Corine is on hiatus

On Tuesday night, Corine slipped and broke her ankle in her apartment. The break was pretty severe. She has had one surgery and is scheduled for a second surgery on Tuesday, September 2. She hopes to be up and about (on crutches or a wheel chair) in the next 3-4 weeks.

Although she is a bit broken up (no pun intended) and is missing keeping things up-to-date on her site and blog, she is still in good spirits.

I will be visiting Corine next week and if you would like to send her any wishes, please send them to me (e-mail address below) and I will bring them with me on my visit. If you would like to visit Corine, also send me an e-mail and I'll give you all the details.

All the best,

Bob Johnson
bittenbyazebra@yahoo.com

WRITERS BLOCK.

By and starring Seth Bisen-Hersh

With: Elyse Beyer, Cait Doyle,
Deborah Grausman & Michael Lowe
Directed by Jessica Redish

Sat, 9/13 @ 6PM; Sun, 9/14 @ 8PM; Mon, 9/15 @ 7PM

$10 Cover/ 2 Drink Minimum (Cash Only)
Don't Tell Mama, 343 W. 46th St.
Call for reservations after 4: 212-757-0788

Seth Bisen-Hersh, composer of five cabarets including "The Gayest Straight Man Alive," "Neurotic Tendencies" and "Why Am I Not Famous Yet?", premieres his sixth cabaret, "Writer's Block" at Don't Tell Mama this September. With direction by Jessica Redish (green eyes, Adding Machine) and co-starring Elyse Beyer, Cait Doyle (Hot Mess in Manhattan), Deborah Grausman & Michael Lowe, Writer's Block deals with all kinds of barriers whether they be creative, emotional or sexual. Featuring 16 new songs covering topics from returning home to find one's old bedroom now has an exercise machine ("Thanksgiving Day") to having sex with a co-worker ("It's Awkward") to finding out how your girlfriend's mother really feels about you ("Her Mother Hates Me"), Writer's Block is sure to delight anyone who has ever felt there was something blocking them from success, happiness or love.

"Seth Bisen-Hersh is certainly doing his part to increase the cabaret act population and his off-beat, irreverent material makes for a fun time." -- Michael Dale, broadwayworld.com

Bisen-Hersh “had the nearly packed house roaring with laughter.” – The Siegels, talkinbroadway.com

"Bisen-Hersh is a talented composer and his lyrics are often very good...He has a penchant for wit." -- Byrne Harrison, oobr.com

For more information about Seth Bisen-Hersh and recordings of songs, please visit www.sethbh.com

CORINE'S CORNER PRESENTS AN INTERVIEW WITH TONY AWARD WINNER LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA!

Interview by Corine Dana Cohen
Produced and edited by Bob Johnson.

It was a blast to interview the very talented Lin-Manuel Miranda at Tony's Di Napoli and we thank him for his time. I loved the show and hope you will go and see it! I also thank Bob Johnson for his wonderful work!

Andrea McArdle At The Metropolitan Room.

Don't miss Andrea McArdle's fantastic cabaret show at the Metropolitan Room. Her incredible voice made me cry. She is fabulous.

THE SUN WILL COME OUT TOMORROW AUGUST 22nd.
Together at last. Together forever!
212-206-0440 for phone reservations.

Andrea's show is a Corine's Pick!
http://www.metropolitanroom.com

GET 13 DOLLAR TICKETS TO THE NEW BROADWAY SHOW "13"!

“13” for $13

FIRST 100 PEOPLE AT THE JACOBS THEATRE BOX OFFICE GET
$13 TICKETS
ON MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2008 ONLY




PREVIEWS BEGIN ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2008
WITH AN OPENING ON SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2008 AT
BERNARD B. JACOBS THEATRE (242 W. 45TH STREET)


13, A New Musical will offer a $13.00 ticket – a price which suits anyone’s allowance - to the first 100 people in line at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (242 W. 45th Street) Box Office Opening on Monday, August 25, 2008 at 10AM.

