Young Frankenstein- Only For The Very Rich? OY, Frank!

http://www.nypost.com/seven/06292007/entertainment/theater/wankenstein_theater_michael_riedel.htm

Young Frankenstein is one of the funniest movies of all time but $450? This is an outrage. How will regular people be able to afford it.

Mr Brooks needs to leave prices at 100 a ticket so the tourists will be able to enjoy his new show. I agree with Riedel.

Broadway By The Year 1964 Part 2. Do We Love Them, Yes!

Beth Leavel and David Pittu (Do We Love Them, Yes)

Photos by Maryann Lopinto
Review: Corine Dana Cohen for Http://www.corinescorner.com

Gregg Edelman and Stephanie J.Block




Drowsy Chaperone Tony Award Winner Beth Leavel

The Cast of Broadway By The Year and Creator Scott Siegel.

Stephanie J Block
I have been covering The Broadway By The Year series for the last few years and it is always the highlight of the month. The entire cast for this production were outstanding but the biggest standout for me was seeing Stephanie J. Block sing "Don't Rain On My Parade" from "Funny Girl" she gave me goose bumps. Hope to see her cast in a new Broadway production of the show. Other standouts were: Beth Leavel (Drowsy Chaperone)Devin Richards(110 In The Shade)Gregg Edelman(Wonderful Town)and one of my favorite singers, Scott Coulter.
1964 was an incredible year for the Broadway musical and Scott Siegel produced an evening full of joy. Do we love him, with only three years of seeing his Broadway By The Year series I would say yes we love him and his incredible concerts.
Here is a list of the songs:
The Broadway Musicals of 1964, Part II



ACT ONE
To Life - All from Fiddler on the Roof
Everbody Says Don't from Anyone Can Whistle - Gregg Edelman
This is the Life from Golden Boy- Devin Richards
You Better Love Me, from High Spirits: - Stephanie J Block
Everything I Want, from I Had A Ball- Sean Martin Hingston
Night Liz - Liz Callaway
You Are Woman from Funny Girl - Edelman/Block
Do You Love Me? from Fiddler On the Roof - David Pittu/Beth Leavel
My Hometown, from What Makes Sammy Run? - Scott Coulter
Far From the Home I Love , from Fiddler On the Roof - Sarah Uriarte Berry
My Fortune Is In My Face, from Fade Out, Fade In - Edelman
Now I Have Everything, from Fiddler On the Roof - Pittu/Callaway
God Bless the Human Elbow from Ben Franklin In Paris - Berry (with 3 guys)

Soon - Band, from Bajour
Yes I Can from Golden Boy - Pittu
To Be Alone with You, from Ben Franklin In Paris- Berry and Coulter, with Onlookers
Come Play Wiz Me, from Anyone Can Whistle- Sean Martin Hingston and Joyce Chittick, dance duet
See What It Gets You, from Anyone Can Whistle, - Callaway
Funny Girl - Leavel
I Wanna Be With You from Golden Boy- Richards (Off Mike)
There's Always a Woman from Anyone Can Whistle - Block/Leavel
With So Little to Be Sure Of from Anyone Can Whistle - Edelman/Callaway
It Only Takes a Moment, from Hello, Dolly- Coulter
Don't Rain On My Parade, from Funny Girl- Block
Keep the Home Fires Burning, from Oh, What A Lovely War - Callaway and All
To Life Reprise - All

All Good Things Have A Finale.... Don't Miss Gurland's!

After enrapturing packed houses in January, February, March, May and June conquering the worlds of Broadway ,Country music, and 70’s and 80’s Pop, Madonna, and Judy Garland,

The Final concert of this series will be on Thursday night July 12th (rescheduled from April 15th). The show will celebrate the Female Singers and Songwriters from the 1990’s and 2000’s

Kelly Clarkson, Shawn Colvin, Amy Grant, Celine Dion, Annie Lennox, Bonnie Raitt, and more!!!!

DAVID GURLAND

With Special Guest stars

Lisa Asher

Scott Coulter

and Julie Reyburn

Musically directed by Steven Ray Watkins

Thursday night July 12th

Doors open @ 6:30pm.

Show begins @ 7pm.

$16 Music Charge/$15 Food and Drink minimum

Food and Cocktail menu available.

Reservations recommended

212-695-6909
The Gorgeous Laurie Beechman Room and ask for Kenny.






What the Critics are saying about the DGUR concert series

'Gurland returns to his roots with a vengeance...the best thing he's done in years'

‘Gurland's edgy tenor soared through a variety of unexpected and iconoclastic material'

'Dgur in concert 2007...it's a winner!'

MUFTI FANS UNITE!

212-935-5820 for tickets.

Raul Esparza Visits Forbidden Broadway!

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/109137.html
This is a very interesting piece, check it out.
The FB number about Company is hysterical.
To get tickets to Forbidden Broadway:
212-239-6200.
For more information on Forbidden Broadway:
http://www.forbiddenbroadway.com
;-)

Part 2: Photo Coverage Jerry Orbach Theater Dedication.

Mrs Elaine Cancilla Orbach


Sam Waterston and Christian Hoff

The one and only Bebe Neuwirth


Photo coverage by Maryann Lopinto for Corine's Corner.

The Naming Of The Jerry Orbach Theater- Photo Coverage

Celeste Holm and Christian Hoff



Karen Ziemba





Jerry Orbach was a very loved man and you could see that with the huge turnout of his family and friends. It was a very touching event held at the Snapple Theater which named the theater after Jerry Orbach.
Photos by Maryann Lopinto.

More photos will appear in part 2.

Mickey Rooney- "Let's Put On A Show" July 22, 2007.

Photo from Mickey's website (www.mickeyrooney.com)
Mickey Rooney and his wife Jan have a show called "Let's Put On A Show" For more information you can check out his website: www.mickeyrooney.com.

On July 22, 2007 @ 2pm & 6pm only - general seating
Tickets are $45 each
Bellmore Movie Theatre
222 Pettit Avenue
Bellmore, NY 11710
516-783-3199

IDOL!!!

" IDOL: THE MUSICAL "

A NEW MUSICAL BASED ON THE WORSHIP OF CLAY AIKEN

BEGINS PERFORMANCES OFF-BROADWAY

JULY 5TH

45TH STREET THEATRE

DIRECTED BY DANIEL TURSI

FEATURING

BABS RUBENSTEIN, JENNIE RIVERSO, NIKITA RICHARDS,
COURTNEY ELLIS, JON BALCOURT, RYAN SPRAGUE, JOELLA BURT, JOE WALKER, ROY GEORGE-THIEMANN



After playing to sold-out houses and receiving great reviews in Syracuse, producer TODD ELLIS and BIPOLAR PRODUCTIONS are opening "IDOL: The Musical" Off-Broadway at the 45th Street Theatre (354 West 45th Street - Eighth & Ninth Avenues).

The new musical, which is based on the worship of Clay Aiken, begins performances on THURSDAY, JULY 5th.

"IDOL: The Musical" is a satirical musical comedy that focuses on the outrageous and delusional fan base of the hit television show. The musical takes place in Steubenville, Ohio where a group of misfit students are preparing for their high school graduation after which they are determined to drag themselves out of the dregs of the middle-of-nowhere. There are nine of them; all belonging to the same cult-like club that meets daily in a garage that doubles as a shrine to Clay Aiken. They are viciously ridiculed by the rest of Steubenville; a humiliating situation that doesn't deter their quest for all things CLAY. They are victims of A.D.D., Ritalin, their misguided obsessions and their innocent longing for their elusive "15 minutes". One of them pumps gas. One of them is home-schooled. One of them is a walking encyclopedia. And one of them is a basketball phenom who would rather be a Chippendale dancer. The other five have equally bizarre back-stories too complicated to tell here; but suffice it to know that the real bad-guy of the piece is a total harpy, prima donna named Adrienne. She gives new meaning to the word villain. The story heats up when the mid-American leg of the "IDOL TOUR", starring Clay Aiken, is announced to be playing Chicago, Memphis, Louisville, Scranton, Charleston, Greensboro, Roanoke and Steubenville. STEUBENVILLE ! Let the worship begin.

Based on the original concept by TODD ELLIS and directed by DANIEL TURSI, "IDOL: The Musical" has music and lyrics by JON BALCOURT with book and lyrics by BILL BOLAND. The choreography is by JOE WALKER and JASON BUMPUS.

The new musical has been designed by BRIAN HOWARD (scenery), CHARLES SHATZKIN (lighting) and KEITH AXTON (costumes).



