to stay in touch, blow off steam and perhaps meet new people, they are definitely informal in nature. Unfortunately, many actors fail to realize that while their behavior at those parties can be free and easy their conduct at professional networking events needs to be a bit more serious…and sober. Many actors end up embarrassing themselves and leaving behind a bad impression as a result. Let’s look at your preparation for and arrival to the event and go over some do’s and don’ts. Definitions
“Networking” is the act of meeting people who can help you professionally; of trading information and access with an eye on finding work or meeting other people through a certain contact. These extended groups of people who have similar interests as you are there to interact with and remain in informal contact for mutual aid and support. That said, events that are setup specifically for industry professionals to network (e.g. – opening night celebrations, union gatherings or cocktail parties, etc.) require a certain kind of etiquette from those attending. Ground Rules
Since these events are formal or semi-formal in nature and will have a mix of people there who work in different aspects of the industry, it is important to know the proper protocol. Take a look at these suggestions and use them when appropriate. Before the Event
* If you can, find out who is going to be attending the event. If a certain director, playwright, producer or agent will be there go online and find out what they’ve working on at present. Now you’ll have the perfect icebreaker when you introduce yourself. * Find out how formal, or informal, the event will be and dress accordingly. It’s tacky showing up under or overdressed at a function and since you’re not J Lo don’t try wearing the one-piece cat suit. * Be sure to have plenty of business cards with you as well as some extra blank cards in case the other person forgot theirs. Don’t worry about bringing copies of your DVD reel, audio demo or Comp Card. You can send them later and anyhow, you don’t want to burden the other person with carrying these things around for the rest of the night. If they want them, you can include these things with your follow-up letter, which should also have, if possible, a review sheet, flyer, etc., with it as well.
Arriving At the Event
* Be sure to arrive on time as you don’t know how long the people you want to meet with will be staying. Carefully peruse the guest list or name tags to see who will be attending and pick three or four people to meet during the event. * Now is the time to screw your courage to the sticking placeand be the one who introduces yourself first. The other person will appreciate your moxie; after all, that’s why you’re there in the first place! Rehearse using your full name and a short description of who you are and why you’re there; “Hi Gus, I’m Sean Pratt. I’m an actor from New York City and I’ve just relocated here to Washington, DC. I’m trying to get a feel for what the theatre scene here is like. I understand that you’re the Associate Artistic Director at Theatre X. How has your season gone so far?” * Now here’s a tough one…especially for actors. One of the best ways to have a networking conversation is to ask questions and then actually listen to what the other person says! Your ratio of listening to talking should be about 70/30. If you follow that bit of advice people will think you’re a brilliant and charming conversationalist.
Okay, you’re prepped and ready to go. Next we’ll focus on what to do during and after the event!
“A conversation is a dialogue, not a monologue. That's why there are so few good conversations: due to scarcity, two intelligent talkers seldom meet.” – Truman Capote
Read more at Suite101: Networking Events and Actor Etiquette: Do’s and Don’ts at a Professional Mixer, Part 1 http://acting.suite101.com/article.cfm/networking-events-and-actor-etiquette#ixzz0kp1FAmR5
Actors Acting Against Their Best Interests (SOURCE: PAUL RUSSELL BLOG)
Often in my private One-on-One classes there comes a point when I realize that the actor sitting in front of me is too much in their head. To borrow and paraphrase from Arthur Miller; their craniums are living thoughts of quiet desperation with destructive speculations ricocheting off one another:
Is there something wrong I’m doing that is causing my career not to flourish?
Why am I not getting to the goals I want?
Failure must be my fault.
I suck.
Hopefully seeing these words in print you realize each statement is self-destructive. Yet when that nagging inner voice gives its phantom calling to our cranium we sometimes have the tendency to wallow in the comfort of the empty self-pity they provide. There is no substance within these wretched thoughts to offering the soul healthy nourishment.
Recently while I was hibernating in the mountains I went there with the intent on completing a manuscript project. As days of solitude passed I found my mind was lonely for company and began …
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And… that’s where I stopped. Literally. Writing this post ceased. Several months ago. I got lost in my head as I was writing about others getting lost within their head. (Oh doctor? Heal thyself.)
I toiled on and off on my project (still not complete but progress is being made), I moped, channel surfed the 900 plus offerings on my mountain cable, wondered why people wander Craigslist as I myself was doing the same. I was getting nothing done fast. Doubts, anxiety and a constant nagging in my head of, What’s next? plagued me. I bet similar has happened to you. At least once. If not, please share the pills you’re taking with the rest of the class.
Aside from stimulants (legal and non) there is a way for you to get out of your head and back to life. First realize that everyone goes through similar. No one, not even cock-sure politicians, celebrities and all-star athletes are exempt from having doubts about their abilities or future. So if it is any comfort; the S.S. Self Doubt is decks full of people just like you. Once you realize that then look for ways to sink the ship. Don’t wallow on an endless journey that has no final destination other than death. Find channels for improvement in your course that is life.
If that doesn’t completely soothe the synapses into some form of sanity then it’s time to get out into the world to get out of your head. The following is a note that I posted on my Facebook account when I returned from an outing and sat at my desk in my mountain home: Denial Bile – Jan. 7, 2010
Ya know sometimes ya just gotta say to yourself, Screw it! I’m not going to deny myself some fun and partake in life’s pleasures.
Like many in the arts, I’ve always been pulling coin together to get by. As my brother often says of me, “Russ, you can squeeze a penny to last a week.” Why, yes. Yes I can.
And so today I gave myself a present. A day at Camelback. Back on the slopes after a four year absence. Back to doing something from my youth. Getting on two slivers of waxed wood and heading down the side of a mountain at suicidal speeds. So what if the day cost me one-hundred bucks? I had fun. Cold frigid fun. But fun none-the-less. (And some of those snow boarders are irritatingly cute.)
And so I got to thinking about how many of my entertainment friends and yet-to-be arts acquaintances deny themselves a pleasure that would make them happy because they fear not having money afterward.
Ya know what? Screw it. You gotta live once in awhile. For if not; then you’re already in the grave. So go out and do something indulgent. Something just for yourself. I dare ya.
(Oh, man am I gonna hurt tomorrow morning.)
But I had fun acquiring the soon-to-come soreness.
Tylenol anyone?
Ow.
Besos, Paul Russell
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And for days after I was out of my head; living once more. Pain free in both body and spirit.
So if you find yourself one day being plagued by the Eeyore “Woe is me” inner voice tell him/her to fuck-off and to find refuge elsewhere. You have a life to live. Get out of your head and out into life. ‘Nuff said.
Paul Russell’s career as a casting director, director, acting teacher and former actor has spanned nearly thirty years. Paul has taught the business of acting and audition technique at NYU and has spoken at universities including Yale, Temple and the University of the Arts. He writes a column for Back Stage and is the author of ACTING: Make It Your Business – How to Avoid Mistakes and Achieve Success as a Working Actor. For more information, please visit www.PaulRussell.net.
The Academy of Magical Arts, Inc Proudly Presents A Weekend with Rich Little and special appearance by Toni Morrell
The master mimic of over 200 voices, Rich Little who continues to impress in Atlantic City, Las Vegas, Reno, Hawaii, Chicago, New York & London, now comes to the world famous Magic Castle. The two-day engagement features Mr. Little's artwork in The Castle's Inner Circle. Rich Little Artwork available at www.CelebrityConsignments.com. Sunday's night's engagement will feature a tribute to the Legendary Ladies by British Sensation, Toni Morrell, to be followed by Rich Little's tribute to his art and the Legendary Men and their voices.
Saturday, May 22nd, 2010 8:00pm to 10pm (art show only) Sunday, May 23rd, 2010 - 6pm (with art show to follow at 7:30pm)
The Magic Castle, 7001 Franklin Ave., Hollywood, CA 90028
$25 for non-members, Call 323-851-3313 x434 or email broman@magiccastle.com for tickets or more information.
Infamous for his skewing of political figures, Little has charmed, amused, annoyed, and lampooned politicians, Little was "discovered" in the United States when his friend, singer Mel Torme, then on the musical team of CBS' The Judy Garland Show, asked him to make a tape. Garland thought it was "great" and Little was signed for the show. Appearances on TV variety shows starring Ed Sullivan, Jackie Gleason, Glen Campbell, and Dean Martin followed, as well as on such series as Laugh-In, The John Davidson Summer Show, and The Julie Andrews Show. Little had his own variety show in the 70's. He also was an early guest host on that TV staple, The Tonight Show, hosting 12 times and became a household name sitting in one of the Hollywood Squares. He was named "Comedy Star of the Year" by the American Guild of Variety Artists. The perpetrator of nine comedy albums and three HBO comedy specials, Rich Little's Christmas Carol with "W.C. Fields" as Scrooge, "Humphrey Bogart" as one of the ghosts and "Paul Lynde" as Bob Cratchit won an Emmy, among other awards. Little has appeared on the daytime soaps The Young and the Restless and Santa Barbara. In a GQ fashion spread, Little was pictured as Richard Nixon, Jack Nicholson, Cary Grant, George Burns, Ronald Reagan and Humphrey Bogart.
