Friday, January 13, 2023
By Andrew Poretz … Broadway, film and pop star John Lloyd Young returned to 54 Below for a four-night residency. The Jersey Boys star had a new backup band, led by that long-haired geniu…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 06:37PMSaturday, January 7, 2023
By Andrew Poretz … Prodigious Grammy-winning saxophonist and composer Joe Lovano celebrated his 70th birthday with an eight-set, four-night run at Birdland Jazz with his large jazz ensembl…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 10:59AMThursday, January 5, 2023
With special guest Nicole Zuraitis By Andrew Poretz … This writer has reviewed or simply attended hundreds of shows by dozens of artists who have graced the Birdland stage over the years.�…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 05:32AMSaturday, November 19, 2022
By Andrew Poretz … Susan Mack is the living embodiment of the saying, “Hard work pays off.” Long successful personally and professionally, and beloved in her community, she did not p…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 10:10AMTuesday, November 15, 2022
By Andrew Poretz . . . Singer Madelaine Warren returned to the Laurie Beechman Theatre for an encore performance of Invitation. The classically trained soprano has been on the cabaret scene …
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 06:16AMMonday, November 14, 2022
By Andrew Poretz … Bob O’Hare is a former actor who gave it up to become an attorney four decades ago, a profession he still practices. Like many attorneys, he’s quite the raconteur.…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 08:11AMSaturday, November 12, 2022
By Andrew Poretz … Have you ever wished you could brag that you caught an early version of a show like Hamilton or In the Heights before it hit Broadway? If you were at 54 Below on Novem…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 09:30AMWednesday, November 9, 2022
By Andrew Poretz … Remember those 60’s shows like Hullabaloo! and Shindig! that had exclamation marks as part of their titles? Well, Jo Brisbane does! This Kansas City writer and per…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 08:45AMSaturday, November 5, 2022
By Andrew Poretz … Nicolas King and Seth Sikes performed their new show, The New Belters, before a sold-out crowd at The Green Room 42 on October 29. They described this first show as a …
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 10:25AMWednesday, October 26, 2022
By Andrew Poretz … One could visit a galaxy far, far away in search of the finest “Pops” orchestra in the universe. As it happens, a subway ride to Carnegie Hall is a better bet. T…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 01:45PMTuesday, October 18, 2022
By Andrew Poretz … Shana Farr, a winner of several major musical theater and cabaret awards, is an accomplished actress and singer with a gorgeous, classically trained voice and the statur…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 03:06PMThursday, October 13, 2022
By Andrew Poretz … While the New York theater world discusses who is the best Fanny Brice on Broadway, Naomi Miller might be as close to the real thing as you’ll find in 2022, though mor…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 02:31AMThursday, September 29, 2022
By Andrew Poretz … We started and ended our week with Billy Stritch, first with his Mel and Ella show with Gabrielle Stravelli on Monday (reviewed here), and capped off the week with his C…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 08:51AMFriday, September 23, 2022
By Andrew Poretz … Mel Tormé and Ella Fitzgerald were two of the greatest jazz singers of the twentieth century, masters of singing and performance whose legacy continues long after their…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 11:30AMMonday, September 19, 2022
“The Shadow of Her Smile” By Andrew Poretz . . . Imagine spending much of your young life constantly being told, “You look just like Elizabeth Taylor… in National Velvet!” The endl…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 08:15AMFriday, September 16, 2022
By Andrew Poretz . . . The legendary cabaret chanteuse Karen Akers reprised her acclaimed Water Under the Bridge show to a near-capacity crowd at Birdland Jazz on September 12th. The Tony-no…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 01:56PMTuesday, September 13, 2022
By Andrew Poretz … Actress and singer Donna Vivino is a successful performer since early childhood, and most notably played Elphaba in Wicked. At 54 Below, Donna performed with her siste…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 10:31AMTuesday, September 6, 2022
Charles Mingus Centennial by Andrew Poretz . . . Hot jazz on a sultry Friday night in August. That’s what patrons of Chelsea Table + Stage received from Mingus Dynasty. There are a handf…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 03:30PMBy Andrew Poretz. . . The Quintin Harris Quartet made their first appearance at Chelsea Table + Stage with a fine debut set. The Quartet was actually a trio. He was backed by Sam AuBuchon on…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 07:15AMSunday, September 4, 2022
Mostly Soul: Beloved Hits from Motown to Broadway . . . By Andrew Poretz … John Lloyd Young is a dynamic entertainer and actor. The Tony and Grammy winner is also a multi-Platinum record…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 07:25AMFriday, September 2, 2022
By Andrew Poretz … Julie Benko is having one hell of a year. It would be fair to say that this is “The Year of the Benko.” Prior to 2022, you likely did not know the name of this e…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 07:49AMTuesday, August 23, 2022
By Andrew Poretz … Jacob Khalil and his trio returned to Birdland Theater on August 14th for two sets. After a strong showing in The Lineup with Susie Mosher earlier that week, it was cl…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 07:32AMMonday, August 22, 2022
By Andrew Poretz … Ah, the Jazz Age of the Roaring Twenties, that romanticized, Great Gatsby era of music and mayhem, the days of hot jazz, ladies in flapper outfits and well-dressed men, …
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 09:29AMWednesday, August 17, 2022
By Andrew Poretz . . . Mary Stallings, a world-renowned jazz vocalist who has sung professionally since her teens in the late 1950s, returned to Smoke for a four-night stand to continue the …
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 08:10AMTuesday, August 2, 2022
One Last Time (For Now) By Andrew Poretz … In a bittersweet night at 54 Below, the popular and insanely talented Drew Gasparini, a singer-songwriter, played his “last” concert at the c…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 03:10PMSaturday, July 30, 2022
By Andrew Poretz … Actor and singer T. Oliver Reid has a long history on Broadway having played some dozens of roles in some 13 shows, often as an understudy or “swing” performer. He…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 10:45AMSaturday, July 23, 2022
By Andrew Poretz … When two irresistible forces meet, the inevitable result is combustion. At 54 Below on Monday night, combustion occurred when Mauricio Martínez, a star of Telemundo a…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 08:45AMWednesday, July 20, 2022
By Andrew Poretz … Joe Iconis is a prodigious songwriter and playwright primarily known for his successful, campy musical plays, notably Be More Chill, and funny, if not silly, story-based…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 01:46PMMonday, July 18, 2022
Special Anniversary Edition Birdland Jazz Club By Andrew Poretz … Birdland is not only home to some of the greatest jazz performers. The venue also hosts Jim Caruso’s Cast Party every …
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 01:22PMSaturday, July 16, 2022
Bewitched: The Life and Lyrics of Lorenz Hart . . . By Andrew Poretz… Karen Oberlin, a longtime fixture on the New York cabaret scene and an award-winning performer, presented a one-off …
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 05:32PMThursday, July 7, 2022
The name Ari in Hebrew means “lion.” After seeing this encore performance of Ari’s Arias, the definition ought to be “love”—for Ari Axelrod is love personified. Love radiates fro…
SOURCE: NiteLifeExchange at 05:03PM 