THE SONG LIST

ACT I

Idolize, Small Town Blues, Fifteen Minutes, Discipline,
Chip & Dale Days, Prima Donna Fabulous, Quakin' For Aiken


ACT II

Burnin' Hunk of Clay,
Simon Says, Distance, Family of Misfits, Realize





THE PLAYERS


Featured in the cast are BABS RUBENSTEIN (42nd Street, Beauty and the Beast, Footloose, Titanic, Once On This Island) who plays 'Adrienne' the real bad-guy of the piece; JENNIE RIVERSO (Once Upon A Mattress, Bye Bye Birdie, Cats, The Diary of Anne Frank, A Christmas Carol) who plays 'Alex' a brutally combative diamond-in-the-rough who fights all of her battles with her two fists; NIKITA RICHARDS (Cats, Peter Pan) who plays 'Cass' a Goth-chick whose voodoo doll is named 'Willard'; COURTNEY ELLIS (Sound of Music, To Kill A Mockingbird, The Miracle Worker) who plays 'Cicaida' a child prodigy with an encyclopedic knowledge of the world; JON BALCOURT (The Wiz, Good News, Babes In Toyland, Anything Goes, Grease, Fiddler on the Roof, Guys and Dolls, Last Five Years, Beauty and the Beast, Cats, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Chess) who plays 'Connor' the home-schooled kid; RYAN SPRAGUE (Cyrano de Bergerac, The Giver, Proof, The Shape of Things, Romeo & Juliet, Once Upon A Mattress) who plays 'Duncan' a loveable goofball obsessed with Western apparel; JOELLA BURT (The Wizard of Oz, Grease, Footloose, Annie) who plays 'Emily' the alpha-misfit; JOE WALKER (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Fiddler on the Roof, Guys and Dolls) who plays 'J.D.' the basketball phenom who longs to be a Chippendale dancer and ROY GEORGE-THIEMANN (Seussical, The Wiz, You're A Good Man Charlie Brown, The Sound of Music, 42nd Street, Once on This Island, Crazy For You) who plays 'Kodi' a self-appointed celebrity waiting to happen.



THE DIRECTOR


DANIEL TURSI, a three-time recipient of a S.A.L.T. (Syracuse Live Theatre Award) for directing, has directed in such cities as Washington, DC, Lexington, KY, Alexandria, VA, Phoenix, AZ, Chicago IL, and Los Angeles, CA. Favorite directing credits include: Chicago, The Laramie Project, Closer, Sordid Lives, The Crucible, Never The Sinner, Copacabana, Pageant, Clue: The Musical, Quilt: A Musical Celebration, To Whom It May Concern and West Side Story. Dan is the co-founder and artistic director for Rarely Done Productions. (www.rarelydone.org)



THE PRODUCERS


BIPOLAR PRODUCTIONS, a newly formed company as of 2007, combines the talents of Jon Balcourt, Bill Boland, Todd Ellis, and Dan Tursi. It involves the creation and production of original productions, including plays, musicals, film, and other entertainment ventures. "IDOL: The Musical" represents the first product of this talented collaboration. Within the company, Jon handles composing and musical direction of pieces, while Bill writes the pieces, and creates and executes the marketing plan for them. Dan is involved in the directing of the first premiere of the projects, and on the business side he handles the accounting of the company. Finally, Todd acts as producer of the products, develops creative concepts, and handles business management.




THE QUOTES


"The fact that a group of New Yorkers has announced plans to pour time and energy into staging an Off-Broadway musical about a group of small-town kids who've built a barn shrine to former American Idol Clay Aiken is truly the stuff of which Vulture dreams are made. "

Brett Amelkin
Vulture, New York Magazine
"Imagine, if you will, a combination of elements from 'Bye, Bye Birdie,' 'A Chorus Line,' 'Fame,' 'The Breakfast Club,' and 'High School Musical' - with a higher quotient of sexual humor. Further imagine such elements mixing in a story concerning the socials effects of Clay Aiken and you pretty much have a fix on 'Idol: The Musical.' which kept a mainly young audience entertained, laughing and sufficiently diverted to refrain from text-messaging for nearly two hours -quite an achievement for any enterprise in mid-2007."

Chuck Klaus
Post-Standard, Syracuse


"What we have here is a transforming ordeal of fire that turns out the considerable strength of performers rising to their best."

James MacKillop
Syracuse New Times




THE THEATRE

45th STREET THEATRE
354 West 45th Street
(between 8th & 9th Avenues)



THE PLAYING SCHEDULE

Wednesdays at 3:15 pm & 8:15 pm
Thursdays & Fridays at 8:15 pm
Saturdays at 3:15 pm & 8:15 pm
Sundays at 3:15 pm & 8:15 pm



TICKET PRICES

General Admission - $60
Student Rush - $25



BOX OFFICE INFORMATION

SmartTix 212-868-4444

WWW.SmartTix.COM

A Free Event With Charles Strouse At York!

A Conversation with Broadway composer Charles Strouse

One-Night Only, June 26th at 7:30 PM;

As part of John Kenrick’s Musical Conversations at York


Tuesday, June 26th at 7:30 PM One Night Only: A Chat with Charles Strouse. John Kenrick conducts a live interview with the composer of It’s a Bird…It’s a Plane…It’s Superman and I and Albert, reminiscing about these rarely seen shows and looking back on a theatrical career that includes the Tony Award winning hits Bye Bye Birdie, Applause and Annie.



Internationally recognized musical theatre and film authority, John Kenrick, continues his acclaimed discussion series at The York Theatre Company in conjunction with the York Theatre’s Musicals in Mufti Summer 2007 Series (I and Albert: June 29-July 1; Bajour: July 13-15; The Day Before Spring: July 27-29). This Conversation with Charles Strouse will take place on Tuesday, June 26th at 7:30 PM at The Theatre at Saint Peter’s (54th St., just East of Lex). Admission is FREE. Call 212-935-5824 x21 to make a reservation.



The series will continue with two more talks:



Tuesday, July 10th at 7:30 PM Guilty Pleasures: Cult Musical Favorites. As Mufti regulars know, many musicals that had brief runs have developed long-lasting cults of dedicated fans. We’ll look at some that got second chances (Candide), and others like Bajour that still await rediscovery.



Tuesday, July 24th at 7:30 PM I Remember It Well: The Musicals of Lerner and Loewe. As the York revives Lerner & Loewe’s The Day Before Spring, we’ll take an affectionate look of a collaboration that brought the golden age of musical theatre and film to new heights in Brigadoon, My Fair Lady, Gigi and Camelot.



As an expert on musical theater history, John Kenrick has been interviewed by A&E Biography, BBC TV and Radio, British TV4, The Discovery Travel Channel, The London Observer, National Public Radio, Newsday, The Dallas Daily News and the Chicago Sun Times, among others. He has appeared in documentaries discussing Times Square, show tunes, Jerry Herman -- and will be seen in documentaries on upcoming DVD releases of classic MGM and Warner Brothers screen musicals. John's musings on musical theater and film have appeared in various publications, including The New York Times. His article Theatre in New York: A Brief History appears in the new textbook Theatre Law: Cases and Materials (Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press, 2004). He is profiled in How the Homosexuals Saved Civilization by Cathy Crimmins (New York: Penguin, 2004).



When John saw that the internet a needed a reliable non-commercial, educational resource celebrating the history of musicals, his website was born. Since its inception in 1996, Musicals101.com has grown to over six hundred pages of text and currently attracts an average of fifteen thousand visitors each month.



Admission is FREE. Call (212) 935-5824 x21 to reserve a seat.

YORK THEATRE COMPANY in Saint Peter’s Theatre,

54th Street Just East of Lexington; E train to Lexington Avenue or 6 train to 51st Street

Drama Desk Nominations Party Video!

Check out this video of the Drama Desk Nominations party at Arte' Cafe.



It was a blast doing this video.
http://timessquare.com/Video/Theater/Drama_Desk_Awards_Nominees_on_Video/

IDOL- July 5th!

SQUEEZE: BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND-

If many of you don't know, SQUEEZE is my favorite band of all time. Now, excuse me. I need some black coffee in bed)



SQUEEZE: BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND



Pop sculptors Squeeze have given in to an eight-year campaign by their fans to reform by announcing a Stateside reunion tour this summer.



As quintessentially British as roast beef, warm beer, and rain, Squeeze were one of the U.K.’s most successful bands of the past 30 years, yet their unique brand of storytelling rock effortlessly transcended the Transatlantic gap. Hits such as “Tempted,” “Hourglass,” and “Goodbye Girl” gave Squeeze a huge U.S. following, from college campus to factory floor.



The 12-date Quintessential tour will see Squeeze play a selection of their greatest hits, starting at the Cape Cod Melody Tent in Hyannis, Massachusetts, on July 31. Dates in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, and Atlantic City follow, before the final show at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga, California, two weeks later. A tour of their homeland follows later in the year.



Due for release in the U.K. only at present is Essential Squeeze, a CD collection of 16 of the band’s best-loved songs, plus two previously unreleased songs, followed by reissues of their entire catalogue. A DVD of the same name has also been released, containing the band’s promotional videos and a full live show from 1982.



Squeeze’s songwriting team of Chris Difford & Glenn Tilbrook was dubbed “The New Lennon and McCartney” by journalists upon the release of the group’s classic 1981 album, East Side Story. The following year, they headlined Madison Square Garden but split within months, suffering from exhaustion. After a three-year break, Squeeze returned, touring relentlessly to rapturous crowds over the next 14 years and releasing seven studio albums.