Originating from the North of England, Toni Morrell has achieved international recognition as a Singer-Comedienne-Entertainer and Voice Artist. She has performed on national television in Italy and co-starred twice with Broadway Legend Carol Channing. She was “the Voice of the Brand” worldwide on trailers and commercials for Pixar/Disney's Tinker Bell and Disney Fairies. Toni recently premièred a new, multi-media stage show entitled Remembering the Ladies which salutes - with song, story and film clips - such stars as: Judy Garland, Edith Piaf, Marilyn Monroe, Marlene Dietrich, and many more. This electrifying show is directed by Celebrity Television Producer, Karen G. Cadle along with Musical Director and “multi-keyboard wizard”, David Dial. Press Contact: B. Harlan Böll Tel 626/296-3757 Cell 323/708-4172 H.boll@dcpublicity.com
A sold out crowd filled the Avalon Hollywood Theatre on Sunday night, April 11th for the 42nd annual Academy of Magical Arts Awards. The evening was not only hosted, but also co-produced by the popular Neil Patrick Harris. The evenings color commentary was offered by the always-funny Jason Alexander.
Often referred to as the Oscars, Grammys or TONYS of magic, the 2009 Academy of Magical Arts Awards (AMAA) are dedicated to honoring the best in the illustrious world of illusion. However, unlike its award contemporaries, the show dedicates a larger part of the evening to entertainment with both jaw dropping and humorous performances by talented individuals such as Rudy Coby, The Great Tomsoni & Co., Armando Lucero, Yo Kato, Andrew Goldenhersh, Jeff Hobson, John Calvert and Ed Alonzo.
The evening's honors went to
Lecturer of the Year: Doc Eason; Close-Up Magician of the Year: Doc Eason; Parlour Magician of the Year: Andrew Goldenhersh; Stage Magician of the Year: Jeff Hobson; Junior Achievement Awards were presented to Rmax Goodwin and Aaron Rabkin.
The Board of Trustees awarded the following Fellowships: Performance - Close-Up: JC Wagner; Performance - Stage: Pam Thompson; Creative: Michael Weber; Special: Steve Forte; Literary: Todd Karr; Masters: Norm Nielsen; Lifetime Achievement: Chuck Jones; and the highly coveted 2009 Magician of the Year: Ed Alonzo.
The presenters for the festivities included: Christina Hendricks, Jeff Probst, Mark Wilson, Max Maven, Mac King, Larry Wilmore and Nigel Lythgoe. Among those in attendance were Magic Castle regulars including Alison Arngrim, Nathan Fillion, Kate Linder, Kelly LeBrock, Lynette Chappell, and Lee Roy Reams. Formerly known worldwide as "The Palace," the Avalon Hollywood has been restored to its original Hollywood-era glory by Boston-based nightclub impresarios, the Lyons Group. With its historic pedigree and present popularity, it was the perfect venue for the 2009 AMA Awards. The art of illusion has been a favorite form of entertainment since before written history. It has fascinated audiences of stage and screen here in America as a standard in the early Vaudeville houses to today's Broadway hits like Wicked! The Academy of Magical Arts have recognized some of the greatest magicians of all time including Siegfried and Roy, Doug Henning, Lance Burton, David Copperfield, Penn & Teller, and championed the original and the restoration of Harry Houdini's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Academy is housed in the world famous Magic Castle, whose structure (originally the Lane Mansion) celebrated its 100 anniversary in 2009. The private club boasts an equally impressive membership over the years that has included, Cary Grant, Johnny Carson, Carol Channing, Dom Deluise, Tippi Hedren, Hugh Hefner, Rose Marie, Hugh O'Brian, Florence Henderson, Jason Alexander, Christina Hicks, Johnny Depp, Loni Anderson, Rip Taylor and its recently voted Vice President, Mr. Neil Patrick Harris, to name only a few.
Support THE ARTS! LIVE THEATRE! Go see a show this week!
Send me your reviews and suggestions and I will put them in my next blog coming out next Tuesday! 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: Every time I go to the Iguana it just gets better! It's always a fabulous night of amazing entertainment, and such a warm and supportive community that gathers there. Thank you for inviting me to sing! You can bet I'll be back soon. Catt John, http://www.cattjohn.com
What a great night we had at The Iguana on Feb 7th. Charisma thoroughly enjoyed performing there and being with that wonderful group of people that filled the room. The talent there that night was unbelievable. They were the most charming and talented bunch of people you could ever meet. As for you, Richard, your voice and personality are incredible. I sincerely believe that your additional talent as an emcee is fantastic and that you can actually host a show in a cemetery and bring the audience to life. Looking forward to seeing you in the near future as well as performing with you. So long for now. Scott LaChance, myspace.com/charismaboys
Dear Dana and Richard, I want to thank you for welcoming our group, Charisma, to the Iquana on Wednesday, April 7th. The warmth and acceptance of the crowd could not have been possible without the caring and supportive environment that you provide at the Iguana. Thank you so much for everthing. Love, Nina Grand
Apr 17 7pm NYACK CENTER, Corner of Broadway and Depew Nyack, NY 10960 4th ANNUAL LGBT COMEDY NIGHT $15 in advance; $20 at the Door (visit www.gaypriderockland.org to purchase). Hosted by Rockland's Own Richard Skipper. Entertainer~Motivational Speaker~Career Coach~ Emcee~Host. VCS Gay Pride Rockland is proud and honored that Rockland's own Richard Skipper will emcee our annual LGBT Comedy Night.
Vickie Shaw looks like the woman next door ... All-American with blond hair, lipstick and polished nails. Once she opens her mouth, you'll know she was born and raised in Texas and you'll never stop laughing. After eighteen years of marriage and three kids, something was missing in Vickie's life..."People were always coming up to me and saying, 'You should do stand-up comedy.' Vickie did become a stand-up comic and came out as a lesbian at the same time. 'I would've come out as a stand-up, but it would've killed my parents.'
Everyone's favorite ex nun, nerdelicious author & comic...Kelli Dunham has been performing for a half dozen years. Kelli's comedy is gently edgy, but she is not afraid to take her quizzical story-telling style into areas where even slam poetry dares not tread- And while Kelli's act is many times political it is also deeply deeply personal and often focuses on that magical moment of intersection when the LGBT and non-LGBT worlds meet, orÐat times collide.
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 21st: Anaiza, Anthony Cheski, Henry Dee, Janice Hall, Tod Hall, Rita Ellis Hammer, Sunny Leigh & I are doing a duet!, Sina Lewis, Jim Speake
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, Evan Lawrence
I hope this finds you well. This has been a great week for me! Last Tuesday, I went to Sondra Lee's book signing at Barnes & Nobles. You have to read "I'VE SLEPT WITH EVERYBODY". Order it here: http://www.amazon.com/Ive-Slept-Everybody-Sondra-Lee/dp/1593934637 Sondra was interviewed by Tom Santopietro who wrote "SINATRA IN HOLLYWOOD" ALSO HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
http://www.tcm.com/movienews/index.jsp?cid=213843
Sondra's book signing was like a revival meeting. I sat with Lee Roy Reams. Met Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. Charles Busch, James Gavin (STORMY WEATHER:http://www.amazon.com/Stormy-Weather-Life-Lena-Horne/dp/0743271432), Lee Grant, Willa Kim were all in attendance at this packed house and that's just for starters!
Our show at The Iguana on Wednesday night was SRO! What a night. Bill Zeffiro celebrating his birthday by singing 4 original compositions (joined by Julie Reyburn on two!), Sarah Rice singing selections from her new show which just opened at The Laurie Beechman Theatre: http://www.sarahrice.com), Lou Iacovino, Ann Dawson, and Val Ryder...and a few other surprises as well. Last night, I performed for an INCREDIBLE AUDIENCE celebrating Walter Cain's 50th Birthday in Piermont. Lady Bunny was the DJ. Wow, what a night!
And the week ahead is equally as exciting. Tomorrow night, a group of us are going to The Laurie Beechman Theatre to see Steve Lutvak. If you would like to join us, please let me know!
