Owen will be performing at the Grammy Museum on Monday, October 9th. She follows that with four performances at the McKittrick Hotel in New York beginning on October 11th.

Earlier this week I spoke with Owen about the lusty songs she recorded on Come On & Get It, the role of female empowerment in modern music and we discussed what, if any, difference there is between Judith Owen and Lady J. What follows are excerpts from our conversation that have been edited for length and clarity. To see the full interview, please go to our YouTube channel.

Q: You sing He’s a Tramp on this album. Peggy Lee, who wrote that and other songs for Lady and the Tramp [with Sonny Burke] said, “I try to project not only a song, but a personality.” Your album is released under the name Judith Owen. But on stage, you’re Lady J. How much do the songs that you choose to record and perform reflect Judith Owen? And how much is a preparation for who Lady J is when she performs them?

Very good question, actually. But the truth is it’s all Judith Owen. I was christened Lady J by my trumpet player, Kevin Lewis, his mother. When I did the first ever show at Snug Harbor, New Orleans, right after the last day of recording [this album], she jumped out of a seat after I’d finished singing King Size Papa and screamed, “We love you, Lady J.” The whole place cheered. It was amazing. So my band and everyone else has been calling me Lady J ever since. I think what it refers to is the unapologetic badass woman that I’ve been gestating, that has been hiding inside. 

I always wants to be the consummate entertainer. I want to sing and perform and dance and play the piano and have that stagecraft. Whether it’s my songwriting or whether it’s me covering somebody else, you have to inhabit it. Peggy Lee was absolutely correct. But the truth is, that’s all me. It’s all me finally on display, unapologetically. I love being the front person. I love being that lady J out front, center. Whatever you want to call me, it’s me. 

What inspired you most about this collection of songs, all performed by women, that have innuendo at their core?

What these women were all about, whether they wrote it or not, was about the ownership of it. It was about the fact that they could sing it and deliver it in a way that no one else could. No man would ever get away with this or do this and be that empowered. This was an era where women were meant to be decoration. Nice girls were singing about romance, for God’s sake. These women were not only singing about sex, they were celebrating female sexuality and enjoying it. They had a smirk on their faces. They had their tongues in their cheeks and they were putting it out there that they were woman in control of themselves. 

If people think that sexuality has only just occurred with Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B, think again ladies. These woman were in control and sexy – out of control sexy. And they didn’t even take it off. I’m bringing my fresh take on this and showing the joy and the sexiness of keeping it on.

I assume singing these songs on stage allows you to bring even more than what you do in a recording studio?

That’s correct. I’m a very visual artist. Performing is my true love. Live performance is what I live for. Everything is recorded live. It’s one take. I believe in that completely and utterly, because I want to keep that seat of the pants feeling that makes great performance.

I’m very proud of the album. But the thing that I love about performing it live is to entertain you. But also to transport you and to leave you breathless with that art form that is rarely seen these days. It’s an old art form and it’s a wonderful art form. If I could spend the rest of my life on stage performing like this, that’s really what I’ve always wanted.

Female self-expression and ownership has changed a lot from the time of the music that you’ve recorded to what’s being released as new music today. Where do you think female self-expression will go vis-a-vis artists in the next ten or 15 years?

Young women are asking me what is the answer? How do they get to that place? You, in your lives, are not here to be pleasers. It’s to please us first and then we can everyone else. I do believe in that strongly. I think that whatever way you look, whatever way you dress, the future is woman. However you present yourself, your music, your gift, your sexuality, is on your own terms. Because when you’re authentic and when your voice is true, people can tell.

I spent a whole career being told why do you talk so much? Why do you think you’re funny? Why do you want to do this, do that? Then you get to a point where it’s look, this is who I am. Do you understand? This is who I am. You like me or you don’t like me, but I can’t do anything about that. It’s not about how other people judge you, What matters is the voice inside you that’s judging yourself. We all know that you get to that point [where] we actually don’t give a shit. That’s the most freeing moment. That is moving forward movement. I really hope that is the future.

Let’s talk about your future. 18 years ago you were Lost and Found [her 2005 album]. Now you’re at a point where you’re saying, come on and get it. What do you feel is the most authentic next step for Judith Owen?

That is unbelievably insightful and I never even thought about it that way. I’m somebody who every single CD, every single album I made, you could tell where I was, who I was, how I was doing, how my mental health was. I was lost. I was found.

Here I am 18 years later after all this time and all these albums at a point where I’m saying to the world grab this life. Just embrace who you are for real. It’s a short life. It’s a short time we’re here. Don’t waste it. If I could have got here faster, I would have. But I couldn’t. So here I am looking forward. These women gave me permission to be my unapologetic self, to reveal the bad ass that was gestating all this time since I was six years old. I kid you not. Moving forward, I’m going to be performing and recording and being that person. 

Since we started with Peggy Lee, I want to end with something else that Peggy Lee said. She said, “I regard singing pretty much like acting. Each song is like playing a different role. I get very involved with my material. I feel a responsibility for the emotion it brings out in the listener.” Do you equate singing with acting? And if so, how does that inform not just how you present yourself today, but how are you going to present yourself in a week or a year or a decade?