Throughout Squeeze’s second incarnation, the band’s lineup was fluid, with Difford and Tilbrook the only two constant members — reflecting their role as the band’s songwriters and front men. In common with many classic writing partnerships, the Difford-Tilbrook duopoly was fraught with tension, and their fractious relationship disintegrated — seemingly forever — in 1999. The pair’s collaboration on Jim Drury’s 2004 biography, Squeeze Song By Song, was their first tentative step towards rekindling their partnership, the book proving a cathartic experience for both men.



In the meantime, both Difford and Tilbrook received critical acclaim for their solo albums. 2001 saw the latter release The Incomplete Glenn Tilbrook, followed three years later by the lauded Transatlantic Ping Pong, half of which was recorded in Nashville. Last year saw the release of U.S. film director Amy Pickard’s feature-length documentary Glenn Tilbrook: One For The Road, about being on the road as a musician in the States.



2003 saw Difford’s solo debut, I Didn’t Get Where I Am, while his 2006 gentle treatment of Squeeze classics, South East Side Story, was also well received. Both musicians are currently recording new albums for release this year.



Cited as major influences by the likes of The Arctic Monkeys, Razorlight, and Lily Allen, Squeeze remain as relevant today as when they first took to the stage back in 1974, and they hope to reach a new audience as well as delight their original fans.



Joining Difford and Tilbrook onstage will be John Bentley, Squeeze’s bass player from 1978 until 1982, along with two long-time collaborators of Tilbrook — Stephen ‘Lord’ Large on keyboards and Simon Hanson on drums.



Squeeze U.S. dates



July 31 Cape Code Melody Tent Hyannis, MA

August 1 Bank of America Pavilion Boston, MA

August 3 Beacon Theatre New York, NY

August 4 Borgata Music Box Atlantic City, NJ

August 6 Starlight Ballroom Sayreville, NJ

August 7 North Fork Theatre at Westbury Westbury, NY

August 8 Pier Six Concert Pavilion Baltimore, MD

August 9 Wolf Trap Filene Center Vienna, VA

August 11 Concerts in the Park Alpine, CA

August 12 The Grove of Anaheim Anaheim, CA

August 13 Greek Theatre Los Angeles, CA

August 14 The Mountain Winery Saratoga, CA

Stritch Off Broadway! June 26th!

We are glad she is still here!
Photo by Maryann Lopinto
Theatre and Cabaret Legend Off Broadway!!!!!




Spalding Gray is one of the most revered and irreverent storytellers of our time.
He became an indelible image: sitting alone at a desk on a bare stage, delivering hilarious and moving monologues that had a singular resonance with his audiences.
Performances are Tuesday through Friday at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays at 3:00 p.m.
and 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Tickets are priced at $35 - $65
and are available by visiting www.ticketmaster.com or phoning (212) 307-4100. In
addition, tickets can be purchased directly from the Minetta Lane Theatre box office

www.storieslefttotell.com

Broadway Bares Raises $743,787! Congratulations, Hot Chorus Boys!

BROADWAY BARES XVII:

MYTH BEHAVIOR



RAISES A RECORD SHATTERING

$743,787



TO BENEFIT

BROADWAY CARES/EQUITY FIGHTS AIDS



BROADWAY BARES IS PRESENTED BY

M·A·C AIDS FUND



BROADWAY BARES XVII: MYTH BEHAVIOR was an astounding success raising a record shattering $743,787 to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.



The previous record was set in 2006, with $659,500 raised. The first BROADWAY BARES – at which founder Jerry Mitchell and six friends danced for tips at a bar in Chelsea - raised $8,000 in 1991. Since then, 17 editions of BROADWAY BARES have collectively raised over $4.8 million to benefit BC/EFA.



BROADWAY BARES is produced by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, executive produced by Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell (Legally Blonde, Hairspray, La Cage Aux Folles, The Full Monty) and directed by Denis Jones (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Legally Blonde) with associate director, Peter Gregus (Jersey Boys).



The evening ended with representatives from the M•A•C AIDS Fund, presenting BC/EFA with a check for $115,000 which helped set this year’s record. This marks M•A•C’s 10th year sponsoring BROADWAY BARES.



The evening featured the work of 17 choreographers and over 240 of the sexiest chorus boys and girls from Broadway’s biggest shows baring (almost) all to benefit BC/EFA.



Highlights from this year’s BROADWAY BARES XVII: MYTH BEHAVIOR included:


Leslie Kritzer (A Catered Affair, Legally Blonde) as the evening’s leading lady, “Frustracia,” a Greek woman who finds her carnal desires wanting more attention. Kritzer brought the house down with the show’s opening number, an original song penned by Gary Adler (Altar Boyz). The evening featured a book by Jeffrey Lane (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels).



The number “Heroes” brought to life some of the sexiest heroes and most seductive of Greek villains. Dancers featured in the number included, Michael Balderamma as “Adonis,” Greg Butler as “The Minotaur,” Brian O’Brien as “The Cyclops,” Keith Roberts as “Hercules,” Megan Sikora as “Athena,” and Kissy Simmons as “The Harpy” with Tim Bish, Michelle Camaya, and Lorin Lotarro as “their hapless, beautiful victims.”
Tony Award winners Bebe Neuwirth (Chicago) aned David Hyde Pierce (Curtains) took the stage as the Queen and King of the gods, “Hera” and “Zeus.” Zeus recounted Hera’s many vengeful acts that fill classic Greek mythology. Pierce even cited the more recent, “scheduling the Tonys opposite the last episode of “The Sopranos,” to which, Neuwirth quipped, “I’m a funny bitch.”



Featured dancers Marielys Molina (one of this year’s BARES poster girls) and Nick Kenkel recreated the mythological characters of “Medusa” and “Perseus” respectively. The number featured Molina dancing to Nelly Furtado’s hit song “Maneater” and Kenkel ripping off some of the sexiest armor ever seen.
Daphne Rubin-Vega (Rent, Jack Goes Boating) performing her rendition of the Elton John classic, “Rocketman” while The Living Art of Armando showcased some of their ariel talents in a number dedicated to the myth of Icarus.



Annaleigh Ashford (Legally Blonde), Ashley Brown (Mary Poppins), Laura Bell Bundy (Legally Blonde) and Deidre Goodwin (A Chorus Line) appeared as “The Broadway Sirens” and seduced audience members (yep, even the gay ones) with their beautiful rendition of, “The Love Boat Theme”.



Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein (A Catered Affair, Hairspray) in eye-popping “Pandora”drag begging Kritzer’s “Frustracia” to open his magic box.



Capathia Jenkins (Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me) as “Venus” (or as she likes to be called, “Afro-dite”) closing the show with BARES poster boy Ven Daniel as “Cupid,” Kritzer as “Frustracia,” and the entire BROADWAY BARES cast with a disco version of The Beatles classic “All You Need Is Love.”



Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA) is the nation’s leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fund raising and grant making organization. BC/EFA is the on-going, committed response from the American theater community to an urgent worldwide health crisis. By drawing upon the talents, resources and generosity of this community, BC/EFA raises funds for AIDS-related causes across the United States. Since it’s founding in 1988, BC/EFA has raised over $130 million for critically needed services for people with AIDS, HIV, or HIV-related illnesses.



For more information and photos, call (212) 840-0770 or visit www.BroadwayCares.org.








www.BroadwayCares.org

Times Square The Musical.

Times Square The Musical
A New Musical by John Dentato

Directed by Carlos Morales and John Dentato

Opens Wednesday August 1,2007
at Sofia's Restaurant Downstairs Theater
221 West 46th Street

Jondee Productions is proud to announce the opening of Times Square The Musical, an original new musical comedy, with book, lyrics, and music by John Dentato. Times Square The Musical is the story of a young singer, Elaine, seeking fame as a singer on Broadway. Her journey takes her to The Booby Hatch where she gets her first break. The club's owner Brady soon finds that he has not only discovered a great new talent but may be falling in love as well. Times Square The Musical follows an exciting young cast through memorable songs telling the story of people following their dreams and searching for love in the heart of New York City's Times Square. Times Square The Musical is a fully staged production combining the traditional Broadway style musical with the intimate environment of Sofia's Downstairs Theater.

John Dentato,veteran musician, music arranger, lyricist , and composer. A product of the New Orleans Navy Band, road and pit bands, who's songs have been recorded by Connie Francis, Joni James, Frankie Laine, Dean Martin and others. He was honored to have worked in the MGM music department for over 14 years. Dentato's musical score for Times Square The Musical is inspired by the great song writers of the past century and his love of classic Broadway musicals.

This production stars Alison Bacewicz ( Elaine), Adam Pellegrine (Brady), Joan Vayda (Margo), and Mark Unger(Murray).

Featured cast: Izzy Durakovic, Colleen Guikoff, Preston Handy, Henry Lampert, Robert Mitchell, and John Weigand








Location: Sofia's Downstairs Theater
221 West 46th Street between Broadway and 8th Ave.