13, A New Musical, with music and lyrics by Tony Award winner Jason Robert Brown (Parade, The Last Five Years) stars 13 talented teenagers and an all teenage band. Previews begin on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 with the official opening at The Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on Sunday, October 5, 2008. With a book by award winning children’s author & songwriter Dan Elish (“Born Too Short, Confessions of an 8th Grade Basket Case”) and veteran writer for TV and film Robert Horn (“Designing Women”), 13, A New Musical is directed by Tony Award nominee Jeremy Sams (The Sound of Music in the West End) and choreographed by Tony Award nominee Christopher Gattelli (South Pacific). Tom Kitt (High Fidelity) is the Music Director.

The cast features Al Calderon as Eddie, Eamon Foley as Richie, Caitlin Gann as Molly, Ariana Grande as Charlotte, Aaron Simon Gross as Archie, Elizabeth Egan Gillies as Lucy, Malik Hammond as Malcolm, Joey La Varco as Simon, Delaney Moro as Kendra, Eric M. Nelsen as Brett, Graham Phillips as Evan, Allie Trimm as Patrice, Brynn Williams as Cassie. Also in the cast are Riley Costello, Henry Hodges, Mary Claire Miskell, Liana Ortiz, Max Schneider, Corey J. Snide and the on-stage teen band members are Lexi Bodick on bass, Zac Coe on percussion, Adam Michael Kaufman on keyboard, Zach Page on guitar, Chris Raymond on guitar, Charlie Rosen (swing musician).

Evan Goldman has it all – he's popular, has the perfect family and lives in the greatest city in the world – New York. That is until his parents get divorced and he's forced to move with his Mom… to Indiana. Uprooted from his old life, he has to make new friends and somehow manoeuvre his way through the minefield of High School to become part of the “in-crowd”. A grown-up story about growing up, featuring the only all-teenage cast ever to hit Broadway! With an explosive score by Tony Award-winning composer Jason Robert Brown, 13 is a hilarious, high-energy musical for all ages about discovering that cool is where you find it, and sometimes where you least expect it.


13 The production features scenic & costume design by Tony Nominee David Farley (2008’s Sunday in the Park with George), lighting design by Tony Award winner Brian MacDevitt (The Coast of Utopia Part I) and sound design by Jon Weston (The Color Purple).

13, A New Musical earned the LA Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Production and Best Musical Score for its world premiere production at Center Theatre Group/The Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles (December 22, 2006 – February 18, 2007) and enjoyed a successful run at Goodspeed’s Norma Terris Theatre in Chester, CT (May 8, 2008 – June 9, 2008).

The musical is produced on Broadway by Bob Boyett, Roger Berlind, Tim Levy, Stacey Mindich, Jane Bergère, Broadway Across America, Ken Davenport, Ted Hartley, Sharon Karmazin, Carl Moellenberg, Jamie Lightstone/Nina Keneally, Tom Miller/True Love Productions, Olympus Theatricals, Center Theatre Group in association with Shorenstein Hays Nederlander and The Araca Group.

Tickets for 13, A New Musical can be purchased through Telecharge at (212) 239-6200 or www.telecharge.com. Beginning Monday, August 25, 2008 at 10AM, tickets can be purchased at The Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (242 W. 45th Street) Box Office. The first 100 people in line will be able to purchase tickets for $13.00. Limit two tickets per customer. The $13 tickets are valid during preview performances only (Tuesday, September 16 – Friday, October 3). Standard ticket prices are $76.50 - $111.50.

For more information, cast videos and a free download of the title track, visit: www.13themusical.com.

CHEYENNE JACKSON, WALL OF FAME AT TONY'S DI NAPOLI!

Video shot and edited by Bob Johnson.
Interviews: Corine Cohen

We wanted to thank Bruce and Valerie for the incredible hospitality.
Corine's pick is Tony's chicken and eggplant parm and of course a frozen Bellini.
Cheers!

Next up: Interviews with Hunter Bell and Lin Manuel Miranda. Come back soon!!!!

http://www.corinescorner.com

NYC AND COMPANY TOURISM UPDATE- EXTRA EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT. ROCK, ON!