Wednesday night: Sep 23...ALMOST SOLD OUT 8pm IGUANA VIP LOUNGE, 240 West 54th Street, NYC WEDNESDAY NIGHT AT THE IGUANA Show Description: Tonight's guests include: Risa Benson, Jennifer Wren, David Gurland and Uptown Express, Frank Torren (with Rick Unterberg on piano), The Kim Schultz Improv Group ... and a few other surprises as well! Remember $10.00 Cover/No food or drink minimum! Reservations a must (212) 765-5454
Remember The Skipper Stimulus Plan is to support the arts. Here are a few recommendations:
Opening Doors Theatre Company presents the 1961 musical comedy SUBWAYS ARE FOR SLEEPING - November 1-2 and 8-11. All six performances will be held at The Duplex (61 Christopher Street, NYC - (212) 255-5438 - www.TheDuplex.com) and are scheduled for 7:00PM. The production will be directed by Hector Coris with musical direction by Ted Kociolek from a score by Jule Styne. The book and lyrics are by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Choreography will be by Diego Funes. The production manager is Billie Di Stefano.
Cast will be announced soon.
Tickets will go on sale October 1, 2009. Tickets are $20 + 2-drink minimum. Members of MAC and AEA pay only a $15 + minimum (visit website www.ODTConline.org for MAC & AEA code.) Tickets must be purchased in advance online through www.SmartTix.com or by calling (212) 868-4444.
One of David Merrick's notorious "flops", Subways Are For Sleeping tells the tale of a Angie, a lady reporter sent to get the scoop on a segment of NYC society that lives by their own rules. These carefree souls take up odd jobs to earn enough to get a place to sleep and food to eat, eschewing a drone-like existence. When Angie learns how the other half lives, she begins to see there might be another way to experience the world.
This is the first time Subways Are For Sleeping will be performed since it closed on Broadway on June 23, 1962 after 205 performances at the ST. James Theatre. Tony Award nominations went to Michael Kidd (for choreography) and Orson Bean (Featured Actor in a Musical. Phyllis Newman won the show's only Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.
Opening Doors Theatre Company is a New York City-based, non-profit performing arts ensemble committed to developing an eclectic mix of programming through the artistic collaboration of performers as well as playwrights, composers, directors and designers, and providing opportunities for new talent to be seen and heard.
The "Closing Notice" Series is a set of "living cast album" presentations focusing on classic musicals that were either dubbed a "flop", had short commercial runs or most likely will never be revived again. Opening Doors respectfully presents these scores with the understanding that - unsuccessful or not - the creators poured their craft, guts and love into the work and they deserve to be heard once again - live on stage. The focus is on the score with a truncated book. The "Closing Notice" series began in December 2006 with the critically-acclaimed presentation of Bring Back Birdie (2007 MAC Award nomination - Outstanding Variety Production/Recurring Series), and has included acclaimed revivals of It's A Bird! It's a Plane! It's Superman, Goldilocks, I Love My Wife, The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public, Flora the Red Menace.
ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM Hector Coris (Director). For ODTC, Hector has shepherded several other "first-ever" NY revivals of Bring Back Birdie, The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public (director), and Whoop-Up (producer). Other directing credits include Barnum (Brooklyn Family Theatre) and several cabaret shows. As a multiple award-winning songwriter, he has written and produced the well-received musical revues Not Me!, What's Your Problem? (both with composer Paul L. Johnson, and What's the Point?! (with composer Alan Cancelino). He also serves on the Board of Directors of MAC (The Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs). As a performer, he presented his debut solo show, Life is Wonderful, as Don't Tell Mama - soon to be released on CD. He is thankful to Phyllis Newman, Joseph Weiss and the Jule Styne estate for this glorious opportunity. Visit www.HectorCoris.com for more information. Ted Kociolek (Musical Director). Ted is delighted to return to Opening Doors, having performed in the recent production of I LOVE MY WIFE. As a writer, he is represented by ABYSSINIA (Goodspeed Musicals/Arena Stage/Cleveland Playhouse/North Shore Music Theatre), JOLSON: A VAUDEVILLE (Pelican Studio Theatre, NYC) and has contributed songs to the revues CRAZY LOVE and SHRINKS! by Nicky Silver, which had successful runs nationwide. Other composing credits include dance and incidental music, cabaret, industrials and special material. His current work-in-progress, THE AGE OF INNOCENCE, based on the novel by Edith Wharton and written in collaboration with Walter Holland, was recently presented at the York Theatre. Ted has been affiliated with several Broadway shows and worked extensively in regional theater as conductor, keyboardist and/or arranger. Recently, he served as music director for an evening of Frank Loesser songs at The New York Historical Society. As a vocal coach, he has served on the faculties of NYU and Long Island University and maintains a private practice at his home in New York City. A featured artist for a MEET THE COMPOSER grant as a well as a recipient of a New Jersey Council of the Arts Fellowship for composition and the ASCAP Popular Award, Ted is a member of ASCAP and the Dramatists Guild. DIEGO FUNES (Choreographer). Diego Funes attended the School of American Ballet and later danced with the Cincinnati Ballet and Teatro dell'Opera di Roma.
For the theatre, his credits as a dancer include Cats, Hello, Dolly!, Riverdance, Anything Goes and A Chorus Line. He has also choreographed productions of Hello, Dolly!, Beauty and the Beast, And the World Goes Round, Zorba! and Leader of the Pack. Funes also choreographed the films P.S. I Love You with Gerard Butler and Hilary Swank and Back to High School. He is the artistic director of de funes dance company.
Dan Zanes and Friends will release the new CD "76 Trombones" — a recording of Broadway tunes featured in Sir Paul McCartney's MPL Music Publishing catalog — Nov. 17.
Vocalists include Tony Award winners Carol Channing, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Matthew Broderick as well as de'Adre Aziza and Derick K. Grant.
In a statement Zanes said, "With the exception of the 'Hair' soundtrack, musicals were never my thing as a kid. I was too caught up in the music of Leadbelly back then. But as a parent, one afternoon at my daughter's request, I figured out how to play 'Bushel And A Peck' (from Guys and Dolls). I had a sudden realization that once you took away the hopped-up big band and the high intensity vocals it was an amazing folk song. It occurred to me that maybe a lot of these Broadway songs could be broken down to their ragged essence, reworked as 21st Century all-ages music, and presented in a manner that might make you think, 'Hey, I can do that.' When the people at MPL called me two years ago about a possible Broadway album I took it as a sign that the time was finally right to put on my dusty, moth-eaten tux and get loose with the songs of American musicals. For me, the songs and performances on this CD are packed with emotion and celebration. I'm grateful and still a little surprised that the people at MPL trusted us with them!"
Song titles include "Hello, Dolly" (from Hello, Dolly!, recorded by Carol Channing), "I Like Everybody" (from The Most Happy Fella with Brian Stokes Mitchell), "I Don't Need Anything But You" (from Annie, with de’Adre Aziza), "I Can Do That" (from A Chorus Line with tap dancer Derick K. Grant), "Before the Parade Passes By" (from Hello, Dolly! with Matthew Broderick), and "Tomorrow, Mañana" (from Annie with Sonia de los Santos).
RIP TAYLOR In “It Ain't All Confetti" Comedy Legend of Stage and Screen, Rip Taylor, is scheduled to introduce “It Ain't All Confetti” at the new series Comedy at the Castle. Rip is one of television's most recognizable celebrities and “It Ain't All Confetti” puts a humorous and revealing spotlight on a career that has spanned five remarkable decades. Rip is one of television's most recognizable celebrities. A guest star with over 2,000 television appearances under his belt, Rip brought his wild energy to The Gong Show, Password, The Merv Griffin Show, The Mike Douglas Show, The Tonight Show, Late Night with David Letterman and to the coveted center square on Hollywood Squares.
Perhaps Rip's greatest impact in television was when he was picked by Chuck Barris to host The $1.98 Beauty Show. WHEN: Sunday, Oct 11th, 2009 Doors 6pm - Show 7pm and Monday, Oct. 12th, 2009 - Doors 7pm - Show 8pm WHERE: The Inner Circle at the Magic Castle, 7001 Franklin Ave., Hollywood, CA 90028
TICKETS: $30 for non-members. Call 323-851-3313 x434 for more information.
That noise you hear coming from the Midwest is an approximation of Ethel Merman's brassy voice. Rita McKenzie, the actress who performed Ethel Merman's Broadway in an Off-Broadway engagement and is heard on the 1995 cast album — begins a fall engagement of the revue at Detroit's historic Gem Theatre Sept. 9.
Ethel Merman's Broadway, conceived and directed by Christopher Powich and featuring McKenzie's award-winning performance, "revisits a theatrical era filled with charm, wit, personality, and most of all, some of Broadway's greatest music," according to production notes. "With words and music by Cole Porter, George and Ira Gershwin, Jule Styne and Irving Berlin, the songs come alive in the incomparable style of Ethel Merman."
Performances will play the Motor City to Nov. 21.