Having an overactive imagination, but having a core actor sensibility in me, I do believe that. Being an interpreter is about being an actor. Somebody like Sinatra was so extraordinary in that way. Peggy Lee was so magnificent in that way. You felt like she meant every single word. That’s what I believe in. It’s half acting, half really exposing your true self. Because like any fine actor, you must immerse yourself in the character. You must immerse yourself in the role and you must mean every word that you utter. So if you’re going to do it right, and do it well, you take it to the place inside you where it resonates.

I’m not just singing this song because it’s pretty or lovely or what sounds good or my voice is nice. That’s not what it means to me. I want you to be on this ride with me, to feel what I feel and remember how you’ve been there. She could not be more right. I’m a big believer of this. Again, it’s not incredibly popular, I guess. You don’t see that very much these days, but I believe in it.

To see the full interview with Judith Owen, please go here.

Main Photo: Judith Owen (Courtesy Judith Owen)

The post Is Singer Judith Owen Lady J or Vice-Versa? appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

“Never in my wildest dreams.” That’s how ukulele master Jake Shimabukuro described, not just his new album, Jake and Friends, but his entire career.

“To be traveling and being a touring musician now,” he told me last week during a Zoom interview, “it’s like happiness. It’s just crazy, you know, to look at all the opportunities and experiences that the ukulele has brought into my life.”

Not only has his instrument brought him opportunities, it has brought him an album featuring collaborations with Jimmy Buffett, Jack Johnson, Ziggy Marley, Bette Midler, Willie Nelson and more. Jake and Friends comes out today.

For the uninitiated, it was a video of Shimabukuro performing the song While My Guitar Gently Weeps in Central Park in 2006 that went viral that catapulted his career. The video has been seen over 17.4 million times.

For Shimabukuro this album might actually reflect a return to the early days in his career. He participated in Brown Bags to Stardom in Hawaii where could be in the background while singers he accompanied competed for stardom. This time, of course, he’s front and center with the singers.

“I’m a fan of the ukulele first. I love the instrument and never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would hear a ukulele with Warren Haynes or with electric slide guitar by Sonny Landreth. Mixed in with not just these different genres of music, but these iconic artists who represent their respective genres. It’s so fulfilling and magical. I’m really thrilled. I mean, Jon Anderson, you know, I used to listen to all his records growing up and his voice is so iconic. I never ever thought I would hear that voice with a ukulele.”

The first person he went to was Willie Nelson. From there it was easy to get other artists to join him – most of whom he had worked with previously whether on record or in performance. New to performing with Shimabukuro and his ukulele were Anderson, Nelson, Moon Taxi, Billy Strings and Nelson’s son Lukas.

“The first time we met was actually in the studio. Everything he played, and I’m not even exaggerating, every take he did was perfect. We did the song Find Yourself three times. The only reason we had to do it three times is because I kept making a mistake. But all three times that he recorded it, it was perfect. We wanted to get a live take – we didn’t want to edit it. He was like, ‘Oh, you wanna try another song?’ So we actually ended up recording four songs. That was a really special experience for me.”

Even though Shimabukuro has redefined how a ukulele can be played and how it can sound, he still wonders why people like Warren Buffett, Francis Ford Coppola and Bill Gates also play the ukulele. He even posted on Facebook in 2014 that it “blew his mind.” He does have a theory about what motivates them to enjoy the instrument – it’s unique sound.

“The sound of it just grounds. It just brings you back to simplicity. It’s hard to explain. You just have to pick one up and play a chord – as long as it’s in tune. That’s what drew me to it. When my mom first put it in my hands and I played my first chord. I was like, ‘Oh, wow!'”

It seems simple, but it takes a lot of work and practice to make that simplicity sound good.

“You get that instant gratification because you can play it right away, but then you can also spend your entire life trying to master the instrument. And that’s what I love about it. Every time I have an opportunity to really be present with the instrument and to just play – which is almost every day – I discover new things about it and and it’s exciting. And every time you discover something new it’s like finding an unopened treasure box of gems and goodies.”

The day before our conversation Shimabukuro had just turned 45. He’s been in the public eye since 1998. For more than half his life he’s been defined by his music. He’d be quite content to have his music define him for the next 20 plus years as well.

“If you can do something that makes someone else’s life a little better and makes them happy or gives them joy in any way, that’s what I really love. When I’m on stage I feel so present and not distracted by anything. I can be so in the moment and you feel like other people can be in the moment with you. When you can share that together, you know, it just makes for a greater experience than you can really achieve by yourself.”

It all comes down to the ukulele. One of his idols, Eddie Kamae, released a popular album in 1962 called The Heart of the Ukulele. Shimabukuro shared his own definition of what makes the heart of the instrument that has taken him to the highest of heights.

“I guess the heart of the ukulele is really just simplicity. What I love about the ukulele is it’s such a humble instrument. There are four strings, two octaves and there’s something about the sound when I hear it. It just it takes me back to the islands and it makes me feel young, makes me feel alive and just makes me smile.”

To watch the full interview with Jake Shimabukuro, please go to our YouTube channel here.