MAYOR BLOOMBERG, THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME AND

MUSEUM, BILLY JOEL AND CLIVE DAVIS ANNOUNCE ROCK AND

ROLL HALL OF FAME ANNEX TO OPEN IN NEW YORK CITY



First Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Location outside Cleveland to Open in SoHo in November

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Billy Joel, Clive Davis, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum CEO Terry Stewart and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation CEO Joel Peresman today announced that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum will open an annex in New York City in the heart of SoHo. When the 25,000 square foot annex opens in November, it will be the first location outside the Museum’s home in Cleveland. NYC & Company CEO George Fertitta and Department of Cultural Affairs Commissioner Kate D. Levin joined the announcement, which took place at 76 Mercer Street, the future site of the annex.



“New York City is well known as a vibrant place for aspiring artists and musicians, and some of the most internationally-celebrated musical performers of this Century have had their start right here on our streets,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “It's only fitting that the role New York City has played in launching the careers of so many of the world's most talented artists – like Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Paul Simon, Blondie and the Velvet Underground – on the world’s greatest stages – like the Fillmore East, the Apollo Theater, and Madison Square Garden – be recognized and honored with the opening of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Annex.”



The state-of-the-art facility will focus on the defining moments in rock and roll history and will be designed to resonate with both the casual music fan and the seasoned rock enthusiast. It will feature an array of exhibitions, including a permanent “New York Rocks” gallery that will highlight key locations around New York City that have musical significance. The annex will also showcase selected relics from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum’s vast collection, including Bruce Springsteen’s 1957 Chevy, John Lennon’s Record Plant Piano, Elvis Presley’s motorcycle jacket, a handwritten poem by Jim Morrison and more. The annex will open in November, but advance tickets will be available through www.RockAnnex.com beginning in October.



“Establishing outposts like these is becoming a strategy of other major institutions,” said Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum CEO Terry Stewart, citing the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, the Tate Modern in London and the Louvre in Paris. “These projects allow museums to extend their reach, but also provide space to travel exhibits and allow curators to display some of our priceless artifacts for the first time outside of Cleveland.”



NYC & Company, New York City’s official tourism, marketing and partnership organization, partnered with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum to help create the “New York Rocks” exhibit and develop co-branded merchandise and promotional items for the annex, including maps and itineraries so that visitors can experience historical sites firsthand. The annex will be sponsored by Citi, Best Buy, Diesel for Bloomingdales, Gibson and Continental Airlines, with additional supporting partners Sony, Sennheiser, Klein + Hummel, and Kohler.



“Although there are more than 6,000 different languages spoken around the world, music is the one language that we all share in common, reminding us that we are all inherently the same,” said NYC & Company CEO George Fertitta. “We partnered with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Annex to help develop a cultural destination that captures the shared history of Rock and Roll and New York City and appeals to all ages and interests. With more than 46 million travelers already visiting our City each year from around the world, we are confident that the Annex will be a “must-see” attraction whether you are from Barcelona or Brooklyn.”



“New York City is home to talented musicians, adventurous audiences, and more than 1,400 extraordinary cultural institutions, said Cultural Affairs Commissioner Kate D. Levin. “We welcome the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a unique addition to the City’s vibrant creative community.”



“Rock and roll is embedded in the history of our times and has changed the world around us,” said Rock and Roll Hall of Fame co-founder and editor and publisher of Rolling Stone Magazine Jann Wenner. “The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and now its extension, the Annex, help us to illustrate in a tangible way music’s impact on the cultural, social and political history of the modern era.”



Visitors to the annex will receive headphones connected to a state-of-the-art wireless audio system so that when they visit different exhibits, they hear relevant music specific to the gallery they are in. The galleries include:



Hall of Fame, which pays tribute to the artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with a signature display of each;


Immersive Theater, an engaging and dynamic movie experience that uses immersive audio and visual technology to highlight some of the most explosive performance moments in rock history including Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, The Who and Patti Smith;


Roots & Influences, a visual and musical exhibition on how past music legends have influenced the chart-toppers at the forefront of today’s music scene, bringing to life musical timelines of genres such as R&B, Hip Hop and Blues Rock;


Moments to Movements, which will highlight particular musical moments that created and defined powerful movements, and showcase many exciting and rare rock items, including a white Vox electric guitar from The Beatles that has never been showcased elsewhere, the necklace Jimi Hendrix wore at Monterey Pop Festival, and the handwritten lyrics to ‘U.S. Blues’ by the Grateful Dead;


New York Rocks, which will include an oversized interactive map to highlight key locations around New York City that have musical significance, including Studio 54 and The Chelsea Hotel, and will showcase items such as the notebook in which Billy Joel wrote all the lyrics for “The Stranger” album;


Cleveland Gallery, which will include special exhibits and displays that give visitors a taste of the larger experience at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland; and,


Special Rotating Exhibit, which will feature one select artist or band, with special attention to their time spent in New York City, rotating every six to nine months.