Tickets: Available at Theatermania.com on the web or call 212-352-3101


Admission:$85.00 include buffet dinner


Dinner and Showtimes: Dinner served at 6:00 pm. Show begins at 8:00 pm.

Dates: Times Square The Musical will be performed Wednesday nights beginning August 1

Website: www.timessquarethemusical.com

For information on corporate packages please call 212-595-7457

Subway Info: N,R,W to 49th Street

Live At The Metropolitan Room- Jamie deRoy and friends.

We all love Jamie! And "Jews Don't Camp" I think I need to head over to "Duane Reade" ;-)



Jamie deRoy & friends

Concludes Monthly Series of Thursday Nights of Cabaret Entertainment

Thursday, June 28th at Metropolitan Room

Nancy Anderson * Donna Lynne Champlin *Jim David * Xanthe Elbrick * Lorinda Lisitza

* Heather Mac Rae * Lennie Watts





Celebrated cabaret performer Jamie deRoy will conclude the monthly series of Thursday evenings of her Multi MAC Award-winning variety show, Jamie deRoy & friends on Thursday, June 28th (7:30PM) at the New York hotspot The Metropolitan Room (34 West 22nd Street between 5th & 6th Avenues).



The June 28th evening will feature the following artists: accomplished actress and singer, Drama Desk Award nominee Nancy Anderson; ‘triple threat’ Donna Lynne Champlin (recent Obie Winner) and last seen on Broadway in Sweeney Todd; two-time MAC award winner, comedian Jim David; Theatre World Award winner and Tony Award nominee for Coram Boy Xanthe Elbrick; actress and award winning cabaret performer Lorinda Lisitza; veteran actress/singer and MAC award winning vocalist Heather Mac Rae and multiple MAC and Bistro Award winner, longtime cabaret entertainer Lennie Watts. Barry Kleinbort is the director of Jamie deRoy & friends and Paul Greenwood will serve as musical director.



The colorful cabaret series, which has been thrilling New York City audiences for the past 16 years and serves as the basis for deRoy's award-winning cable television show, spotlights a wide variety of well-known entertainers and newcomers lighting up the cabaret, theater, and comedy worlds.



JAMIE deROY has won eight MAC Awards, four Back Stage Bistro Awards, nine Telly Awards and CaB Magazine’s Lifetime Achievement Award for her extensive work on both stage and screen. Jamie has appeared onstage with Joan Rivers and has headlined at many of New York’s major clubs. She has produced eight CDs in the Jamie deRoy & friends series on the Harbinger and PS Classics labels. Her theatre producing credits include Broadway: Jay Johnson: The Two and Only, Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life, Say Goodnight Gracie; Off-Broadway: Spalding Gray: Stories Left To Tell, Athol Fugard’s Exits and Entrances, Christopher Durang’s Adrift in Macao, Indian Blood, Terrence McNally’s Dedication or The Stuff of Dreams, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). Her TV and film producing credits include the Emmy-nominated "The Biggest Little Operas in Town" for Channel 13 and Rick McKay’s documentary Broadway: The Golden Age. Her acting credits include appearances on the television shows “Alice,” “Spiderman” and “Knight Rider,” and in the films GoodFellas, Raging Bull, See No Evil Hear No Evil, and Married to It. Onstage, Jamie appeared with Rene Auberjonois in The Threepenny Opera, as well as in The Drunkard with musical direction by Barry Manilow.

Jamie deRoy & friends at Metropolitan Room at Gotham, 34 West 22nd Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues) has a $20 cover charge plus a two beverage minimum. For reservations, please call (212) 206-0440. Program is subject to change.

Will Durst.

“QUITE POSSIBLY THE BEST POLITICAL SATIRIST

WORKING IN THE COUNTRY TODAY.” - The New York Times







HANGING CHAD PRODUCTIONS

PRESENTS

POLITICAL PUNDIT & COMEDIAN



WILL DURST IN

“THE ALL-AMERICAN SPORT

OF BIPARTISAN BASHING”

DIRECTED BY ERIC KREBS



OFF-BROADWAY AT NEW WORLD STAGES

PERFORMANCES BEGIN MONDAY, AUGUST 6TH

OPENING NIGHT, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15TH



Talk about a Patriot’s Act… This summer, political satirist and pundit Will Durst brings his newest work, The All-American Sport of Bipartisan Bashing, to New York. Hanging Chad Productions presents the open-ended off-Broadway engagement at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street). Previews begin Monday, August 6th. Opening night is Wednesday, August 15th.



The All-American Sport of Bipartisan Bashing is directed by Eric Krebs and features a production design by Peter Feuchtwanger.



“One may or may not be a regular CNN viewer or Newsweek reader, but that doesn’t mean that one has to suffer Bushes gladly,” says Durst. “The All-American Sport of Bipartisan Bashing is a 90 minute political comedy for people who are sick of politics as usual. We laugh to keep from crying, right? And with a president, two houses of Congress and endless parade of presidential hopefuls making daily punch lines out of headlines, I’ve got the best joke-writers in the business working for me.”



Based in San Francisco, Will Durst has practiced his craft for over 30 years and has made more than 400 television appearances, including “Countdown with Keith Olberman,” “Crossfire,” CNN, Fox News, Comedy Central, “Good Morning America,” “Last Comic Standing,” C-SPAN, “The Today Show,” “The Late Show With David Letterman” and “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” He has been nominated for five Emmy Awards and was the recipient of seven consecutive nominations for American Comedy Awards Stand Up of the Year. Most recently he was the co-host with Willie Brown, former mayor of San Francisco, on the morning drive time show on San Francisco's KQKE.



Will Durst in The All-American Sport of Bipartisan Bashing begins performances at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street) Monday, August 6th. Opening night is Wednesday, August 15th. Performances are Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 8:00 p.m.; Friday and Saturday at 10:00 p.m.; and Sunday at 3:00 p.m.. Tickets go on sale June 25th and are $30 - $50. $20.00 student rush tickets are available at all performances 20 minutes prior to curtain with valid student ID. Call Telecharge.com at 212-239-6200. Visit www.willdurst.com/.





PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT

WILL DURST

“Quite possibly the best political satirist working in the country today.”

-The New York Times





“A modern day Will Rogers.”

-The Boston Globe



“A new wave hysterical hybrid of Hunter S. Thompson and Charles Osgood.”

- The Chicago Tribune



“Heir apparent to Mort Sahl and Dick Gregory.”

- The San Francisco Examiner





“He’s an equal opportunity offender with a restless mind and delicious sense of language. Where most comedians give us attitude, Durst brings style and has one thing in common with the best: a sense of moral outrage.”

- The Los Angeles Times







SEE WILL DURST IN
“THE ALL-AMERICAN SPORT OF BIPARTISAN BASHING”
PERFORMANCES BEGIN MONDAY, AUGUST 6TH
OFF-BROADWAY AT NEW WORLD STAGES, 340 WEST 50TH STREET

FOR TICKETS CALL TELECHARGE.COM (212) 239-6200


VISIT WWW.WILLDURST.COM

David Gurland In Concert- July 12th- 7PM

Corine's Corner flashback. Photo of David Gurland at The Metropolitan Room last year when Gurland sang Madonna. Hope he brings this show back again! You would be a lucky star if he did. Photo by Maryann Lopinto.





David Gurland concludes his celebrated run of performances of the DGUR CONCERT Series on Thursday, July 12th with Girl Singers and Songwriters from the 1990’s and 2000’s-Musically Directed by Steven Ray Watkins. Guest Starring Cabaret Superstars and multiple MAC and Bistro Award winners Lisa Asher, Julie Reyburn, and Scott Coulter!!!

DAVID GURLAND –‘DGUR’ in Concert-2007



407 W 42nd Street (@9th)
www.westbankcafe.com
$16 cover
$15 food/drink minimum
212-695-6909
Credit cards accepted.


DGUR in Concert-2007- A monthly concert series. Every show will have a different musical director and guest stars.

After enrapturing packed houses in January, February, March, May and June conquering the worlds of Broadway ,Country music, and 70’s and 80’s Pop, Madonna, and Judy Garland, the Final concert of this series will be on Thursday night July 12th (rescheduled from April 15th). The show will celebrate the Female Singers and Songwriters from the 1990’s and 2000’s. He is thrilled to have special guests Starring Lisa Asher, Julie Reyburn, and Scott Coulter. The evening will be musically directed by MAC and Bistro award winner Steven Ray Watkins.



The last 17 years of popular music has provided our culture with some of the greatest female vocalists and finest female songwriters in music history. Among the vocalists’ and songwriters under consideration to be potentially represented- Kelly Clarkson, Macy Gray, Amy Grant, Celine Dion, Annie Lennox, Bonnie Raitt, and more. Please note guest artists and repertoire are subject to change.