* Expect to hear some of the greatest hits of singer-actress Merman's career, including "There's No Business Like Show Business," "I Got Rhythm" and "Everything's Coming Up Roses." The late actress was active on Broadway from the 1930s to the 1960s, appearing in such landmark shows as Girl Crazy, Anything Goes, Annie Get Your Gun and Gypsy.
McKenzie began her internationally acclaimed portrayal of "The Merm" Off-Broadway at the John Houseman Theater in New York City and later performed at Carnegie Hall. She took her act to the Pasadena Playhouse in California; Harrah's Casino Hotel in Atlantic City; and on an eight-city tour in Japan. Her credits include playing Olive Madison in a national tour of Neil Simon's female version of The Odd Couple, co-starring Barbara Eden; a tour with Eden in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes; a tour with Renee Taylor and Joe Bologna in Bermuda Avenue Triangle; and the Los Angeles premiere of the Off-Broadway musical Ruthless! (also on the cast album), among many other credits. Powich conceived and directed both the Off-Broadway production of Ethel Merman's Broadway at the John Houseman Theater and the Pasadena Playhouse production. Powich also wrote and directed McKenzie's nationally acclaimed Symphony Pops tribute to Ethel Merman. He directed McKenzie and Carole Shelley in the reenactment of Ethel Merman and Mary Martin's famous 1955 television medley at Rainbow and Stars Nightclub in New York. Powich directed the world premiere of the comedy Snap Shots by Ralph Fredericks at the O'Neill Theater in Waterford, CT, and in Boston. He will direct Snap Shots for an Off-Broadway run in 2010.
For more information about the Gem run, call ticketmaster.com at (313) 963-9800; visit www.gemtheatre.com; or visit the box office at 333 Madison Ave, Detroit MI.
The Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas was a tremendously hot spot some time ago, full of people at least pretending to have a good time at perhaps the glitziest, busiest, lightbulb-iest hotel anywhere in town.
The Riviera’s once jam-packed casino is now—maybe even more so because of our country’s current economic slump—something of a ghost town. You could almost see the tumbleweeds drifting across the nearly empty casino floor and the restaurants?
Clearly, somewhere in some hidden and forgotten well-locked closet, there’s a portrait of Charo really going to hell. Charo enters the stage wearing an extremely short, extremely low-cut red sequined gown dripping in fringe and pushing her amazingly impressive tatas into a gravity-defying profile that could be the envy of Holly Madison. She launches into her music, including a spirited performance of her 2008 dance mix single “España Cañi,” with all the signature cuchi-cuchi she exhibited when I was a teenager (a fact that further leaves her true age a question mark for me), including new versions of many popular songs accented by dance moves usually attempted by people a third of her age, whatever that may be.
Peppered with long, wonderfully inappropriate stand-up comedy (some understandable only by the house’s many Spanish-speaking audience members) poking fun at everything, especially herself, Charo’s thick accent gets thicker with each rampant one-liner—many dealing with questions about her own encounters with the quirks of love, international fame and, of course, plastic surgery. “My advice to peoples who wants to go under the knife iz to find the bestest doctor yous can find.” Listen up, folks. I suspect his lady knows what she’s talking about.
Charo is backed in her bright and charming new show by a truly dynamic band and five exquisitely talented dancers, the initial four performers able to segue from salsa to tango to Club LAX stylings without a moment’s hesitation. And as good as this quartet (plus their star attraction) is at breaking into traditional Flamenco moves, Charo has saved an extra-special attraction for the kicker. When international Spanish Flamenco star Timo Nuñez takes the stage to join the others, glisteningly shirtless and dressed only in tight black leather pants, Charo: A Musical Sensation becomes even more sensational.
But the really indelible part of Charo’s new stage turn at the Riviera is the second half. After she had vacated the stage temporarily to change, leaving behind the highly worthy Nuñez and company to do the entertaining (and prove they could succeed in a show all their own), she returns dressed in a shimmering black sequined tux to sit centerstage on a simple stool. She then grabs her own guitar and finishes her performance by playing selections from her 2005 album Charo and Guitar, knocking out those in attendance with her remarkably facile mastery of the classical guitar—her dexterity shown in even greater detail on huge projections on either side of the stage.
See, Charo at this point quietly informs her audience she studied from age 9 to 16 with Andres Segovia himself while residing in Murcia, a feat, depending on which of her birthdates is correct, that could be even more extraordinary. Why, Charo could be the first person in history to study with a legendary musical hero after he had already shuffled off his mortal coil. W
Still, as a result of her consummate musical skill, no matter whether her extensive training with the great master took place posthumously or in the flesh, Charo was named twice named “Best Flamenco Guitarist” by Guitar Player Magazine’s reader’s poll and the performer has often stated in interviews that one of her biggest regrets has always been, because of the flamboyant stage presence that has earned her the big bucks and a place in entertainment history, she has been overlooked through her career as a serious guitarist.
Charo: A Musical Sensation plays indefinitely at the Riviera, 2901 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas; for tickets, call 702.794.9433.
Jenna Sings Connie! Following the success of her initial run of Jenna Esposito Sings Connie Francis, "Cabaret's Sweetheart" will once again be singing the songs of "America's Sweetheart" in Jenna's show celebrating the songs of Connie Francis. Directed by Lennie Watts with musical direction by Fortune Esposito, the show features hits such as "Where The Boys Are," "Stupid Cupid," and "Who's Sorry Now," as well as a number of lesser-known gems (yes, there are a few of Connie's Italian numbers in the show - Viva Italia!). The show will have a special, late-night performance on October 10th (the tail end of Cabaret Convention week in NY!), and will return for a special CD release show on Tuesday, November 3rd.
With Fortune Esposito (guitar), David Crone (piano), Skip Ward (bass), Brian Broelmann (tenor sax, flute, mandolin & ukulele), Brian DeWitt (drums), and Kelly Esposito-Broelmann & Rob Langeder (backup vocals)
**Special Cabaret Convention Week Show** Saturday, October 10th 11:45 p.m. The Metropolitan Room 34 W. 22nd Street, New York, NY
**Special CD Release Show** Tuesday, November 3rd 7:00 p.m. The Metropolitan Room 34 W. 22nd Street, New York, NY $20 cover + 2 drink minimum Reservations: 212-206-0440 Everyone in attendance will receive a free CD!
Carol Channing, signed copies of her latest CD release For Heaven's Sake at the National Quartet Convention in Louisville, Kentucky on Friday, September 18th.
For Heaven's Sake, Channing's first Gospel release, is being released on the Ferguson Music/New Day label.
Channing also appeared in a matinee concert performance at the Derby Dinner Playhouse in Clarksville, Indiana on Saturday, September 19th at 1:00 PM.
Channing originally starred in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and originated the role of Dolly Levi in the Tony-award-winning Hello Dolly. Channing has been the recipient of ten Gold albums, and received an Academy Award nomination for her musical Thoroughly Modern Millie. She is currently on tour promoting the album with her latest stage show The First 80 Years Are The Hardest. Channing is also an outspoken advocate for returning the arts into public schools.
For Heaven's Sake will be released nationally on October 8th, but it is available currently at the National Quartet Convention as well as at Ms. Channing's concerts. The album is also available at www.Ferguson-Music.com as well as www.CarolChanning.org . Sales from the CD support Channing's efforts to support the arts. For publicity/interview requests for Carol Channing contact Harlan Boll at h.boll@dcpublicity.com / 323-954-7510
Tony Award winner Bernadette Peters will appear at two benefit concerts in the coming months.
On Tuesday, October 6, she will appear at the Skin Cancer Foundation's Skin Sense Award Gala at the Pierre Hotel. As previously reported, she will also star in Bernadette Peters: A Special Concert for Broadway Barks Because Broadway Cares on November 9 at the Minskoff Theatre. The concert, which benefits Broadway Barks and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, will be directed by Richard Jay-Alexander and feature musical direction by Marvin Laird. Peters will perform feature material from her Broadway career and recordings, including selections by Rodgers & Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim, and Jerry Herman.
For tickets to the Skin Cancer Foundation Gala, call 212-725-5176 x 114
For further information about the Broadway Cares benefit, visit www.BroadwayCares.org.
KINSEY SICKS IN PHOENIX, DENVER, KNOXVILLE, ONEONTA NY! PLUS MANY OTHER EXCITING DENOUNCEMENTS!
1) EVEN IN A STRUGGLING ECONOMY, PEOPLE STILL HIRE THE KINSEY SICKS!
Sep 25: Phoenix The Kinsey Sicks perform "Wake the F@#k America" in a fundraiser for Equality Arizona at the Chandler Center for the Arts. Showtime is 7 pm. For information and tickets click here.