The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum was established to educate visitors, fans and scholars from around the world about the history and continuing significance of rock and roll music. It carries out this mission both through its operation of a world-class museum that collects, preserves, exhibits and interprets this art form and through its library and archives as well as its educational programs. Media and fans can learn more about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum at http://www.rockhall.com.

NEW YORK FESTIVAL OF SONG!

NEW YORK FESTIVAL OF SONG 2008-2009, 21st SEASON
OPENS SEPTEMBER 23 IN NYC WITH A BERNSTEIN / BOLCOM CELEBRATION

NEW YORK CONCERTS AT MERKIN CONCERT HALL, WEILL RECITAL HALL, THE JUILLIARD SCHOOL

NATIONALLY: TOURING TO KENNEDY CENTER, CARAMOOR FESTIVAL, CONNECTICUT, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, UTAH



New York Festival Of Song (NYFOS, www.nyfos.org), co-founded and directed by pianists Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, who “reinvented the song recital during the 1990’s with daring and dramatic programming” (The New Yorker), announces its 21st season (2008-2009).

The company’s New York City concerts begin on September 23 at the newly renovated Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center, with A Bernstein / Bolcom Celebration. The concert pays tribute to two of NYFOS’s guiding lights, Leonard Bernstein and William Bolcom; Bolcom and his wife, mezzo-soprano Joan Morris, will cap the evening with a selection of songs from their vast repertoire. The program also celebrates the ninetieth birthday of NYFOS’s Founding Advisor, Leonard Bernstein, who bestowed the American premiere of his last work, Arias and Barcarolles, to the newly-formed company. Their subsequent recording of the work in 1989, with Judy Kaye and William Sharp, earned the composer a posthumous Grammy Award for Best New Composition.

TICKETS: Curtain time for all concerts is 8 PM. Single ticket prices are $40 to $55, with half-priced student tickets (as available) a half hour before curtain. Call (212) 501-3330, or visit www.kaufman-center.org. A limited amount of $15 student tickets are available by calling NYFOS at (646) 230-8380. Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center is at 129 West 67th Street, New York, NY 10023. Free tickets for the January 14 concert at Juilliard will be available at The Juilliard School’s box office beginning January 5.

On its touring schedule, NYFOS brings Bastianello / Lucrezia, the acclaimed double-bill of one-act comic operas by William Bolcom and John Musto with librettos by Mark Campbell, to the Moab Music Festival in Utah on September 5; The Last Time I Saw Paris, French song from The Jazz Age to post-World War II, to the Robbie Colomore Concert Series in Chester, Connecticut (October 26) and the Andover Chamber Music Series in Massachusetts (November 9); Fugitives to the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., presented by the Vocal Arts Society (November 14); Voices of the Jewish Diaspora to the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland at College Park (February 15); and Songs of the Irish Poets to the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts in Katonah, NY (March 14), which culminates a week-long professional training residency, Caramoor Vocal Rising Stars, sponsored by and presented at Caramoor. Leading the week's events will be NYFOS artistic directors and pianists Steven Blier and Michael Barrett who will be working with a select group of young singers from around the country invited to participate in this auspicious project. The program will be repeated as part of NYFOS’s New York City 2008-2009 concert season at Merkin Concert Hall on March 17, 2009.
The initial season of the Caramoor Vocal Rising Stars Program will be underwritten, in part, by The Terrance W. Schwab Fund for Young Vocal Artists.