All photos of Jake Shimabukuro ©Sienna Morales

The post Jake Shimabukuro Has His Ukulele and His Friends appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

Einhorn has long been a fan of Herman’s work. So it’s no surprise that early last year, shortly after the composer’s death, he presented You I Like at New York’s 92nd Street Y.

The Pasadena Playhouse, putting together plans for PlayhouseLive (their original programming platform during the pandemic), reached out to Einhorn to see about filming a revised version of that show.

You I Like – A Musical Celebration of Jerry Herman reflects the absolutely enthusiasm that Herman put into such shows as Mame, La Cage aux Folles and, of course, Hello, Dolly! Einhorn brings his own passion for this material as both music director, accompanist, writer and on-camera host for the show.

As the Capitol in Washington, D.C. was being overrun on January 6th, I spoke by phone with Einhorn about You I Like, Herman’s many musicals and why his songs resonate today with him personally and audiences around the world. What follows has been edited for length and clarity.

In May of 2017 you posted on your Facebook page part of an interview Bette Midler gave CBS This Morning in which she said, “Never look back…if you’re looking back you can’t look forward, you can’t go forward.” You commented, “She’s the wisest.” How does that advice apply to your approach to You I Like?

As we began this phone call we are in a moment where we have to look forward. What’s happening in the world is the perfect reason why Jerry Herman’s music needs to be heard. There are messages of optimism, joy and life. People in this world are hurting and are looking for a salve to emerge from this moment and find a way forward. Jerry was the master of commanding us to listen.

When I think of my whole journey on Hello, Dolly! – which was interesting and exciting and all things in between – a lot of what I learned about life came from working with Jerry Zaks and Bette and their messages of pushing forward to not relying on what we know; using it as a foundation to be ourselves to build upon to go forward.

There have been multiple revues of Herman’s work before and you did a previous version of this show last year. What was your goal in making this version of You I Like different from others that came before it?

What I’ve tried to do is pinpoint why Jerry Herman is special. I think it’s all there in the music and lyrics. The lemonade moment in the pandemic was getting a second chance to re-evaluate this piece and adapt a two-act musical revue into a 90-minute program that takes you on the same journey. I’m hoping through this people will know and love Jerry Herman where his shows were bigger than he was. This is celebrating the man.

What are your thoughts on Mack and Mabel and Mame? The former has been revised multiple times to make the book work without ever truly succeeding. The latter expresses reverence for Southern traditions that would not be considered acceptable today. Can Mack and Mabel ever work and can Mame ever be revived?

My answer is yes. Part of our job as artists it to present material. I’m not always sure re-writing pieces is in our favor. We don’t have the authors with us now. We only have their perspective. Part of our job in presenting Showboat or Mame, we cannot deny how it was written or set. We have to be careful and we have to evaluate on a case-by-case basis that feels informed and educated. There was no part of Jerry that was racist. He was adapting a piece and it was a strong piece to adapt.

You’ve had a lengthy professional relationship with Audra McDonald as her music director/accompanist. She’s recently added Before the Parade Passes By from Hello, Dolly! to her repertoire. Did you have something to do with that?

Of course! (He laughs). I was the one who brought it up to her. Audra is an artist who can make you hear a song and make you really listen to it. I said, “this is a landmine song for you.” Audra is 50 and she’s had an amazing career up to this point. As we always do, you look at what’s on the horizon and where do we want to go. That song spoke to her about having a second chance and she found a lot she can relate to. I’m excited we’re doing the song now and I think it’s tremendous. At the end of the day she’s the magic that makes it work. I just have the spark of the idea.

One of Jerry’s lesser known musicals was The Grand Tour. In the song I’ll Be Here Tomorrow he wrote, “If before the dawn this fragile world might crack, someone’s got to try to put the pieces back.” As we speak the world is cracking. How do Jerry Herman’s songs give you personally the confidence that we’ll all be here tomorrow?

I don’t need to say it, you said his words. I get very emotional about it. For some reason this material really speaks to me. My partner said it best, “society always find a way out and is better.” We have to endure all of this, but we are going to get out of this.

The reason we speak in music and words is because everybody can understand them. They don’t always agree, but they hear it. I know his work exemplifies that. That lyric made me cry. It’s an enormous catharsis. Maybe it’s my own therapy session, but I’m going to own it. I think it’s important to hear it. There’s a healing quality that people need right now. It speaks to exactly what we need to hear.

You I Like is available to rent through PlayhouseLive through February 7th.

Photo: Lesli Margherita, Andrea Ross, Ryan Vona, Nicholas Christopher, Ashley Blanchet, and Andy Einhorn in You I Like: A Musical Celebration of Jerry Herman (Photo by Jeff Lorch/Courtesy Playhouse Live)

The post It’s Jerry Herman that Andy Einhorn Likes appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

Thankfully a number of people have created new programming to keep us in the spirit – or to let the spirits move us. The programming ranges from fun for the entire family to idiosyncratic entertainment for adults seeking more adventurous offerings.

Tim Burton said, “Every day is Halloween isn’t it? For some of us.” At least every day this week will be for all of us. So which one of these shows do you want in your trick or treat bag? Whatever you do, don’t fall asleep.