Sep 30: Oneonta, NY The Kinsey Sicks return to SUNY-Oneonta in their brand new show, "GreatesTits and Other Bawdy Parts." Showtime is 9 pm at the Hunt Union Ballroom.
Oct 1: Knoxville, TN Showtime is 7:30 at the University of Tennessee's Clarence Brown Theatre, 1714 Andy Holt Ave. Tickets available at the door.
Oct 2-3: Denver The Kinsey Sicks return to Lannie's Clocktower Cabaret. Two shows each night. At 7 pm is "Wake the F@#k Up America" and at 9 pm is "GreatesTits & Other Bawdy Parts" - made up of all new Kinsey songs. For tickets, call (303) 293-0075. Lannie's is located on the 16th St. Mall at Arapahoe.
2) KINSEY SICKS YOUTUBE PICK OF THE WEEK! Why waste good money seeing the Kinsey Sicks live when you can watch them for free, naked in front of your computer with your pets and/or loved ones sniffing your naughty parts?
The Kinsey Sicks, America's Favorite Dragapella Beautyshop Quartet, are seeking serious and skilled performers as swings for one or more roles. They are looking for:
* Substantial stage experience * Strong musicianship * Great talent in comedy and comedic improvisation * Comfort with drag performance * Ability to portray a comic character in an ensemble context * Ability to learn complicated 4-part vocal arrangements in limited time * Willingness to travel * Willingness to chip in on some performance-related drudge work * Progressive politics, good communication skills, and the ability to work in a team.
A cappella experience is a plus but not required. Being part of the Kinsey Sicks is incredibly fun. You should be too. We want you to be as excited about what we do as we are. Swing positions are open until filled.
TO APPLY: Send a resume to info@kinseysicks.com, along with a headshot or recent photo, plus any materials you think would help us see your skills.
AUDITIONS: The Kinsey Sicks will be touring throughout the spring and early summer, and we will audition qualified applicants as we tour. Let us know if you can make it to any of the following places:
September 25: Phoenix, AZ September 30: Oneonta, NY
October 1: Knoxville, TN
October 2-3: Denver, CO October 8: Conway, AR October 9: Upstate NY October 10: Kansas City, MO
Please send this to your friends who perform, or who sing in choruses, or who otherwise are exceptional talents who might fit well with the Kinsey Sicks.
WHO THEY ARE: For 15 years, the Kinsey Sicks, America's Favorite Dragapella Beautyshop Quartet, has served up a feast of music and comedy to audiences across the US and abroad. Combining award-winning a cappella singing, sharp satire and over-the-top drag, the Kinsey Sicks tours full time, having performed in 40 states as well as Mexico, Canada and Europe. The Kinsey Sicks have had their own Off-Broadway run at New York's legendary Studio 54 as well as an extended run in Las Vegas. They have released five CDs and are the subjects of two feature films: "I Wanna Be a Republican," released in 2006, and "Almost Infamous," released in 2008. For more information, visit www.kinseysicks.com.
LIZA'S AT THE PALACE to Be Filmed September 30 & October 1 in Vegas for PBS in December; DVD in 2010
Previously reported by BroadwayWorld.com and now confirmed by PBS, to celebrate the one year anniversary of Liza Minnelli's Tony Award-winning performance "LIZA'S AT THE PALACE," American Public Television (ATP) will distribute the long awaited Special in December, 2009. Minnelli's unanimously acclaimed Broadway performances were sold out for five weeks in December last year and fans around the world have been eagerly anticipating news of the broadcast. The television event will be directed by Matthew Diamond and Executive Produced by JoAnn Young, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron. In addition to the Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event, Minnelli received a 2009 Drama Desk Award for her performances at the Palace.
Now in her fifth decade as an internationally celebrated entertainer, she has won every major show business honor including an Oscar, an Emmy, a Grammy, and four Tony Awards, making her part of a select group of performers who have won the entertainment industry's top four achievement awards.
LIZA'S AT THE PALACE will be filmed in the Hollywood Theatre at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Wednesday, September 30 and Thursday, October 1, 2009. All of the material performed during the New York engagement will be included. The program will capture many of her greatest hits and an affectionate tribute to her godmother, the late Kay Thompson, who was a groundbreaking singer-dancer, songwriter, vocal arranger and musical director/vocal coach at MGM Studios.
She will be joined on the program by her Broadway co-star and musical director, the legendary pianist, singer and composer Billy Stritch. Her quartet of dynamic singer/dancers, Cortes Alexander, Jim Caruso, Johnny Rodgers and Tiger Martina will recreate their roles as the Williams Brothers, which included the brilliant young Andy Williams and his talented siblings. The show will again be directed by Ron Lewis, the award-winning choreographer and director. Musical Conductor/Drummer is Michael Berkowitz, a well-known conductor of pop orchestras all over the world.
"This is an exciting project and we are thrilled to bring it to public television audiences," says Eric Luskin, vice president of APT's Premium Service. "We are very proud to work with a legendary entertainer such as Liza Minnelli, continuing our tradition of distributing top-rated musical productions to public television audiences."
Matthew Diamond's directing has brought him an Oscar nomination for Dancemaker, four Emmy Awards, three Director's Guild Awards and the Humanitas Award. He has directed many music specials as well as a long list of dramatic programming and is currently the series director for So You Think You Can Dance.
JoAnn Young has written and/or produced more than 50 television specials including documentaries and musical performances, such as Johnny Mathis - Wonderful, Wonderful! and Some Enchanted Evening: A Celebration of Oscar Hammerstein II, a star-filled entertainment special at City Center in New York City. She wrote two episodes of the Emmy award-winning six part series, Broadway, The American Musical, which were nominated for an Emmy and a Writer's Guild Award and won Golden cine Eagle Awards in 2005.
Craig Zadan and Neil Meron are the executive producers of the Oscar-winning movie musical Chicago and the producers of the film musical smash Hairspray. With Minnelli and Showtime, they "presented" the acclaimed, digitally-restored version of the Bob Fosse-John Kander-Fred Ebb Emmy winning television special Liza With a Z. All totaled, Zadan and Meron's films and television projects have won six Academy Awards, five Golden Globes, 11 Primetime Emmy Awards, and two Peabody Awards. For television, their movies have amassed 69 Emmy nominations.
Tickets are available at any MGM Grand box office and all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations. Tickets also are available for purchase online at www.mgmgrand.com and www.ticketmaster.com.
LIZA'S AT THE PALACE will be released on DVD in early 2010 by MPI Home Video.
The program is a co-production of Jubilee Time Productions, APT, HDNET and Young Productions, in cooperation with the MGM Grand. APT's Premium Service is a co-production, co-financing and acquisition fund that provides fund raising specials to member stations, now in its 21st season. With the financial backing of their public television client stations, Premium Service has secured many of public television's most prestigious and highest rated programs. 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:
The show is quite the well-oiled machine! Everything ran like clock-work! Congrats on the success! You are packing them in! I'm so happy you highlighted Bill Zeffiro's music. He's a peach and so are you and Dana! RUN TO THE IGUANA and have a ball! -Julie Reyburn, http://www.juliereyburn.com/
Richard Skipper and Dana Lorge gave me one of the sweetest, happiest birthdays I've ever had!!! If it wasn't enough that I was being featured on their fabulous evening at the Iguana AND that the incomparable Julie Reyburn was introducing 2 of my songs-They sang 'Happy Birthday' to me and GAVE ME CAKE!!! These are two incredible generous people and I am honored and deeply touched by the way they treated me, all their featured artists and their wonderful audiences. YOU SIMPLY MUST GO TO THE IGUANA!! and I'll see you there. With gratitude, Bill Zeffiro, http://www.theroadtoruin.com/
Wednesday Night (September 16th) you were so delicious! Strawberry shortcake. You are so sweet. Your voice, the way you speak and sing.. I"ll have sweet dreams tonight thinking of your smiling face. You remind me from my childhood when I used to watch Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Dana was great too! Great show! Glad to see you back! xo! Love, Sunny Leigh
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NYC
Now a night out in NY to see a show at a VERY AFFORDABLE price! Dana Lorge and I have now put their 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). WEDNESDAY NIGHT OF THE IGUANA! Each week will showcase 5 entertainers. Barry Levitt returns on keyboard and Saadi Zain on bass! on bass. Each week will be different. Time: 8 - 11:00 p.m. Cover: $10 - no food or drink minimums – but remember – the food is great!
CASH ONLY PAID AT THE DOOR! This is a nice night out with the family! A "throw back" to the variety shows we grew up with. 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.