NEW YORK SEASON SCHEDULE


Tuesday and Thursday, SEPTEMBER 23 & 25, 2008
Merkin Concert Hall, 8 pm
“A Bernstein / Bolcom Celebration”
A tribute to two of New York Festival of Song’s guiding lights, Leonard Bernstein and William Bolcom, quintessential American composers and great spirits who have long provided wisdom, guidance, and music to NYFOS. Songs from Bernstein's Peter Pan, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Songfest, Wonderful Town, On the Town, Arias and Barcarolles; Bolcom's Cabaret Songs, I Will Breathe a Mountain, Briefly It Enters, McTeague; and a special appearance by Joan Morris and William Bolcom, who will share signature songs from their repertoire.
Artists: Sari Gruber, soprano; Rebecca Jo Loeb, mezzo-soprano; Joan Morris, mezzo-soprano; Renée Tatum, mezzo-soprano; Alex Mansoori, tenor; William Sharp, baritone; Marc Webster, bass; William Bolcom, Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano


Tuesday and Thursday, NOVEMBER 18 & 20, 2008
Merkin Concert Hall, 8 pm
“Fugitives”
An evening of songs from the concert stage, the movies, Broadway, and Berlin's cabarets that trace the varied fortunes of the gifted composers who fled destruction during Hitler’s rise to power--some to begin new lives and brilliant careers abroad, others to meet with darker fates. Music by Kurt Weill, Franz Schreker, Arnold Zemlinsky, Kurt Tucholsky, Erich Korngold, Hanns Eisler, Friedrich Hollaender, Emmerich Kálmán, and many others.
Artists: Kate Lindsey, mezzo-soprano; Joseph Kaiser, tenor; Steven Blier, piano

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2009
Peter Jay Sharp Auditorium at The Juilliard School, 8 pm
“Latin Lovers: An Evening of Cuban and South American Song,” the fourth annual NYFOS@Juilliard concert.
Songs by Guastavino, Astor Piazzolla, Carlos López-Buchardo, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Ernesto Lecuona, and many others.

Tuesday and Thursday, FEBRUARY 10 & 12, 2009
Merkin Concert Hall, 8 pm
“Voices of the Jewish Diaspora”
Songs in many languages celebrate the culturally diverse Jewish communities that flourished as the tribes of Israel spread out across the globe. Sephardic melodies arranged by Alberto Hemsi and Roberto Sierra; Second Avenue specialties by Irving Berlin and Joseph Rumshinsky; art songs by Ravel, Milhaud, and Rubinstein; plus music by Gershwin and Bernstein.
Artists: Dina Kuznetsova, soprano; Rinat Shaham, mezzo-soprano; Steven Goldstein, tenor; Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano

Tuesday, MARCH 17, 2009
Merkin Concert Hall, 8 pm
“Songs of the Irish Poets”
The lyricism of the Emerald Isle’s greatest writers, including Thomas Moore, W.B. Yeats, James Joyce, and Paul Muldoon, as set to music by Beethoven, Britten, Balfe, Barber and others; with a group of traditional Irish songs featuring the fiddle playing of Paul Woodiel.
Artists: Paul Appleby, tenor; other members of Caramoor’s Terrence W. Schwab Vocal Rising Stars Program; Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano

TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2009
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, 8 PM
Spring Gala
Program TBA

Tuesday and Thursday, MAY 19 & 21, 2009
Merkin Concert Hall, 8 pm
“The Welcome Shore”
A hymn to rivers and oceans stirs the heart and the imagination as the summer season draws near. Music by Elgar (the magnificent Sea Pictures), Fauré, Guastavino, Rachmaninoff, Brahms, Noël Coward, Pauline Viardot, and many others.
Artists: Michelle Areyzaga, soprano; Sasha Cooke, mezzo-soprano; Philip Cutlip, baritone; Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano

New York Festival of Song was founded in 1988 by Steven Blier and Michael Barrett. NYFOS is dedicated to creating intimate song concerts of great beauty, humor and originality, combining music, poetry, and history to entertain, educate and create community among audiences and performers. With a far-ranging repertoire of art songs, concert works and theater pieces, its thematic recitals have included programs from Brahms to the Beatles, from the nineteenth-century salons of Paris to Tin Pan Alley, from Russian art song to Argentine tangos, from sixteenth-century lute songs to new music. NYFOS particularly celebrates American song literature and culture, and specializes in premiering and commissioning new American works. They have produced five recordings on the Koch label, including a Grammy Award-winning disc of Bernstein’s Arias and Barcarolles, as well as the Grammy-nominated recording of Ned Rorem’s Evidence of Things Not Seen on New World Records, and the Bridge Records release of the NYFOS program Spanish Love Songs. NYFOS’s concert series, touring programs, radio broadcasts, recordings, and educational activities have inspired a new interest in the creative possibilities of the song program, and have inspired the creation of thematic vocal series around the world.