Bob Baker’s HaLLoWe’eN SpoOkTaCuLar – PlayhouseLive – Now – November 18th

Pasadena Playhouse’s PlayhouseLive has added another Bob Baker Marionette Theater show to their line-up: the classic HaLLoWe’eN SpoOkTaCuLar. This annual Halloween tradition has been filmed and is perfect entertainment for the entire family.

There will be some classic characters including Dracula, The Invisible Man and the Purple People Eater. Think of this as a Monster Mash with strings.

Renting the show, which runs 48 minutes, costs $14.99

Attention Deficit Disorder *COBWEB* Cabaret – Club Cumming – October 27th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

This is not your typical cabaret. Nor should it be for Halloween. Angela Di Carlo, a comedic cabaret singer, is the hostess for this special Halloween edition of her recurring Attention Deficit Disorder Cabaret shows. This live show will emanate from Alan Cumming’s Club Cumming in New York City.

What to expect? Let me use their own description: Join us as we take a virtual stroll thru the Dead Baby Graveyard in a slutty nurse costume while eating Pumpkin Spice potato chips. In these troubled and uncertain times there’s nothing better than curing your raging ADD with all your favorite spooky songs and laffs galore with ADD *COBWEB* Cabaret. 

Joining Di Carlo for this show will be David Ilku of Unitard Comedy and Kyle “Special K” Forester on piano. Other guests might be added.

ADD Cabaret has been running for over five years and has attracted great reviews and celebrity fans like Parker Posey and Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters. This won’t be a traditional show at all. That’s why I like it!

Tickets are $20.

Lena Hall Virtually Halloween Edition – October 29th – 7:30 PM EDT/4:30 PM PDT

Not only will you get Lena Hall rocking out some great Halloween tunes, you are encouraged to dress in costume for this week’s Lena Hall Virtually concert. VIP tickets that include a song request are sold out, but there are still general admission tickets available as are charitable donation tickets. The Ali Forney Center receives all money raised with donation tickets.

What will she sing? Depends on the requests. But I wouldn’t be surprised to see at least one or two songs from The Rocky Horror Show, Monster Mash and I Put a Spell On You to be part of the repertoire. Whatever it is, it’s going to be (psycho) killer, Qu’est-ce que c’est, Fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-far better.

I Put a Spell On You: The Sanderson Sisters Break the Internet – October 29th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

The 1993 film Hocus Pocus is the focus of a couple shows this week. I Put a Spell On You is an annual concert and party. For obvious reasons, this year’s party is going online.

It is free, but donations to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS are encouraged.

Jay Armstrong Johnson, Allison Robinson and Amanda Williams Ware take on the roles of Winifired, Sarah and Mary Sanderson played by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy in the film.

This online party, which takes the form of a filmed adventure, will find the Sanderson Sisters recruiting as many iconic villains as they can to carry out a fiendish plot.

Joining in the fun will be Broadway’s Nick Rashad Burroughs (Tina: The Tina Turner Musical), Drew Gehling (Waitress), J. Harrison Ghee (Mrs. Doubtfire), Todrick Hall (Kinky Boots), Robyn Hurder (Moulin Rouge! The Musical), Julia Mattison (Godspell), Eva Noblezada (Hadestown), Ahmad Simmons (West Side Story) and Will Swenson (Waitress). 

There will also be some popular drag queens including Bob The Drag Queen (TV’s RuPaul’s Drag Race), Kizha Carr, Marti Gould Cummings, Peachez and Alexis Michelle (TV’s RuPaul’s Drag Race).

Rounding out the show are cast members from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, West Side Story, The Cher Show, The Real Housewives of New York City, On Your Feet! and several other shows.

Sharon Needles: Mask It Or Casket! – Club Cumming – October 29th – 9:00 PM EDT/6:00 PM PDT

If you are familiar with the drag queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race, you know there is one queen who screams Halloween: Sharon Needles. She won Season 4 and has put together a show that will undoubtedly be like no other. Mask It or Casket! will run four times: 3 performances on October 29th and one late show on Halloween.

It is said in press materials that this show will be a contemporary spin on camp classics like the Paul Lynde Halloween Special. And here’s a reminder of what that show was like:

Joining Sharon Needles will be Amanda Lepore, RuPaul’s Drag Race stars Alaska 5000 (Season 5) and Aja (Season 9), Michael Musto, Jada Valenciaga, illusionist Michael Carbonaro and special appearances by Countess Luann from Real Housewives of New York and Tony Award-winner (and club owner) Alan Cumming.

Tickets are $25 with showtimes on October 29th at 5:00 PM EDT/2:00 PM PDT, 9:00 PM EDT/6:00 PM PDT and a midnight show that will air at 9:00 PM PDT on the West Coast. The Halloween showtime is midnight on the East Coast and 9:00 PM PDT on the West Coast.

The Brett Loudermilk Halloween Special – October 29th – October 30th

America’s Got Talent 2020 semi-finalist Brett Loudermilk is putting on his own Halloween special and he’s enlisted Elvira, Gilbert Gottfried and Puddles Pity Party to join him.