ABOUT THE ARTISTS

David Gurland, who hails from New York City, has won a place as one of the most formidable openly gay singers in New York's music scene. Channeling cabaret experience and instincts into his pop/rock shows, Gurland merges talent, presence and humor, into an unforgettable entertainment experience. Gurland’s accolades include 5 MAC Award nominations, the MAC/Hanson Award, a Gay and Lesbian American Music Award Nomination, and three Bistro Awards, one of which recognized his first CD, released in 1999 to rave reviews. Critics have raved about both Gurland’s voice and his stage manner. Wayman Wong of The Daily News writes “David Gurland soars with a tenor that’s sweeter than honey…he sings with a passion, personality and a puckish sense of humor that’s all his own.” David Finkle of The Village Voice reviewed one of Gurland’s recent live performances saying "Gurland makes excitement. “ David Hurst of Next Magazine wrote “Looking relaxed and sounding fantastic, Gurland's edgy tenor voice lends itself perfectly to the pop-rock idiom.” David has been seen at BB KINGS, The Cutting Room, The Bitter End, Town Hall, CB’s Gallery, The Living Room, The Duplex, and The Metropolitan Room, as well as out of town venues like Odettes in New Hope, The Gardenia in LA, the Manor in NJ and Twiggs in San Diego.

Lisa Asher -Lisa has appeared as an actress and featured vocalist in numerous theatrical and concert venues around the country. Ms. Asher is the recipient of a MAC Award, as well as a Back Stage Bistro Award for her solo work in cabarets in New York. Her critically acclaimed debut CD, Let the Mystery Be, and was nominated for a MAC Award for Recording of the year. Lisa's newest CD, Lisa Asher Live at The Duplex, was just released and is a faithful recording of her highly successful show that enjoyed a lengthy run at the famed Greenwich Village nightclub, The Duplex. Ms. Asher has performed numerous times for the Mabel Mercer Foundation's Cabaret Conventions in San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Chicago and at Town Hall in NYC and was featured as part of their 20th Anniversary Gala performances at Lincoln Center last October.. Lisa is currently working with James Williams Productions (JWP) on an off Broadway show entitled Last Call featuring the music of CMA award winning songwriter Victoria Shaw. Lisa made her national television debut in a solo vocal performance on the Emmy Award-winning The Rosie O'Donnell Show. www.lisaasher.com

Scott Coulter For his work in cabaret, Scott Coulter was awarded both the 2001 Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs (MAC) Award as well as the 2001 Bistro Award for Outstanding Male Vocalist. He received a 1997 Bistro Award for the revue "Get Your Tickets Now!" and his debut solo show won the 1998 MAC Award for Male Debut. TimeOut NY picked Coulter's "Unexpected Songs" as one of the 'Best of 1999'. Coulter's self-titled debut CD won the 2003 MAC Award for Outstanding Recording and was chosen as the best recording of the year by Scott and Barbara Siegel of TheatreMania and Jeff Rosen of Cabaret Scenes magazine. Scott has appeared at Town Hall in both the 1949 and the 1953 editions of the popular "Broadway by the Year" series. Currently, he is touring with composer Stephen Schwartz, Liz Callaway and Debbie Gravitte in the revue "Stephen Schwartz & Friends." Schwartz has said: "one of the best things that can happen to a songwriter is He is a graduate of the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. www.scottcoulter.com



Julie Reyburn - Recent credits include: Town Hall Cabaret Festival, The Laurie Beechman Theater with her one woman cabaret show, Everybody’s Song and part of Phil Bond’s theatre piece The Cat which will be back at the Beechman in May. Recently named among the 2005 Best of Boston – Top 10 Cabaret by Edge Magazine, Julie is also a 2005 Nightlife Award Finalist for Outstanding Female Vocalist. She is a 2 time MAC (Manhattan Association of Cabaret and Clubs) Award Winner, Backstage Bistro winner and the first ever Nightlife Award recipient for Outstanding Female Vocalist in 2003. As a member of Actor's Equity, recent credits include; Heaven Knows at The York Theatre, War Brides at The York Theatre, The Broadway Musicals of 1940 at New York City’s Town Hall, The AtrainPlays at Neighborhood Playhouse, Falsettos for Storefront Theatre Company and in the award winning musical Africa & Plumbridge at the NY International Fringe Festival. Recordings include: The Broadway Musicals of 1940 (Bayview Records), Heaven Knows - Cast Recording, War Brides – Cast Recording and her debut solo CD, Fate is Kind (Original Cast Recordings). Please visit www.juliereyburn.com





Steven Ray Watkins has been playing the piano for 38 years, and has been working professionally as a performer and musician for 34 years. As an actor he has appeared in “The Last Session,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” and in the national tours of “Big,” “Singin’ in the Rain,” and “Showboat.” As a musician, he has worked as a session player, as a musical director and vocal director in the theater, and most frequently as an arranger and musical director in the New York City Cabaret circuit. He has worked with such names as Patti LuPone, Karen Mason, Louise Pitre, Amanda McBroom, Lennie Watts, Georgia Osborne, Natalie Blalock and Sharon McNight, among many others, and has received two Bistro Awards and a MAC award.



For more information on David Gurland:

www.davidgurland.com

Have A Nice Day!

Forbidden Broadway- The Roast Of Utopia.
Call 212-239-6200.

24 Hour Plays:

The 24 Hour Plays: Old Vic New Voices
Monday, July 2nd, The Atlantic Theater
8pm
336 West 20th Street, New York NY

New York’s brightest young theatrical stars face the ultimate challenge

The 24 Hour Plays: Old Vic New Voices offers emerging talent an extraordinary chance to test their skills in the ultimate theatrical challenge: The 24 Hour Plays. Since 2005, the program has brought together young professionals in London to perform on the legendary Old Vic stage. In 2007, The 24 Hour Company and the The Old Vic have teamed up once more to bring the concept to New York.


For the US debut, the final company of 40 writers, directors, producers and actors, aged 18-25, will have the unique opportunity to create six original plays for The Atlantic Theater stage, and perform them live after just one day's preparation.






To prepare for the daunting challenge ahead, the group will attend a series of workshops and panel discussions with established industry professionals, including The Old Vic Artistic Director Kevin Spacey, actors Hugh Dancy, Claire Danes, Rachel Dratch, Jonathan Groff, Robert LuPone and Aasif Mandvi, and playwrights Warren Leight and Adam Bock. The sessions focus on skills crucial for the success of the event, including writing under pressure, vocal projection, speed-learning lines and building confidence and trust.


For the past two years, the original London-based version of the program has been attracting and nurturing extraordinary young talent. Many previous participants in The 24 Hour Plays: Old Vic New Voices secured their first professional and West End contracts as a result of the project. Actor Amit Shah was offered a role in BBC 1’s Afternoon Plays. Actor Stephen Fletcher secured a part in Mary Stuart at the Donmar Warehouse, directed by Phyllida Lloyd. Actor Sam Crane secured a lead role in And Then There Were None at the Gielgud Theatre (and scored a place in New York Magazine’s London vs. NYC issue). Director Hamish Pirie was offered the role of assistant director for Peter Gill’s Epitaph for George Dillon at the Comedy Theatre. Producer James Blackman is now a senior manager at the Lyric Hammersmith. A rehearsed reading of writer Rachel Wagstaff’s play Night Sky was premiered at The Old Vic starring Christopher Eccleston and Saffron Burrows.

‘It was an invaluable opportunity to meet some greatly respected industry professionals and get advice. This sort of chance is not accessible to us as newcomers. It made The 24 Hour Plays more than an event but rather an exceptional opportunity to learn and grow as a performer – a lesson in itself. It is an incredible challenge. That moment is one of the best experiences you could hope for!


Founded by the creator of The 24 Hour Plays, The 24 Hour Company is the newest incarnation of the group of artists and producers that has mounted over 300 short plays since 1995--all written, cast, rehearsed and performed in a single day. Paper Magazine wrote “the quality of the plays is remarkable,” and the Village Voice adds, “here was the energy missing from the Ludlow scene... theatricality as life, as subversion, even survival.” The rotating cast and crew of The 24 Hour Plays have performed for sold-out houses on Broadway and at the Atlantic Theater, Minetta Lane Theater, 45 Bleecker Theater, the NY International Fringe Festival and other downtown venues in New York, as well as in Chicago and Los Angeles. Participants have included diverse talents from all levels— from Tony, Oscar and Pulitzer Prize winners to emerging talent and high school students. Visit www.24hourplays.com for more information.





OLD VIC NEW VOICES


Old Vic New Voices’ US/UK Exchange presents annual seasons of readings in New York and London, showcasing to the theatre industry in each country exceptional new writers from across the Atlantic. Proceeds from The 24 Hour Plays at The Old Vic will support the US/UK Exchange, providing vital funds for giving selected writers the chance to visit and work in their opposite country. Old Vic New Voices is also the development arm of the Old Vic Theatre. Its work includes readings and workshops with special emphasis on developing plays for large stages like The Old Vic. Visit www.oldvictheatre.com for more information.

How To Survive NYC.

If you are new to NYC check out this book!
http://www.survivingnyc.net/

Photo Coverage: Devin Richards Sings In His Own Voice!

I covered Devin Richard's show at the Metropolitan Room. Devin sang in his own voice and blew away the crowd with his incredible and sexy deep voice. It was a thrilling evening. Check out some photos of the event.