Artistic Director Steven Blier has programmed, performed, translated and annotated over 100 song programs with repertoire spanning the entire range of American song, art song from Schubert to Szymanowski, and popular song from early vaudeville to Lennon-McCartney. In addition, Mr. Blier enjoys an eminent career as an accompanist and vocal coach. Among the many artists he has partnered in recital are Renée Fleming, Cecilia Bartoli, Samuel Ramey, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Susan Graham and Frederica von Stade. Associate Artistic Director Michael Barrett is also the CEO of Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, and General Director of the Caramoor International Music Festival. In 1992 Mr. Barrett and his wife Leslie Tomkins founded The Moab Music Festival in Utah, for which he serves as music director. He has conducted major orchestras here and abroad in the symphonic, operatic, and dance repertoire, and is the former director of the Tisch Center for the Arts at the 92nd Street Y. Mr. Barrett has conducted and played premieres by Bernstein, Blitzstein, Bolcom, Kernis, Sellars, Harrison, Takemitsu, Del Tredici and John Corigliano.

Funding for the Bastianello / Lucrezia CD release on Bridge Records was provided by the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Inc. Commission and first performance of Bastianello by John Musto and Mark Cambell and Lucrezia by William Bolcom and Mark Campbell by New York Festival of Song, Inc. were supported by the New York State Music Fund, established by the New York State Attorney General at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.

SAD WEEKEND!

I was very sad to hear that Issac Hayes, a favorite performer of mine has passed away this weekend. I met Issac when he was working as a DJ a few years ago at an event and he was very nice to me. His sexy deep voice will be missed and no one can replace his voice as CHEF.

Issac was a legend and a very nice person. I only met him a few times but he made an impression. He was a very talented man.

In addition, funny man, Bernie Mac passed away this weekend. I never met him but was shocked about the news as he was only 50.

Fantasies Come True- My Interview With The Puppets From Avenue Q!

http://www.corinescorner.com/media/bryantpark2008.html

I have always wanted to interview the puppets from Avenue Q. Last year, I interviewed Trekkie at Times Square.com and Rick Lyon the year before, but it never made the video.

Sorry for the sound, it was in Bryant Park and the sound is bad. But, listen to my interview with Benny from the fabulous sensation "In The Heights" and a nice chat with Kate and Nicky.

Corine Cohen
Fantasies can and do come true and it does not suck to be me.

;-)

Help Broadway Cares (BCEFA)

The best of cabaret and Broadway are back in season three of Cabaret Cares the benefit series created and founded by cabaret producer Joseph Macchia. Founded to benefit Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS Cabaret Cares has raised over $26,000 in the two years it has been produced. Cabaret producer Joseph Macchia created the series back in 2005 to benefit BCEFA an organization that he has volunteered for over ten years. After a brief hiatus in 2006 Mr. Macchia decided to bring back the series in 2007 to the beautiful Laurie Beechman Theatre in midtown.

The series now benefits two wonderful non-for-profit organizations Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS and Help Is On The Way Today. Help Is On The Way Today is a non-for-profit founded to help and assist children living with HIV and AIDS in the tri state area.

Last year Cabaret Cares set a new record for money raised raising over $17,000. The series ended in April with a Gala night that featured performers from the past shows. Past performers have included Joanne Worley,John Treacy Egan,Stacey Todd Holt,Robert Folwer,the casts of Wicked,Jersey Boys,A Chorus Line and many more.