Loudermilk earned his spot on AGT by not just swallowing swords – his specialty along with a quick wit – but in making the judges wholly uncomfortable, particularly Sofia Vergara.

Elvira we all know and certainly Halloween is the perfect occasion to revisit the Mistress of the Dark. Puddles Pity Party, who was a quarter-finalist on the 2012 season of America’s Got Talent, is also joining the show. He is one of the most unique and talented performers I’ve ever seen. The less you know, the better the surprise is of what Puddles Pity Party does.

There will be two performances of The Brett Loudermilk Halloween Special. One on October 29th at 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT and one on October 30th at 10 PM EDT/7:00 PM PDT. Tickets are $25.

In Search of the Sanderson Sisters: A Hocus Pocus Hulaween Takeover – October 30th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

This is our second Hocus Pocus-related event for Halloween. In Search of the Sanderson Sisters: A Hocus Pocus Hualween Takeover finds Bette Midler reunited with co-stars Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy. This is a fundraiser for The New York Restoration Project.

NYRP started as a grass roots project by Midler to clean up parks in New York City.

One of their biggest events each year is Hulaween – a masquerade ball with a Hawaiian twist (Midler was born in Honolulu). Circumstances being what they are, this year’s event is online.

In Search of the Sanderson Sisters takes the form of a “documentary” program in which Elvira (she’s back) explores with all three Sisters their background. Mysterious secrets will be revealed about their ancestry, education and loves found and lost.

Joining Midler, Parker and Najimy will be co-stars Thora Birch, Omri Katz and Doug Jones. But they also have a few special guests lined-up: Glenn Close, Billy Crystal, Jamie Lee Curtis, John Debney, Samantha Diaz, Todrick Hall, Jennifer Hudson, Anjelah Johnson-Reyes, Michael Kors, Adam Lambert, George Lopez, Alex Moffat, Vinessa Shaw, Martin Short, Sarah Silverman, John Stamos, Meryl Streep, Kenan Thompson, Sophie von Haselberg and other surprise guests.

Tickets to watch the show are $10 plus a $3 service charge. Proceeds benefit the New York Restoration Project. It is important to be aware that there will be only this one showing of In Search of the Sanderson Sisters.

The Nightmare Before Christmas Concert – October 31 – 7:00 PM EDT/4:00 PM PDT

“Just because I cannot see it, doesn’t mean I can’t believe it.” Well Jack Skellington, believe it.

The Actors Fund and the Lymphoma Research Foundation are teaming up for a one-night-only benefit concert of the music and songs from Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. The event takes place on Halloween and will be a one-time-only presentation.

The concert was the idea of Tony Award-winner James Monroe Iglehart (Aladdin). He has invited many of his friends from Broadway to perform the classic Danny Elfman songs from their homes. The stars joining him are Danny Burstein (Moulin Rouge!), Rafael Casal (Blindspotting), Lesli Margherita (Matilda), Rob McClure (Mrs. Doubtfire), Nik Walker (Ain’t Too Proud) and Adrienne Warren (Tina: The Tina Turner Musical).

Each of the cast members was tasked with coming up with costumes and props using things they already had in their homes.

This show is not only family-friendly, but also has a family-friendly price of $4.99.

In Hocus Pocus, Winifred Sanderson says, “Oh look, another glorious morning. Makes me sick.” I believe with all this Halloween programming available to you this week, you’ll start November in a much brighter place than Winifred ever did.

Photo: Sharon Needles (Courtesy Club Cumming)

The post Halloween Tricks and Treats for Culture Vultures appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

Alan Cumming and his nightclub Club Cumming will stream a performance of the show filmed live from Fire Island where the guests also were only wearing towels. Bette Bathhouse and Beyond will stream twice. The first streaming will be on October 22nd at 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT. The second streaming will be on October 28th at 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT.

Midler got the nickname “Bathhouse Betty” from her performances at the Baths. Other artists who performed there included the New York Dolls and Andy Kaufman. But if something made the Continental Baths well-known beyond the opportunities it gave its attendees, it was Midler and the launch of her nearly 50-year career.

In Bobby Patrick‘s review for Broadway World, he said, “Amber Martin’s show is equal parts Divine tribute and edgy rock concert. La Martin does NOT ‘play’ Bette in her show, unlike her spot-on Reba, or her Brenda Snell and Daydra Bottums characters. On the F’ING contrary, she is so much herself, she is so much out there, she is so incredibly fierce AND fearless that Bette would be proud to call this lady ‘sister.’ She would be elated that this powerhouse of talent was performing music with which Midler made magic many and many a year ago at the Continental Baths.”

This clip is from a performance Martin gave at Joe’s Pub in New York.

Drew Brody plays Barry Manilow in the show.

Tickets for either date for Bette Bathhouse and Beyond can be purchased here.

Photo: Amber Martin (Photo by Koitz/Courtesy Club Cumming)

The post Bette Bathhouse and Beyond: Live from Fire Island appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

On Thursday, July 16th, Broadway Barks will take place at 7:30 PM EDT/4:30 PM PDT and can be watched on Broadway.com’s Facebook page.