Photos by Maryann Lopinto.
For more info on Devin Richards: www.Devinrichards.com

You can catch Devin in the steamy "110 In The Shade" but he is too darn hot!






Devin Richards

Devin with Audra MacDonald

Helen's Closed By The Board Of Health?

Photos by Maryann Lopinto


I was walking to the Metropolitan Room from work last night and saw this sign. I heard it was closing but by the Board of Health. An inside source told me that the management at Helen's never paid for permits four times. Hope someone can save the place. I hate hearing about Cabaret rooms closing.
Save Cabaret.
Life is a cabaret old chum.

The Leading Men Of Broadway.

Raul Esparza, Liev Schreiber,Harry Lennix, and Michael Cerveris.

Michael Cerveris and Liev Schreiber exchange numbers.
Photos by Les Schecter.

The Drama Desk will pay tribute to the leading men of the New York stage at its Special Summer Luncheon Panel at Sardi’s on Friday, June 15. The Panel, entitled Men For All Seasons – The Art of Acting in a Show – will take place between 11:45 AM and 2:30 PM. Panelists include (in alphabetical order): Michael Cerveris (Love/Musik), Raúl Esparza (Company), Harry Lennix (Radio Golf) and Liev Schreiber (Talk Radio). Elysa Gardner, Theater Critic for USA Today and a member of the Drama Desk organization, will serve as moderator.


Michael Cerveris is currently co-starring as composer Kurt Weill in LoveMusik, the dramatic musical directed by Hal Prince and written by Alfred Uhry. Raúl Esparza won the 2007 Drama Desk Award as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical for his starring role in the revival of Company. Harry Lennix, plays Harmond Wilks in the Broadway production of August Wilson’s Radio Golf. Liev Schreiber was nominated this year for both Drama Desk and Tony Awards for his current tour de force performance on Broadway in Talk Radio.

Roast of Utopia- Beauty Needs To Be Killed!

This is not a formal review of the newest version of Forbidden Broadway but it is a mini review as I plan on seeing it again in a few weeks.

The newest cast of Forbidden Broadway do a wonderful job with the new bits and for only doing it for a total of two performances I was very impressed. Some of the new numbers are hysterical. Some new favorites are the new Grey Gardens and Spring Awakenings numbers. (I almost fell on the floor)

I wont go into the dirty details but you must run over and see it.

They took out a few of my favorite numbers which really made me pout:
The Sweeney number is gone. The Yoko Ono and Light In The Piazza. This is my only problem with the new version. I wish they would kill the Beauty number and put the others in. Beauty needs more than being decreased. Beauty needs to be killed.

http://www.forbiddenbroadway.com
for tickets: 212-239-6200

Broadway By The Year- 1964!

Photo of Donna Murphy and Gregg Edelman by Paul Kolnik.




FULL CAST ANNOUNCED FOR BROADWAY BY THE YEAR’S
LAST CONCERT OF SEASON!

“1964” CONCERT FEATURES A TALENTED TEN THAT
NOW INCLUDES GREGG EDELMAN, SARAH URIARTE BERRY, DAVID PITTU
AND MORE!

Town Hall’s Broadway by the Year: The Broadway Musicals of 1964 Part II on Monday, June 18th has expanded its already impressive cast. Joining Stephanie J. Block, Liz Callaway, Joyce Chittick, Scott Coulter, Beth Leavel and Sean Martin Hingston are Gregg Edelman, Devin Richards, David Pittu, and Sarah Uriarte Berry.

This Broadway by the Year concert boasts a number of stars who will be making their first ever appearance in The Town Hall series. Beth Leavel, Gregg Edelman, and David Pittu will all be making their debuts in the series. This will be the first time that Stephanie J. Block has been back to BBTY since starring in the 1925 concert that took place during The Blizzard of 2003. She did, however, open the very first Broadway Unplugged concert with “Don’t Rain on My Parade” from Funny Girl, a song that she will reprise in Monday’s concert.

Scott Siegel, the creator/host/writer of The Broadway by the Year series for Town Hall said, “This is the first time we’ve ever done a sequel to one of the Broadway by the Year concerts. In June of 2002 we did 1964, which happens to be a year with one killer musical after another: Funny Girl, Fiddler on the Roof, Hello, Dolly! Anyone Can Whistle, Golden Boy, What Makes Sammy Run, and the hits just keep on comin’.” It was such an amazing year that I said back then that we could do another concert based on the shows of 1964 and fill it with famous songs without repeating a single number from the first concert. And that’s exactly what we’re doing on Monday night.”

This final concert in the series is nearly sold out with only limited tickets still available. Call Ticketmaster, (212) 307-4100, or www. Ticketmaster.com. Town Hall is at 123 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036: www.the-townhall-nyc.org.

Forbidden Broadway Roast Of Utopia.

If you have not seen it you don't know what you are missing.
Call 212-239-6200 or you will be in trouble!

Photo by Carol Rosegg.

David Gurland June 17th!

So what better way to enjoy Father’s day!!!



Sunday June 17th, 2007- 7 PM

David Gurland DOES Judy Garland

In celebration of the beginning of Gay Pride Week in New York, David Gurland and the Laurie Beechman Theatre will present an evening of songs made famous by the incomparable Judy Garland. In the great tradition of other out artists, like Rufus Wainwright, the evening will cover songs from Judy’s films as well as her concert appearances, both obscure numbers and Judy classics. In addition to David, The evening will also feature appearances by three of the New York cabaret's most talented, versatile, and ‘out’ singers,

Award winners Brandon Cutrell, Brian Farley, and Rob Maitner!!!!

At the Laurie Beechman Theatre at the West Bank Cafe

407 West 42nd street

At 9th Avenue

$16 cover

$15 Food/drink Minimum

212 695 6909/Reservations recommended

Credit Cards accepted

www.westbankcafe.com

www.davidgurland.com

Signature Theatre Company Offers $20 TICKETS!

For immediate release

Signature Theatre Company
Announces
Four Exciting Seasons
Matched By An Unprecedented Ticket Initiative

Charles Mee, The Negro Ensemble Company, Suzan-Lori Parks,

Tony Kushner and Returning Legacy Playwrights, including Edward Albee

Will Highlight Bold and Original Programming

Through the 20th Anniversary Season



All Seats, For All Performances, For All Four Seasons
Will Be $20 As Part of Signature’s Ticket Initiative
Made Possible by the Lead Sponsorship of Time Warner


Signature Theatre Company (James Houghton, Founding Artistic Director; Erika Mallin, Executive Director) today announced the next four years of programming as well as the unprecedented Signature Ticket Initiative, made possible by the lead sponsorship of Time Warner, Inc. To make great theatre accessible to the broadest possible audience, Signature Theatre Company will offer a special $20 ticket (regularly $65) for all seats, for the next four years through their 20th Anniversary season. Generous support for The Signature Ticket Initiative is provided by Margot Adams, in memory of Mason Adams.



“The next four seasons at Signature promise a remarkable journey, and we are thrilled to be working with this extraordinary roster of playwrights,” said James Houghton, Signature Theatre Company’s Founding Artistic Director. “Chuck Mee, Edward Albee, and the artists of the Negro Ensemble Company are esteemed writers who represent the vanguard of theatrical innovation, while Suzan-Lori Parks and Tony Kushner have pioneered the next generation, who champion the theatre as they continue to bring exciting and vital advancements to it. And, to be able to offer their work at an affordable ticket price throughout the four seasons is a wonderful privilege for Signature.”



"Time Warner is honored to continue our support of the Signature Theatre Company's ground-breaking ticket initiative," said Lisa M. Quiroz, Senior Vice President, Corporate Responsibility at Time Warner. "The program brings to life our philanthropic mission to help make the arts more accessible. We see this partnership with Signature as a conduit to introducing new and diverse audiences to quality theatre."



Erika Mallin, Signature Theatre Company’s Executive Director, said, “We are thrilled to have the unwavering support of our partner Time Warner, our trustees, funders, patrons, subscribers and artists – all who make it possible for Signature to take risks to make great theatre and to make it accessible to all.”



The upcoming 2007-2008 season will feature Playwright-in-Residence Charles Mee, one of the nation’s most original and innovative playwrights. The season will launch in August with the New York premiere of Iphigenia 2.0, followed by the world premiere of Queens Boulevard (the musical), and the world premiere of Paradise Park. The season will conclude with a Legacy Production of Edward Albee’s Occupant. A Legacy Production is part of the Signature Series where former Playwrights-in-Residence return to Signature to revisit their landmark works. Subscriptions for the 2007-2008 season are now on sale.



The 2008-2009 season will be an examination of a body of work from The Negro Ensemble Company’s collective of writers, whose contributions have helped shape America’s theatrical heritage. Ruben Santiago-Hudson will be the Associate Artist for the season.



Pulitzer Prize-winner Suzan-Lori Parks (Venus, Topdog/Underdog), who turns American history on its head with her bold and lyrical riffs on race, literature and politics, will be the Playwright-in-Residence for the 2009-2010 season.