The series returns back to the Laurie Beechman Theatre on August 18 at 9:30 p.m.. Hosted by John Treacy Egan the evening will feature performances by John Treacy Egan of The Little Mermaid,Marty Thomas of Xanadu the musical as well Robert Fowler The Producers as well as Peter Mac and Elyse Beyer from the Off Broadway bound play Judy and Me. More performers to be announced.

Cabaret Cares
The Laurie Beechman Theatre
at The West Bank Cafe
212-695-6909
$25 Cover Charge and $15 food/drink min

IT'S A DOMINICAN THING- CORINE'S CULINARY CORNER.

Last evening I ate at It's A Dominican Thing restaurant.

My favorite thing at the restaurant was the tropical sangria. If you like sweet, tropical drinks with hints of passionfruit, guava it will put the passion in every sip. I have never tasted a better sangria. (If you don't like the taste of passionfruit and guava this is not the drink for you.) I have never tasted any sangria in the same league. I plan on going back. Pair that sangria with some Dominican finger foods.

I loved the fried cheese, the love wings and the empanada's. The fried cheese was scrumptious. I also adored the fried cod fish. The food is excellent but not great for my diet.

For the calorie watchers: They have a great shrimp dish (coconut shrimp) I did not taste coconut but I did taste cilantro, tomatoes and fabulous spices. It was my pick.

A Dominican thing is a great place to sit back and drink sangria. Put some passion into your night.

Corine's Pick: A very passionate sangria!

www.adominicanthing.com/

HELLO. MY NAME IS CORINE AND I'M A FORBIDDEN BROADWAY JUNKIE. IT HAS BEEN 2 MONTHS SINCE MY LAST FIX AND I NEEDED A FIX!

Valerie Fagan, Jared Bradshaw, Corine Cohen and Jennifer Simard
At My three year anniversary party. Photo by Robert Blume.

Have you ever had a perfect day? Well, I did! I have a confession for any of you that don't know me. I have a major addiction and it is called "FORBIDDEN BROADWAY! "



I'm not kidding. If I go longer than 3 months without seeing it I get sad so, today I went with a friend and we had the best time. I love every cast of the show but this cast really is incredible together.



The newest cast member Christina Bianco is exceptional. I have to say she does the best Bernadette Peters and Kristin Chenoweth impersonation since Jennifer Simard and her vocal chops is better than Chenoweth if you can believe that. (She is a triple threat, she also does an incredible Kelli O'Hara!) She is worth the price of gold, she is so incredible!!!!!



I saw a few new numbers: The new Sondheim number was excellent and Christina got to show off her incredible Bernadette. I also love the Chenoweth Glitter and be Gay, which was so on the money it is scary.



Michael West's Lin Manuel Miranda, Elaine Stritch, and Harvey Fierstein had me in stitches. He is so funny! I would like to see him play Merman and reverse the roles with Gina. I think Gina's Merman has come a very long way but West would be hysterical dressed as THE MERM!



Gina's LuPone and Liza are beyond scary they are so fabulous. And Jared's Cheyenne and Sondheim as well as the Monster blew me away. Jared's putting up with shit cracks me up!

I do wish they would bring back his fantastic Curtain's tap number.



The show is perfection minus one little problem. The opener needs work. I don't think the opener is great. It should be called Forbidden Broadway goes into the words and In The Heights instead of Dancing With The Stars. The Mario Lopez number is silly and sadly not funny.

The rest of the show is fabulous especially the In The Heights, Sondheim, South Pacific and favorites like The Rude Awakening number and Les Miz numbers.



Once you get past the first 11 minutes of the show (Putting up with Shit!) you will wish the evening never ended and it is some enchanting evening!

Maybe they should change the name before the opening. Forbidden Broadway goes "Into The Words and Into The Height's. I like it, just my two cents! I also kind of like Jared's lyrics in our video interview at the Drama Desk nomination party check it out in the video section or on my homepage.

Or maybe the Dancing With The Stars number could have Jared as David Hyde Pierce and do the Curtains number as he is a big star and it is a great dance number. Maybe they could rate David Hyde Pierce's dance move as he is a big star. To quote A Chorus Line, In the Mario Lopez number I felt nothing.

Corine Cohen

FORBIDDEN BROADWAY BEHIND THE SCENES!

Bill Selby asked me to post this video. Enjoy!