This year marks the 22nd annual event. Each event features celebrities and shelter pets that are available for adoption. This year, with the pandemic, animals and celebrities are being paired up within the safety of their homes.

Peters and her colleagues have assembled a great line-up of talent:

Alec Baldwin, Carol Burnett, Betty Buckley, Danny Burstein, Michael Cerveris, Kristin Chenoweth, Victoria Clark, Alan Cumming, Ted Danson, Ariana DeBose, Raúl Esparza, Gloria Estefan, Sutton Foster, Victor Garber, Whoopi Goldberg, Jeff Goldblum, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Joel Grey, Josh Groban, Jake Gyllenhaal, Julie Halston, Jon Hamm, Emmylou Harris, Sean Hayes, Hugh Jackman, Andy Karl, Nathan Lane, Laura Linney, Rebecca Luker, Audra McDonald, Malcolm McDowell, Laurie Metcalf, Bette Midler, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Rita Moreno, Bebe Neuwirth, Alex Newell, Kelli O’Hara, Orfeh, Mandy Patinkin, Randy Rainbow, Andrew Rannells, John Stamos, Mary Steenburgen, Will Swenson, Michael Urie, Nia Vardalos, Adrienne Warren and Vanessa Williams. 

32 different shelters will participate both in providing dogs and cats available for adoption and in receiving money raised during the event. There is no cost to join Broadway Barks online, but donations are encouraged.

Every year Broadway Barks is a hugely successful pet adoption event. Over the twenty-two years it has taken place they have been able to place approximately 85% of the animals. That means if you fall in love with one of the dogs or cats you see online, you better act quickly!

During Bernadette Peters: A Special Concert, Michael Urie talked about how passionate Peters is in rescuing animals. He said that she regularly goes to shelters that have a “kill policy” (meaning that animals will be euthanized after a certain amount of time has passed) and takes them to shelters that do not have the same policy.

She and co-founder Mary Tyler Moore found a way to take their passion for our four-legged friends and add their celebrity to help animals find homes.

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and Broadway.com are producing the event. Paul Wontorek, who produced the recent Buyer and Cellar and Take Me to the World events, produces for Broadway.com

Photo: Bernadette Peters at the 2018 Broadway Barks events (Photo by Emilio Madrid for Broadway.com/Courtesy of Broadway.com)

The post Broadway Barks Online appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

Hello, Dolly makes its first stop in Southern California starting today at Segerstrom Hall in Costa Mesa. After a week there the show moves to the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood where the musical will run until February 17th. The show will continue on to San Francisco where it will be at the Golden Gate Theatre from February 19th to March 17th.

I recently spoke by phone with Buckley about the joys and challenges of performing in this utterly joyous musical.

How much work is involved in performing a show that is as joyful as Hello, Dolly!?

Well, good question. Every day is about maintenance to do the eight shows a week. I work out for 1-2 hours a day and vocalize for 30-45 minutes and you have to time your dinner early enough so you aren’t burping through the show. Basically I live like a monk or a nun. I don’t do anything at night and take an epsom salt bath and ice my knees before I go to bed and get up the next day. It’s not easy doing eight shows a week. I’ve lost 38 pounds so far. They just took in all these costumes. It’s pretty challenging even trying to work in a life – like reading a book is a privilege. You don’t get to keep up with your favorite tv shows.

You are known for playing darker characters like Grizabella, Norma Desmond and Mama Rose. what makes playing a more optimistic character both interesting and satisfying for you?

It’s more challenging actually because it is necessary to keep your own frame of mind in a really positive place and to bring your best self to the experience of that character. That’s challenging when you are tired and going through whatever you are going through. You have to process that quickly and lend yourself to the instrument of joy that is Dolly Levi.

It would seem that both Dolly’s 2^nd act entrance and the title song are enormous gifts for anyone lucky enough to play the part. What was that first night response like for you and what does that kind of unbridled enthusiasm and affection mean to you night after night?

The whole show is. Well it is amazing to experience – that is a remarkable thing. But it really is the show. I don’t tend to take it very personally. I’m grateful to be the quarterback of this team. It’s the production, the character and the show they are responding to. I’m just the actor. This production of the show is the best I’ve ever seen and Jerry Zaks’s direction is very amazing and illuminating. And the design by Santo Loquasto and the costumes and Natasha Katz’s lighting, the ensemble, the singers and dancers. It’s a remarkable team.

You told me when you were at the Wallis with “Ghostlight” that you “wanted to be a very natural, realistic actor who could paint portraits.” Now that you’ve been doing the show for a several months how has your portrayal of Dolly Levi evolved and met that criteria?

I wouldn’t know how to answer that. I don’t know how to evaluate my work. I guess I feel more grounded in the part. We’ve done over 100 performances at this point. In terms of what I experience I feel more grounded. Just evolved. Doing a run your own work evolves. I keep trying to make certain choices better, sing it better. I keep reviewing the story elements every night before I go on. I study the lines and run the show every day. Reading the script every day can give you new insights.

You also said when we spoke that “At each point of sincere readiness it appers to me that the opportunity comes.” Now that the Hello, Dolly! opportunity has not only arrived, but been launched, why do you think this opportunity came at this point in your career?