September 30th: Wendy Lane Bailey, Bobby Belfry, Stewart Brodian, Paul & Rochelle Chamlin, Ben Rauch, Rick Younger,
October 7th: Edd Clark, Marianne Meringolo, Wendy Russell, Marcus Simeone, Maureen Taylor
October 14th: Kelly Esposito- Broelmann, Barbara Gurskey, Jonathan Long, Andrea Mezvinsky-Kolb , Martin Vidnovic
October 21st: Esther Beckman & Stearns Matthews, Leslie Orofino, Susan Winter
October 28th: Hector Coris returns!, Laurie Krauz & Wicked’s very own Walter ONeil, Angela Schultz, Mauricio Villa-Lobos!
November 4th: Arianna, Moira Danis, Elaine St. George, Daryl Glenn
December 9th: Josh Zuckerman
December 30th: Linda Fields, Ritt Henn, Annie Hughes
BOB EGAN ENTERTAINMENT in association with ELEGANT DIAMOND PRODUCTIONS presents CAROL CHANNING: A CELEBRATION Starring Richard Skipper! Musical Direction by Jon Webber, with a five piece band and back-up singers. In this intimate evening with one of Broadway s greatest treasures, Skipper takes his audience back to a time of clean wholesome entertainment, featuring highlights from two of Channing' s greatest hits, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Hello Dolly! One performance only, July 5th, 2008 at 8:00 pm. Tim McLoone s Supper Club, 1200 Ocean Avenue, Asbury Park, NJ. Reservations: (732) 774-1155. I am returning to Asbury Park by popular demand after performing as Carol Channing as Dolly Levi in Hello Dolly! at Asbury Park's historic Paramount Theatre in a special benefit performance for ReVision Theatre last year and Tim McLoone's SOLD OUT SHOW last August. Other recent highlights this year include a successful run at the Iguana VIP Lounge in NYC; REDEEMER EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH in The Bronx in a sold out show with MAC Award winner Diana Templeton and Anthony Santelmo, Jr.; THE HELEN HAYES HOSPITAL by special request (8 SOLD OUT SHOWS). ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER STUDIOS, DANCERS OVER 40 Celebrates a Wonderful Year tribute to Gower Champion, featuring David Hartman, Marge Champion, Lee Roy Reams, and dancers from Champion s Broadway shows. And CAROL CHANNING IN CONCERT STARRING RICHARD SKIPPER! in Aspen, Colorado.
With Channing s personal endorsement, I have taken my tribute from Manhattan to Las Vegas and San Francisco and all points in between, summoning the legend's spirit, her signature style, and her sense of connection with the audience. This is not a drag show and it is not campy! It is an interactive performance of audience pleasing, critically acclaimed theater.
Carol Channing herself says, . . . this is the first time ever I have been shown with so much love, respect, and polish Richard Skipper is a TRUE MUSICAL COMEDY STAR! He is FABULOUS AS ME! What I try to recreate are Channing's memorable shows in Vegas and on Broadway, in which the diva proved she could do a whole lot more than just diamond-happy Lorelei Lee. I have won two MAC (Manhattan Association of Cabaret) Awards, the Back Stage Bistro Award and was named one of the top cabaret performers by Cabaret Hotline. I have also been awarded the coveted IGCITA (International Guild of Celebrity Impersonators and Tribute Artists) CLONEY award for Outstanding Tribute to a Legend, and has appeared with the great lady herself at the Palace of Fine Arts. For more information about other performances, tributes and awards, visit Richard s website at www.RichardSkipper.com.
Legendary entertainer Carol Channing sang a familiar tune in Murrieta last week, belting out "Hello, Dolly" with the help of students from Lisa J. Mails Elementary School. Channing shared her music, performed a little soft-shoe and did some high leg kicks during two assemblies for the kindergarten-through-seventh-grade students. Then she talked about the importance of arts in education.
"I'm thrilled to be asked to be here," said the 88-year-old singer and actress as she blew kisses to the students.
Channing is best known for her roles in "Hello, Dolly" and "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes." Her visit to Mails, a school that emphasizes performing and visual arts, was orchestrated by former California Secretary of Education David Long, also a former Riverside County schools superintendent. The two met when Long was education secretary. Now Long is helping Channing and her husband, Harry Kullijian, carry their message about the importance of arts education across the state. Channing and Kullijian have established a foundation to promote the arts in schools.
Arts education is like fertilizer for students' brains, Channing said. "It opens their minds to every other subject." Long said the arts are a key component of education, even in difficult times. Funding for arts programs has diminished in recent years because of budget cuts.
"Even in these times of financial crisis, opportunities exist," he said. "It's not that we have to build new schools. It's a reconfiguration" of programs to incorporate the arts.
Many of the Mails students had never heard of Channing before her visit was announced.
Teachers introduced them to the Tony Award-winner's work before the event, said Assistant Principal Garrett Corduan.
The school's Stage Note Singers and middle school choir performed for Channing, who also visited a band class, shook hands with students and signed autographs.
"It's just a really inspirational day for everyone," Corduan said. Friday's assemblies were in the multipurpose room of McElhinney Middle School, which shares a campus with Mails Elementary. McElhinney, which formally opens in August, also has an emphasis on the arts.
Angie Phetbenjakul, a 13-year-old seventh-grader, performed with the middle school choir Friday, singing one of Channing's signature tunes, "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend."
"It was amazing," Phetbenjakul said of the experience. "She's such a wonderful lady."
By the screams and squeals of the students from Lisa J. Mails Elementary School on Friday, one would have thought the big star headed to the stage was Miley Cyrus or one of the Jonas Brothers.
But the loud applause was for Carol Channing,88-year-old Broadway legend, who visited the campus as she travels around the state to promote arts education. "You're going to be smarter than any students who don't have arts," Channing said at the school, which emphasizes performing and arts. "It fertilizes your brain. You can look forward to a much happier life."
Channing, a three-time Tony Award winner, spoke in her still distinctive voice during two assemblies at the adjoining Dorothy McElhinney Middle School. "My theory is that the arts are only the re-creation of what was already created," Channing told the children. "Each one of you will re-create what has already been created, but you will see it in your own, individual way." The visit was arranged by David Long, former Riverside County and Lake Elsinore school superintendent. Long met Channing when he was the state secretary of education and served with her on the California Arts Council.
Long said Mails' arts-driven program can be replicated in schools throughout the state. "For an all-inclusive comprehensive education, arts is part of that," Long said.
Channing was accompanied by her fourth husband, Harry Kullijian, who was her junior high school sweetheart. The couple reconnected in 2003 after many years apart.
Kullijian said they are going around the state hoping children in every school can have art.
The couple also has a foundation dedicated to returning arts education to public schools in California. "To see all of you shows what we've been fighting for," Channing told the students.
Mails Assistant Principal Garrett Corduan said having Channing visit should motivate the students. "Look across this room ---- there's some talent here," he said. "They can see that their talent will come out, and it starts in school. For me, it's just an inspiration for them.
"To see her and see she's so willing and giving to the students is amazing."
In preparation for Channing's visit, students researched her life via the Internet, Corduan said. Long was impressed that all of the children recognize Channing and greeted her warmly. "It's a teachable moment for students," he said. "It brings arts in all forms together."
Both assemblies started with musical performances while art students made two banners welcoming Channing to the campus.
Channing ended the first assembly by singing one of her signature songs, "Hello Dolly."
The other song Channing is widely known for, "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend," was performed by the middle school choir to open the second assembly. So why did Channing make the trip to Murrieta from Palm Springs?
"They asked me," she said. "This is my reward. I've been working for years to get arts in schools. This is the school everyone is watching." Americans for the Arts is patting the new president on the back for the commitment to the arts he has displayed in his first 100 days. The cultural advocacy group, which lobbied hard to save $50 million in arts funding in the recently passed economic recovery package, issued a press release from its president Robert L. Lynch, lauding the president’s progress so far, and encouraging him to "build on these initial budget requests to secure even higher funding levels to address the needs of the arts and arts education community." President Obama released his FY 2010 budget request to the Congress. It includes $38.16 million for the US Department of Education’s (DOE) Arts in Education program. This is distinctly different from years past; at one time, previous administrations proposed zeroing out this program altogether.
Quality too good to pass up Broadway thrives despite ailing economy By DAVID ROONEY: Bright lights, big tally
Legit pundits have been scratching their heads all spring over Broadway's resilience in a down economy. But the answer may simply be that audiences found the quality of this season's slate too good to pass up.
Attention on the Gotham legit landscape was heightened by the unusually high number of critical hits and the platoon of stars onstage just when a profile boost was needed. New Yorkers might be tightening their belts in terms of restaurant, shopping and travel choices, but must-see productions remain an affordable luxury, not to mention a necessity to keep up with the culture cognoscenti.
Take Yasmina Reza's play "God of Carnage," a razor-toothed comedy about the savagery beneath the surface of middle-class complacency.