Signature’s 20th Anniversary season (2010-2011) will conclude with Pulitzer Prize winner Tony Kushner (Angels in America; Caroline, or Change), one of the most celebrated and renowned contemporary writers of his generation.



The 2007-2008 Season is sponsored, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.



Edward Albee’s Occupant is supported, in part, by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.



The Negro Ensemble Company Series is supported, in part, by American Express.

Forbidden Broadway Reopens Today June 13th!

The Roast of Utopia! For more info go to:
http://www.forbiddenbroadway.com

Photos by Carol Rosegg

Broadway Bares June 17th.

To buy tickets and for more info:
http://www.broadwaycares.org

Corine's Corner Flash Back- Lunch With Jerry Mitchell.

This interview was done for City Info Magazine. Since the site was redesigned it was never put back on the homepage. For those who missed it, I hope you enjoy it. I dined with Jerry Mitchell on my Birthday a few years ago. It was a wonderful experience and I wanted to share it with you.

In addition, Mr Mitchell's Broadway Bares is happening this Weekend. To buy tickets check out http://www.broadwaycares.org.




Corine: First of all congratulations on winning both a Drama Desk and a Tony for "LA CAGE".

Jerry: And Outer Critics Circle.

Corine: And Outer Critics Circle. That is wonderful. I was rooting for you for LA CAGE,Time to order. I want the shrimp cocktail please and that's it.

Jerry: I'm going to have the gazpacho and the salad with the dressing on the side please. Jeff (waiter City Crab) the gazpacho was written up in Time Out New York as the best gazpacho in the City.

Corine: Great to know. I think your shrimp cocktail is the best in the City.

Jerry: That's what I like to hear. Great!! Thanks, Jeff!

Corine: Thanks, Jeff! So congratulations on all those awards. That is incredible.

Jerry: This is my 25Th year. Living and working in New York City.

Corine: Where did you grow up?

Jerry: I grew up in a little town called Paw Paw Michigan.


Corine: How was it there? When did you start dancing?

Jerry: I started performing when I was very young. I played in the Paw Paw village players. The dance teacher; had asked me numerous times to come take classes. It's a very Billy Elliott story. My Chorus Line story. And I wouldn’t go, I was afraid to go and eventually, I broke my collar bone playing football and decided I would take dance class to keep my legs in shape for basketball. I was always very athletic. And what happened, once I got there my teacher knew that she had the hook in my mouth and she offered me a job teaching tap as I was already tapping.

Corine: How old were you?

Jerry: I was fifteen. So she paid me, and gave the keys to the studio so I could go anytime and just dance. So, it was literally like a gift. A special gift for me and she saw something in me that I didn't know I had in me yet. She helped bring it out. Jerry: During my Senior year I went on a National tour of West Side Story.

Corine: I love West Side Story.

Jerry: It was great. Than I graduated and apprenticed at The Hope repertoire theater in Holland Mich. and then I went to Webster College, a conservatory program for two years and got my equity card at the sophomore spring break, I went to visit some close friends in New York City, that I had met at the Muni. And they were going to the Equity auditions for Brigadoon. The 1980 revival. I walked in at my first audition and they literally hired me on the spot.

Corine: That must have been very exciting! To be hired on your first audition. You were how old?

Jerry: I was 20 years old. It was my first New York audition. Hired on the spot.

Corine: That is incredible!

Jerry: So, I went back to College and told them I got a job, so they gave me independent credit to come back to New York and do the show. The show closed about six months later and I had just turned 21. My parents came at different times because they owned a bar in Michigan and they had to spot each other. Well, the week the show closed my Father said well you better come home with me, and I said Dad, I have to go and audition for another show, this is sink or swim time.

Corine: That must have been very exciting for you.

Jerry: It was. A week before the show closed, I had auditioned for Woman of the Year, which was just opening at the Palace with Lauren Bacall and I got the male swing part, I went right from Brigadoon to Woman of the year.

Corine: So you were a hot chorus boy first! (Laughs)

Jerry: (Laughing) Hot chorus boy from six months to the day and then got the movie Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and went out to California to make the movie and my school asked me if I wanted to come back, and I said absolutely not, I am working and doing everything I want to be doing. My Mom and Dad always stressed education. My Mom reminded me of this recently. I said Oh, Mom; don’t worry, when I become famous they will give me an honorary degree.
About three months ago, just before the Tony awards, my College called me and they wanted to honor me with an honorary degree.
It is located in St. Louis, so I went and I was the speaker, In a big stadium with a whole bunch of kids and they gave me a Doctorate of letters and my parents got to see that and than a month later I won the Tony, Drama Desk and the outer critics award for La Cage!
Winning an award is a wonderful thing, and I am very fortunate and happy to have had that honor, but more importantly, I am most happy that I received the awards when my parents were around to see it.

Corine: That is touching. Congratulations, they must be very proud of you.

Jerry: It’s a testament for all they’re love and support.

Corine: Did they come to the Tony awards?

Jerry: They have come to every Tony award, this year they did not. Because the day before my nephew was graduating, so I was at home in Paw Paw Michigan and flying back for the actual ceremony. So, my parents didn’t come as my Dad hates to fly. And my cousin was graduating on Monday and I said you have to be here for their graduation.

Corine: Well, they could watch you on TV. You deserved to win. That Cage Dance was one of the most incredible things I have ever seen. Andy Pellick was incredible!

Jerry: Andy Pellick came into my life when I was asked to go to Vegas and restage EFX with Rick Springfield; Tommy Tune was starring in it. And they wanted to give the show a brush up, a freshen up, so I went and saw the show and was hired by the MGM Grand, a wonderful man named Richard Sterm and Bill Ray. We went to work on the show and cut 17 minutes from the show. It was a wonderful experience and there was this boy in it doing a ballet solo with all the fairies and the nymphs and his technique was outstanding! I said to Andy, I can put you in the show, but I said if I were you, I‘d get my ass on the next plane to New York. You are going to be working on Broadway like that! And as I was working with him, I remember his acrobatic dance; he is literally an Olympic gymnast. He is so flexible! He has so many gifts.

Corine: I met Andy at my La Cage event and he wowed me. He blew me away in that Cage dance; it was the most exquisite dancing I have seen in a long time. So congratulations for hiring Andy Pellick. He is also very sweet, he did my talkback at La Cage and everyone in my group wanted to talk to Andy.

Jerry: He is a wonderful person.

Corine: How did you come up with that dance?

Jerry: I thought about the Bird Cage, and a caged bird and had this idea.

Corine: It was the most incredible spectacle I have ever seen. I was trying to lobby to save La Cage from closing. With all of those awards, Tony, Drama Desk, Lortel and Outer Critic Circle, I don't understand why it closed! Such a shame!

Jerry: I had an amazing time. I think revivals, anyone who is getting ready to produce a revival has to go and look at the material, and there are two ways to do it. You can do a carbon copy of the original or you can let a new creative team do the material in a fresh way, which is what happened with Chicago and Cabaret.
Two revivals, everything else has been pretty close to the original. All my choreography was new and different. I really believe the theater is about looking at things in a fresh way, when you just put up the same old show again you get into trouble but Jerry Zaks and I tried very hard to put up a new version of the show.

Corine: What did Harvey think of the new version of the show?

Jerry: You would have to ask Harvey.

Corine; I would love to ask Harvey, someday, I hope! Harvey if your reading this call me, we will do lunch. (LAUGHS)

Jerry: Me and Jerry Z. were happy at times and unhappy at other times. It is very hard when you have something that is so successful; it is very difficult to look at it in another light.

Corine: Well, I thought it was brilliant. I loved it. I loved the writing but the Cagelles really made the show fun and entertaining. I also loved the Can Can number. It was so much fun. I also loved the part when Gary Beach is learning how to walk, it was very funny. He is hilarious!

Jerry: Gary is the sweetest, most wonderful artist you could ever ask to work with.

Corine: The Cagelles were amazing, they had such beautiful figures.

Jerry: I want to clear up any rumors. There was a rumor going around that I made my dancers take Ex-lax so they could retain they’re gorgeous figures, I never made them do that! I want that on record! (Laughs)

Corine: (Laughs) I never heard that! That is funny. There are so many rumors spread that are never true! That is very funny though.

Jerry: I would never do anything to hurt the well being of my dancers! That Can Can number was balls to the walls. They really worked hard in that Can Can.

Corine: I loved that! It was so much fun! I wished it did not close!

Jerry: They were sweating bullets. Splits and jumps and turns and cartwheels.

Corine: The Cagelles were all wonderful. So, what was it like to work with Harvey Fierstein?

Jerry: The first time I worked with Harvey was on Hairspray.

Corine: I loved him as Edna!

Jerry: The gift that Harvey has as a writer only enhances his performance as an actor. Because he knows when it’s funny and he knows when it isn’t.

Corine: Right. He is very funny. I loved his ad libs.

Jerry: He was very involved with writing some of the jokes; he was very involved in the process of Hairspray. He was a great collaborator. Who would not love Harvey?