I think I’m more mature and know better how to tell the story now than I would have years earlier. One remarkable thing I can observe is that a part or character and story come when I have the information and experience to tell it and I’m grateful to experience that synchronicity of the spiritual. That is still my raison d’etre.

I was listening to “Hope” this morning (Buckley’s most recent album and in particular the title song) and it occurred to me that if Hello, Dolly! were less overtly joyful, that song could fit right in and serve Dolly well. Do you agree?  

Well I think she is the manifestation of hope. All human beings are a combination of light and dark. Dolly for the past 10 years as a widow has retired from life from when she lived it – fully with her husband while he was living. She’s reached a point where she’ss tired of living alone and shess on a mission to come back to the world of the living and participate at this moment of life.

This year marks 50 years since your Broadway debut in 1776. Does it seem like just yesterday and how have those 50 years overall been to you?

I‘m keenly aware of that and I became a performer when I was 11. I have been doing this consistently for 60 years. From my Broadway debut, in that sense it’s like a 50-year history. I thnk they’ve been very good to me. I’m very grateful for my career and the eclectic nature of it and the fact I’m still out there. That I was invited to helm this production is a huge honor. I’m exceedingly grateful.

Production photos of Hello, Dolly! by Julieta Cervantes

The post Betty Buckley Works Hard to Make “Hello, Dolly!” Joyous appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

Australian Alcorn has traveled the world celebrating The Divine Miss M with a combination of singing, storytelling and of course, dirty jokes. “I will never forget it you know…”

Since Midler has spent much of the last year on Broadway in Hello, Dolly! it is unlikely we will see her touring any time soon. So if you want to relive the energy, wit and vocal stylings of Midler, and don’t want to pull out Bette Midler Live at Last from 1977, Alcorn’s show will give you the Midler fix you need.

The post The Divine Miss Bette appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

This past weekend she performed at Upstairs at Vitello’s and this weekend she has three performances at Don’t Tell Mama NYC (Fri-Sun.) She returns to Southern California for a show at the Copa in Palm Springs on March 3rd. I asked Alcorn, via e-mail, about her interest in Midler and the history of the show.

When do you first remember seeing Bette Midler and was there something that resonated with you immediately and/or did you feel an instant connection to who she was and what she was doing?

I’ll never forget it, ya know! (Sorry. Had to.) I was ten years old and it was at the cinema seeing Beaches, of course! I grew up on the classics, the MGM musicals, etc., but there was something more vibrant and energizing about this artist I was watching on the big screen that really struck me. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She could do it all. She sang, she was hysterical and in the next second could have you balling your eyes out. She’s such an incredible dramatic actress. She was robbed of the Oscar for her performance in The Rose. Robbed!

Your show began in 2009 as a one-off. How does the show you are doing now mirror the show you did nearly 9 years ago?

That’s right! I put together this piece as a showcase to launch me back into the industry after living overseas for a number of years. I invited a bunch of agents who never came, but the general public did and before you knew it we were selling out every month for a year. From there the show has toured nationally, played every major festival in Australia and now has its US debut. To think that our first show was at the Wagga Wagga Country Club in 2009, and this week we will play New York City. It’s incredible.

[Does it strike anyone reading this how ironic it is that Alcorn started at at club that sounds like the kind of venue Delores De Lago would have appeared in?]

The show has definitely evolved. In the early days we were a four-piece doing a 70-minute cabaret show. Now we change up the setlist from show to show, improvise musically and have expanded to a 7-piece for the Australian tours where we play houses of up to 900 seats.

How much did your time with Steve Ostrow inform the show you do? What did you learn from him that surprised you about Bette Midler? [Steve Ostrow opened the Continental Baths in New York in 1968. This is where Bette Midler made her mark as a performer with Barry Manilow accompanying her on the piano.]

My time and training with Steve has been so special. He has never trained me to sound like Bette. We trained classically.

My favorite story he told me was how Bette used to rehearse with the band every week before her bathhouse shows. Steve said she’d rehearse with them every night of the week before her Friday night performance. She’d run and run the songs and get the band exactly where she wanted them. Then on the night she’d get up and do it all differently!

Bette is such a larger-than-life figure on stage. How much do you try to mimic what she does versus put your own spin on it and the material?

I call what I do in this show “channelling” and I love how much freedom that gives me on stage. The foundation of the show is based on Bette and her 70s concerts, but within that larger-than-life character I improvise a lot and use my own material. It’s loosely scripted. I call them more “anchors of ideas.” This role has helped me discover my comedy chops, which has been the most exciting discovery of all. It has forced me to exercise and rely on my improv skills, and now that’s the most thrilling part of it for me. Every show is different based on our audiences. They’re in control more than they realize. Don’t tell them!

Bette Midler has a strong connection with Australia vis-á-vis her friendship with the late Peter Allen. Do you think Bette Midler means or represents something unique in Australia that is different than how she is perceived in the US?

She’s adored everywhere and that translates. But I think the reason we connect so well is because we can laugh at ourselves and we love a dirty joke!