Propelled by incisive turns from James Gandolfini, Marcia Gay Harden, Jeff Daniels and Hope Davis -- all four Tony-nominated -- Matthew Warchus' production has been playing to capacity crowds since it opened in March, sparking editorial pieces about everything from clafouti to Brooklyn's Cobble Hill neighborhood. (Translator Christopher Hampton relocated the play from its original Paris setting for its U.S. premiere.)
The season's blockbuster musical hit, "Billy Elliot," also tapped into the zeitgeist, its bittersweet tale of a working-class kid whose dreams elevate him beyond hardscrabble reality finding fresh resonance as the country was plunged into recession. The excitement generated by "West Side Story" and "Hair," two iconic musicals long absent from Broadway, suggests not only a hungry fan base eager to revisit beloved shows from their youth but also a new audience connecting to those era-defining shows.
In recent years, every season has a mega-budget hit tuner (this year, "Billy Elliot") competing for Tony supremacy with an unconventional underdog.
The latter role went this season to the emotionally charged "Next to Normal," about a bipolar suburban mom and her frayed family. After a mixed reception in its early 2008 premiere Off Broadway, the show was significantly retooled and warmly embraced by critics this spring; its commercial foothold has been growing as word of mouth builds. Among other new tuners, DreamWorks cooked up competition for the Disney market with its enjoyable if uneven "Shrek the Musical"; Dolly Parton's songs and a trio of engaging leads were crowd-pleasing strengths in "9 to 5," a tuner that otherwise failed to punch the clock; and '80s cheesefest "Rock of Ages" proved that the much-maligned jukebox genre could be a guilt-free pleasure.
Special events with stars also contributed to swell the seasonal coffers, notably Liza Minnelli, who showed she could still deliver the goods in "Liza's at the Palace," and Will Ferrell, providing a cathartic farewell to the former White House tenant in "You're Welcome America. A Final Night With George W Bush."
Holiday entry "White Christmas" was a synthetic approximation of Golden Age Hollywood, but audiences flocked like snowflakes to the limited engagement.
If no other new play matched "Carnage" as an instant sensation, there was a deluge of smartly conceived revivals to draw audiences.
Kristin Scott Thomas led a penetrating new look at "The Seagull," hailed by many vet theatergoers as the best Chekhov production of their lifetimes; John Lithgow, Dianne Wiest, Patrick Wilson and Katie Holmes channeled Greek tragedy in a boldly non-naturalistic interpretation of Arthur Miller's "All My Sons"; Daniel Radcliffe shook off the boyhood cloak of "Harry Potter," getting emotionally and physically naked in "Equus"; and the trio of Jeremy Piven, Raul Esparza and Elisabeth Moss made a tangy meal of a minor David Mamet morsel in "Speed-the-Plow." Those fall entries were matched by a second wave of strong remounts in the spring.
The most commercially buoyant was Noel Coward's ectoplasmic comedy "Blithe Spirit," with Angela Lansbury, Rupert Everett, Jayne Atkinson and Christine Ebersole. Geoffrey Rush's tragicomic clowning brought life to Eugene Ionesco's 1962 absurdist comedy about a dying monarch, "Exit the King," mining a rich vein of contempo political parallels. And Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot" was ushered back to Broadway after a half-century in a haunting production with the superlative cast of Nathan Lane, Bill Irwin, John Goodman and John Glover.
Two plays dating back almost 20 years but presented for the first time on the Main Stem and greeted as significant discoveries were Horton Foote's "Dividing the Estate" and Richard Greenberg's "The American Plan," both casting a minor-key spell in delicately nuanced stagings.But some lauded shows struggled to sustain an audience amid the quality glut.
Bartlett Sher's transcendent staging of "Joe Turner's Come and Gone" failed to expand the traditionally limited Broadway audience for August Wilson plays, while "Mary Stuart," with Janet McTeer and Harriet Walter, has initially fallen short of commercial expectations. Also staged by Warchus, Alan Ayckbourn's melancholy comic trilogy "The Norman Conquests" was a slow starter, although producers are confident that by extending the engagement with extra marathon days they can eke out a profit.
There were also some swift exits and critical punching bags. John Leguizamo, Cedric the Entertainer and Haley Joel Osment barely opened in Mamet's "American Buffalo" before the closing notice went up, and while opinion ranged across the love-or-loathe spectrum for Eugene O'Neill's "Desire Under the Elms," with Brian Dennehy, Carla Gugino and Pablo Schreiber, the curiosity was insufficient to galvanize audiences.
Some of the season's most withering reviews went to a loopy rethink of "Hedda Gabler," with Mary-Louise Parker in eccentric overdrive; a moribund revival of Hampton's "The Philanthropist," with a distancing lead perf from Matthew Broderick; "Impressionism," a limp mid-life romance with intellectual aspirations that served as a clunky vehicle for Jeremy Irons and Joan Allen; and a leaden screen-to-stage transfer of Nazi spoof "To Be or Not to Be," in which the Lubitsch touch and the laughs were AWOL.
A low-wattage "Guys and Dolls," with Oliver Platt and Lauren Graham, also missed the mark, its characters and comedy swallowed by projection-heavy staging. Ditto a bloated musicalization of Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities," a numbingly earnest "Les Miz"-wannabe marooned in an outmoded 1980s poperetta sensibility. Jane Fonda's Rialto return after 46 years yielded admiring personal reviews, but endorsement of Moises Kaufman's drama "33 Variations" was generally cooler.
Similarly, Frank Langella's work in "A Man for All Seasons" commanded respect, but Robert Bolt's 1961 play now seems a hagiographic chore, while David Hyde Pierce's mellow charm and effortless comic timing made the quaint 1934 artifact "Accent on Youth" palatable, if not quite justifying its return to Broadway. One of the season's commercial disappointments looks to be Neil LaBute's "Reasons to Be Pretty," a scalding examination of relationships with an uncharacteristic emotional charge from a writer not known for his compassion. The play's near-unanimous raves have so far failed to stir a sizable audience in such a competitive field. Along with underachievers like the pedestrian Holocaust drama "Irena's Vow," teen tuner "13," insider joke-a-thon "[title of show]" and maudlin musical two-hander "The Story of My Life," the LaBute transfer seemed to suggest that producers may be misjudging the marketplace in their eagerness to upgrade intimate shows more traditionally suited to Off Broadway or regional stages.
Want to let you know that High 5 will be performing at 9:30 PM at Dukes Ocean Grill on Thurs., June 11.
The good news is that there is no charge and no cover and the food is fabulous if you come hungry. There's even a revolving sushi bar! Reservations are not necessary.
Dukes Ocean Grill 37 Rt. 303 Tappan, NY 10983 845-398-5120
Performing Arts Center lost $322G last year
By Keith Eddings • The Journal News • May 28, 2009
WHITE PLAINS - The decision to remake the city's Performing Arts Center into a stage for homegrown, professional musicals has failed to bring in the audiences needed to reverse the theater's deficits, financial documents released this week show.
The PAC lost $322,000 in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2008, according to a disclosure statement it filed with the federal Internal Revenue Service. It ended the year with $1,333 on hand and $708,412 in debt. The return was due in November, but the theater filed it earlier this month after receiving two extensions, making the data nearly a year old. The theater has not released information about its expenses and revenues over the 11 months since its last reporting period ended, but its actions since then suggest the losses are continuing. Last month, it postponed the opening of its last musical for the season - "Hello, Dolly!" - and announced it might rethink its mission again.
"With the economy faltering, and in my effort to be fiscally prudent, it is necessary to step back and re-evaluate our plans," Jack Batman, the theater's $150,000-a-year executive producer, said in an April 21 statement, after announcing that "Hello, Dolly!" would be rescheduled.
The approach of summer suggests the musical could be canceled altogether. Batman could not be reached. John Ioris, a local businessman who is chairman of the theater's board, did not return a telephone call.
Fiscal troubles at the 417-seat theater are expected to deepen today when the Common Council, citing the city's own budget problems, has said it will end the $100,000 subsidy the theater has received every year since it opened in 2003.
The theater's failure would leave a significant hole in one of the city's biggest malls - where two major national retailers recently pulled out - and set back the city's hope to remake itself as a regional cultural - as well as a retail - center.
The theater was built for the city by Louis Cappelli as part of his approvals to build City Center, and has become a critical success, a cultural cornerstone and economic engine for White Plains despite its difficulties.
Cappelli has given or loaned the theater at least $400,000 over a recent two-year period. On Tuesday, he said he would give it another $100,000 if the Common Council restores its $100,000 subsidy. "It's a testimony to the vibrancy that we all tried to create in downtown White Plains, and I stand ready with the council to match a cash contribution," Cappelli said. "I challenge the city to do that so we can assist these people, and we should." Through an aide, Mayor Joseph Delfino said he had no comment.