Corine: I saw him in Fiddler and just thought he was marvelous.

Jerry: When you hear an entire audience laugh at the same time, there is nothing more powerful than that!

Corine: Yes. I agree. He is brilliant! Did you help Bruce Vilanch as well?

Jerry: Yes, he was the original Edna on Hairspray Tour. Bruce and Harvey have supported Broadway Bares for me, they have been hosts. They have always been there when I have called. Being in the City for 25 years, I feel I have a new community that has been such an important part of my life.

Corine: Tell me more about Broadway Bares.

Jerry: Broadway Bares, we do every June, just like the Tony awards. For the last two years I have become the Executive Producer and have decided to pass on the torch to other young Directors and Choreographers to try and help shepard their careers. Broadway Bares has given me the opportunity to work with the best dancers on Broadway and help raise money for Broadway Cares; little did I know that by doing that the whole town could see what I do. Which lead me to being hired on The Full Monty?

Corine: I loved The Full Monty. It was hot!

Jerry: It did not get its just desserts.

Corine; I loved it, it was incredible. I was most impressed with Denis Jones, the guy who played the stripper.

Jerry: Denis is amazing. Well, Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman are working on the score of Catch Me If You Can and I am working with them on that.

Corine: So what is it like to work with Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman?

Jerry: I have known them for a very long time. When I first came to the City in the mid 80’s, Scott was doing a lot of extravaganzas at the Palladium and the Limelight. What I do at Broadway Bares, and I danced in some of those and performed in some for Scott. And Scott and I developed a show for Mandalay Entertainment. Scott Directed and Marc Shaiman contributed some original songs. First of all, they are both two of the most generous men I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. They know more about music and musical theater than anyone I know. They just drip talent. They have a real knowledge of what Broadway was and what Broadway can be. They really love Broadway.

Corine: Hairspray is one of my favorite shows.

Jerry: Wait till you hear what they are writing for Catch Me If You Can, it is really spectacular.

Corine: And what are you doing next?

Jerry: Because of Broadway Bares, I have created a new burlesque show called Peep Show; this will feature a lot more woman than men since it is appearing in Vegas. Although there will be some men in it too. It is basically a romp, where Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep and she has to learn to be a bad girl.

Corine: That is hilarious. Will there be Broadway dancers in it?

Jerry: Well, I hope. I don’t know how many of them want to relocate to Las Vegas.

Corine: Well, John Tartaglia is now in Avenue Q in Vegas.

Jerry: Well he is only in it for 6 weeks. They are going to want the dancers to sign a year contract. It is going to be an expensive venture and I am going to get the best dancers that I possibly can find.

Corine: How about the Cagelles? Does Andy need a job?

Jerry: Andy always has a job

Corine: What is he in now?

Jerry: I don’t know what he is doing but I know he did the workshop for Tarzan. He might end up swinging from a vine.

Corine: There was a rumor for awhile that it was going to be Matt Morrison. I wonder who will play Tarzan. Matt Morrison is wonderful. Did you teach Matt how to move?

Jerry: Matt is another one; I worship the ground he walks on. I first saw Matt when he auditioned for me for the Rocky Horror Show and I desperately wanted to hire him at the time. And he had a boy band and he was doing some opening acts. And he eventually came into the show. I hired him for Hairspray and he was in the dancing chorus and then was the understudy for Link in Seattle. I believe he did not get his Broadway contract to almost the end of the Seattle run.

Corine: Really. He was great as Link.

Jerry: The Producers wanted to see if he could do it. He is so talented, such a star. An amazing dancer, a great actor, and gorgeous to look at.

Corine: And a sweet guy.

Jerry: What’s not to like! I have hired him on three or four projects.

Corine: So, what’s the next thing you are going to hire Matt for?

Jerry: I’m not sure. He is in my rolodex; I always have to keep him in mind.

Corine: Do you have a favorite project?

Jerry: I don’t do a project unless I feel passionate about it.

Corine: Talk about Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

Jerry: They came to us early on, no songs written and we said we want to do it. Of course I wanted to work with Dave Yazbeck again. Dirty Rotten is a tricky piece and I must tell you that I am over- joyed with the response it is getting. Norbert and John stop the show with that song every night. It is tough because how do you love two swindlers? But you do and it works because they care about each other and make it work. And Greg and Joanna, I created that little dance for them. We were in rehearsals in San Diego for three weeks and David did not have a song and he played the music for me and I did the dance in twenty minutes.

Corine: So, tell me about Legally Blonde.

Jerry: We have been working on it a year now, just the writing and we did a reading just before Labor Day and it was amazing. We learned a lot and we were pleasantly surprised with all of what we thought was really good. We are going to work on it some more and do another reading in December. And to try and get it on to Broadway sometime in 2007.

Corine: So, what is next?

Jerry: We are going to launch a tour of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. We have Hairspray opening in Las Vegas and I am working with Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman on Catch Me If You Can. And for the rest of the year I am working on Peep Show, so from now until 2007 I have a very full plate.

Corine: I should say so. Other than theater, do you have any hobbies? Is there something that you love to do?

Jerry: No, not really. I love the Theater!!!!

Corine: Thanks for your time. For more information about Broadway Bares go to:

http://www.broadwaycares.org

Broadway Bares is coming up this weekend! Check it out!

One More Day!!!!!!

Till the first preview of a new version of Forbidden Broadway.
The Roast of Utopia.

As many of you know I have one addiction. Forbidden Broadway! I can't wait to see this. 63 times and counting. You know it's bad when they played a few old b roll clips at the Tonys and I knew all the words.

SO, ONE DAY MORE! ;-)

THE STREET

THE STREET

A new musical comedy about

Broads on Wall Street!



Killer Dames take on Wall Street! Stock shorts, long odds, undercover moles & a misanthropic metrosexual all collide on America's "Street of Dreams." THE STREET, is a wild ride as we take on the big guns of Wall Street, only to run head-on into accounting improprieties & business shenanigans. And all set to the tune of the Libretto, Music & Lyrics of Ronnie Cohen (w/Jane Beale on Libretto), the Direction & Choreography of Heidi Lauren Duke under the Musical Direction of Daniel Cataneo.

Ronnie Cohen has worn many hats, as a director, actor & playwright, working for several years with the Little Theatre of Geneve in Geneva, Switzerland. She & Jane Beale wrote Correction, which was a finalist in the Sienna College International Playwrights Contest in 2006 & is currently working on Quota, a one-act about self-imposed limits. Her true labor of love is THE STREET, which seeks to laugh at the dysfunctional nature of the world’s most important business & the people who work in it. Heidi Lauren Duke is a director/choreographer who specializes in work for the musical stage, from grand opera to new works of dance/theatre. She serves as Artistic Associate for Les Azuriales Opera Festival in Nice, France, where she has directed singers from all over the world & has directed & choreographed Cole Porter's Anything Goes, Mozart's Marriage of Figaro, Puccini's Rondine & both the play & the opera of Merry Wives of Windsor. Daniel Cataneo is a pianist, composer, educator & author. He is the Artistic Director of the Cape May Music Festival Rhythm of the Sea, musical director for the new Broadway musical "The Frog Prince” & is on the faculty of The Juilliard School of Music.

As part of the Midtown International Theatre Festival, THE STREET features Anthony Aloise,* Fiona Choi, Nicole Dalto, Leslie Anne Friedman, Ryan Hilliard,* Jen Percival, Theresa Rose, Joshua Walter & Jonathan Whitton. The Producer is Michael Roderick, Production Stage Manager is Rachel Rudnick & Lighting & Scenic Design is by Heidi Lauren Duke.



DATES & TIMES: Wed. July 25th @ 6pm, Fri. July 27th @ 4:30pm,

Tues. July 31st @ 8:15pm, Wed. Aug 1st @ 6pm,

Sat. Aug 4th @ 5:15pm & Sun. Aug 5th @11am

THEATRE: Workshop Theatre “Mainstage”

312 West 36th Street ~ 4th Floor

TICKETS: $18 ~ $15 Seniors/Students

RESERVATIONS: SmartTix (212)868-4444 or www.SmartTix.com

Tonys Photo Coverage by Brad Balfour

David Hyde Pierce, Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik

David Hyde Pierce

Julie White

Michael Mayer

Christine Ebersole


It was a glorious night at the Tonys. Corinescorner congratulates all the winners and nominees.

I really enjoyed attending the Tonys. Everyone was so glamourous. It was a thrilling evening! Some of the high points:
1. Julie White's passionate speech. She was HILARIOUS!
2 When John Gallagher won his Tony. (I loved the expression on his face)
3. When the cast of Spring Awakening performed a few numbers with left out lyrics.
Totally..... HA!
4. Ebersole's speech. You are far from an old geezer, Christine! We are glad you moved back to Broadway where you belong (LA is Totally......)

A few upsetting moments.
I hate when they drown out the stars during the acceptance speech. I know that you have to stay on time but it can be very rude. They cut off Jay, Christine and Mayer and it was a bit unsettling. On the whole, the evening was a pleasure.