This is your first appearance in America. If you could put yourself in Bette Midler’s show as she was embarking on her first Australian tour, what do you think she told herself in advance of that tour that would be great advice for you as you embark on yours here?

Fuck ’em if they can’t take a joke! But seriously, but be you and do what you do. You’re enough.

Bette Midler on stage is very different than Bette off. In fact, she claims to be quite shy and a little bit retiring. What’s the flip side of Catherine Alcon when not in Bette mode or Christine McVie mode? [Alcorn also does a show “channelling” the Fleetwood Mac singer.]

Amy Schumer describes the introvert/extrovert personality in her book perfectly. “Being an introvert doesn’t mean you’re shy. It means you enjoy being alone. Not just enjoy it – you need it.”

There are many facets to my personality and I need quiet time and the opportunity to switch off. It’s imperative to my health. You give so much of yourself on stage and at work, so having that downtime gives you that chance to just be quiet and reconnect with your family and friends.

One thing Midler does very well is adapt her shows to be very topical. Even a review of her Twitter account reveals she likes to be on top of what’s going on in the world. Do you update your show to stay topical or is this more of an homage to Bette of days gone by?

Oh God, yes! That’s the best part of my job. I make it my mission to uncover the local gossip in every town we play to tailor bits for the show that night. I then workshop those ideas with two colleagues in Australia: Peter Cox, the show’s creator and fellow artist and Aussie comedy legend Phil Scott, who was one of the writers on the original stage production of Priscilla Queen of the Desert.

Our first stop on this tour was Green Valley, Arizona, just outside of Tucson. Did you know they wife swap and swing in Arizona? Tucson? More like Threescon….

Bette once said, “If Only I’d known my differences would be an asset, then my earlier life would have been much easier.” When did you first realize your “differentness” and when did you realize that it was an asset?

This resonates more than you’ll ever know. One of the reasons I’ve been so excited to play the USA is because I know audiences will get me here. I don’t get cast much in Australia because I don’t fit just one mold. This is what led me to creating and producing my own work.

I’m not mad at i now, but for a little while I was resentful of the fact that I wasn’t getting cast in musicals or TV. I didn’t fit a certain look or sound. I was slogging my away on my own and building my own career. But then I realized the power in that and that my differentness wasn’t going to stop me working.

That realization relived a ton of pressure, so now I just get on with it. Besides, if you look closely you’ll see that everyone is producing their own work now more than ever.

Photo Credit:  John McRae

The post Boogie Woogie Bugle Girl Catherine Alcorn appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

I found myself in New York this past weekend. This was also Bette Midler’s last weekend in the revival of Hello, Dolly!  So I did want any fool without tickets for one her last performances would do: I waited for two hours in hopes of getting a single ticket by standing in the cancellation line.

The odds were on my side. After all, the weather was blustery and very cold. The security guard said odds are best on bad weather days. Though the management at the Shubert Theatre was able to allow us to stay inside for most of that wait, the last 45 minutes were spent outside where the wind tunnel that is Shubert Alley made the 12 degree weather seem infinitely colder.

But the wait paid off. I ended up with a ticket in the center orchestra section in the seventh row.  I should say that I had already seen this production once before in the summer. But I couldn’t let the Bette Midler parade pass me by without one more visit to the Harmonia Gardens.

The show didn’t disappoint and neither did the Divine Miss M. The audience, knowing that it was Midler’s final weekend, was savoring every syllable, every gesture and every note.

I’ve seen hundreds of productions of plays and musicals. And I’ve seen some legendary performances. But without question, the star turn that Bette Midler has in Hello, Dolly! is on another level completely. By the time the show gets around to the title song in the second act, the audience is rewarded with perhaps the single most satisfying moment I’ve ever seen on a stage. Midler is having the time of her life and making sure that we do, too. Perhaps the best way to describe this moment (and, in fact, her performance) my partner, not the biggest of musical fans, loved this show and loved Midler in it. Even he leapt to his feet at the conclusion of the song.

It also should be said that David Hyde Pierce is every bit her equal. As Horace Vandergelder he goes toe-to-toe with Midler both comedically and dramatically.

In Hello, Dolly!, Dolly Levi has finally decided it is time to remarry. And she has her eyes set on Vandergelder who is about to propose to someone else. Levi, being a master manipulator, finds a way of making Vandergelder think it is his idea to marry her. The comedic genius of their chemistry and rhythm is that this scene plays like a master class in ad-lib (even if they may have been doing nearly the same thing for the entire run.)

The supporting cast (including Gavin Creel, Taylor Trensch, Kate Baldwin and Beanie Feldstein) are delightful. This is the best production of Hello, Dolly!  you and I will probably ever see.

And though we just said so long dearie to Miss Midler, the show will go on. Bernadette Peters takes over for Midler and Victor Garber assumes the role of Vandergelder. It will continue to be a great production of a great show.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to see Bette Midler take to the Broadway stage in such a commanding way that I will forever remember her final line of dialogue in the show, “Thank you, Ephraim.”

But it is we who should thank you, Bette. It was nice to have you right where you belong.

Photo Credit: Julieta Cervantes

The post Saying “Hello, Dolly” and Goodbye, Bette appeared first on Cultural Attaché.