Adam Bradley, the Democratic candidate for mayor, said the city might search for another arts group to fill the space the theater occupies at City Center if it fails.
The $321,852 the theater lost in its last fiscal year reverses the $66,000 surplus it earned the year before, when it scaled back productions as it rethought its mission. Nonprofit community theaters often lose less money when they're dark than when they're operating. The theater sold 28,000 tickets in 2008.
Whether the theater's bottom line has been black or red, its budgets have been heavily infused with corporate and city grants from the outset, which is common with nonprofit theaters. The $1.3 million it took in last year included nearly $500,000 in gifts besides the city's $100,000. It earned another $590,000 from ticket sales and $129,000 from renting the stage and selling ads in its programs, according to its financial disclosure form.
Expenses totaled nearly $1.7 million, including $1.1 million for salaries and benefits. The theater has only seven full-time employees, but its decision to stage its own productions rather than import them added dozens of actors and production staff to its part-time payroll.
"They're all struggling, like the rest of America," Linda Jacobs, a spokeswoman for Theater Communications Group, said about the 500 professional, nonprofit theaters the organization represents nationwide. "It's really a slippery slope for all of us now." In Praise Of Broadway's Orchestrators By Susan Stamberg
In the world of Broadway musicals, nobody leaves the theater humming the orchestrations. But without the orchestrations, the songs would just be lonely little tunes. The Library of Congress recently convened a symposium on some of Broadway's greatest orchestrators, many of whom remain little-known. Ever hear of Sid Ramin, Jonathan Tunick, Don Walker, Russell Bennett or Ralph Burns? Exactly.
But those are the men who orchestrated West Side Story, Gypsy, A Chorus Line, Sweeney Todd, Hello Dolly and South Pacific. The men who decided which song should start with trumpets, and which one needs some violas. And they wrote the overtures, weaving together the various tunes the shows present.
"People think the composer did it," says Steven Suskin, author of The Sound of Broadway Music: A Book of Orchestrators and Orchestrations. "But usually, the composers are so busy with other things that they just don't."
Gypsy, which hit Broadway in 1959, was revolutionary. The music was written by Jule Styne, but orchestrators Sid Ramin and Red Ginzler wrote the overture for lots of brass and winds. Musicians came from the big swing bands.
Before Gypsy, the sound of Broadway orchestrations was exemplified by South Pacific. Russell Bennett, who was Rodgers and Hammerstein's favorite orchestrator, scored that show. Jonathan Tunick, who orchestrates for Steven Sondheim, says Bennett loved lush violins and pure, rich sound. Conductor Rob Fisher says the South Pacific score is gorgeous.
"He uses horns right at the beginning that sound like flowers opening," Fisher says. "And then, when the Bali Hai theme starts, the strings are soaring way up over it in a way only Bennett knows how to do."
Arranger Red Ginzler once used instruments that were less than lovely. Tunick, who studied with Ginzler, calls him the greatest theater orchestrator of all time. Tunick describes how Ginzler handled a men's-room scene in the show How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. A chorus sings, while shaving.
"Red thought of the idea of putting the melody on a mass of kazoos making buzzing sounds like electric shavers," Tunick says. "One of the hallmarks of his genius was his wit and his ability to translate humor into music."
A great singer makes the orchestrator's life easy. But get a bad singer — or non-singer, really — and it's a different story. Take one of the stars of My Fair Lady. "Rex Harrison was a fine actor," Jeremy Lang says. "But he had a lot of trouble singing."
Lang's grandfather, Philip J. Lang, was the orchestrator behind this story. "Grandfather needed to do a lot of writing around his voice, as orchestrators frequently do. Arrange it in the instruments such that Harrison could just speak it as melodic cadence but wouldn't actually hit any notes," Lang says. "After the music rehearsal, Rex Harrison went over and embraced my grandfather and said, 'Thanks to you, I can sing.' "
Ramin, now 90, orchestrated West Side Story with Irwin Kostal. Ramin doesn't play any instrument. But he says he hears them all, in his mind's ear.
He says that when Leonard Bernstein, who wrote the music for West Side Story, handed him the music for "I Feel Pretty," he heard it right away.
"We know 'I Feel Pretty' is not going to be for brass," Ramin says. "It's going to be feminine, light, happy. And what pops into a person's head? Strings. Violins. High woodwinds." Orchestrators don't begin working until after the rehearsals, when the show is set. So masses of notes must be written quickly. Different orchestrators might work on different songs — even parts of songs — for a single show.
For A Chorus Line, Ralph Burns was called in to write just the extra, final chorus.
"His big touch was that after the word 'One,' [he did] what we call a shake, with the full orchestra shaking the note," arranger and conductor Ted Sperling says. "A big harp glissando up and down at the same time amplifies that feeling of excitement ... and it put it over the top at the end."
And with that, the show's over. And an orchestrator made sure you knew it.
Danny La Rue dies aged 81 Danny La Rue, the cabaret entertainer once described by Bob Hope as "the most glamorous woman in the world", died yesterday aged 81.
By Anita Singh, Showbusiness Editor Published:02 Jun 2009
He had been suffering from cancer and died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Kent following a short illness, a spokesman said. His assistant and "beloved companion", Annie Galbraith, was by his side.
In a career spanning 60 years, La Rue was a star of the West End stage and the nation's favourite pantomime dame. He was said to be Britain's highest-paid entertainers in the 1960s and drew huge audiences for his television appearances. He was the first female impersonator to appear at the Royal Variety Performance in front of the Queen.
La Rue disliked the term "drag artist" and preferred to be known as a "comic in a frock". He described his style of humour as "cheeky but clean", explaing: "I'm a great believer in wit without vulgarity - only inarticulate people swear because they can't find the right words."
Born Daniel Patrick Carroll in Cork, Ireland, La Rue moved to England with his family at the age of nine. He developed his act during his time with the Royal Navy, where he took part in revue shows, and began his career in repertory theatre before moving into cabaret alongside the likes of Barbara Windsor.
The success of his act led to him opening a West End nightclub in Hanover Square in 1964. Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon were regular patrons, alongside such showbusiness luminaries as Noel Coward, Judy Garland and Zsa Zsa Gabor. Coward described La Rue as "the most professional, the most witty and the most utterly charming man in the business".
La Rue made his West End debut in Come Spy With Me at the Whitehall Theatre, which ran from 1970-1972 and was the first of many stage hits. The Danny La Rue Show played all over the world, and he proved a particular hit in Australia where he spent half the working year. He is thought to have made theatrical history in 1982 when he played Dolly Levi in Hello Dolly! at the Prince of Wales theatre in London, the first time a man had taken a leading female role in a major production.
In 2002, he was made an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List for his charitable work and services to the entertainment industry. He continued to work well into his 70s, taking time off after suffering a stroke in 2006 but returning in 2007 with Hello Danny, an autobiographical show staged at the Benidorm Palace in Spain.
His former agent, Brian Shaw, said: "Danny was a true showbusiness legend. He was a man of real class and real style. He had no-one before him and there was no-one since. It is just a very sad day."
FEATURED ENTERTAINER OF THE WEEK: LEE LESSACK http://www.leelessack.comMac & Bistro Award Wining Recording Artist, LEE LESSACK, performs his critically acclaimed concert tribute: "Too Marvelous For Words: The Songs of Johnny Mercer".
"Rare, superb, and thoroughly enjoyable!" - Rex Reed
June 6th @ 8:30 PM - Harlan's (New Hope, PA) • Reservations: (215) 862-5225 June 7th @ 7:30 PM - The Castle (Tarrytown, NY) • Reservations: (914) 631-3646 June 8th & 14th @ 9:30 PM - Metropolitan Room (NYC) • Reservations: (212) 206-0440 GO SEE A LIVE SHOW THIS WEEK! Don't forget to contribute to the DR. CAROL CHANNING & HARRY KULLIJIAN FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS: http://www.carolchanning.org/Foundation.htm
Lee Roy has also been a major supporter of mine over the years and for that, I am truly grateful!
I appeared with Hayley Mills (pictured here along with myself, John Wallowitch, and, Donna McKechnie
Hayley Mills is an English actress. The daughter of John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell, and sister of actress Juliet Mills, Mills began her acting career as a child and was hailed as a promising newcomer, winning the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer for Tiger Bay (1959), the Academy Juvenile Award for Pollyanna (1960) and Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress in 1961. During her early career, she appeared in several films for Walt Disney. Hayley Mills, daughter of the late Sir John Mills, was one of the world's most famous child stars with films such as Tiger Bay and Whistle Down The Wind. Now a grandmother, she lives in New York and south-west London with her actor partner, Firdous Bamji.
