for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf – Booth Theatre – New York – Now through May 22nd

Ntozake Shange’s “choreopoem” first opened on Broadway in 1976 and ran for 742 performances and also earned a Tony Award nomination as Best Play. 7 Black women, nameless but identified by the color of the clothes they wear, explore their lives and experiences through poetry that has been choreographed to music.

Camille A. Brown makes her directorial debut with this revival. She recently co-directed and choreographed Terence Blanchard’s opera Fire Shut Up In My Bones at the Met. The ensemble of women appearing in the show are Amara Granderson, Tendayi Kuumba, Kenita R. Miller, Okwui Okpokwasili, Stacey Sargean, Alexandria Wailes and D. Woods

For tickets and more information please go here.

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? – Geffen Playhouse – Los Angeles  – Now – May 29th

Edward Albee’s Tony Award and Pultizer Prize-winning 1962 play about marriage as seen through the eyes of a hard-drinking and embittered middle-aged couple  and a younger couple with mixed motivations for being their guests after a faculty party gets a new production in Los Angeles.

Zachary Quinto and Calista Flockhart play George and Martha – the older couple. Nick and Honey, the younger couple, are played by Graham Phillips and Aimee Carrero. Gordon Greenberg directs.

For tickets and more information, please go here.

A Strange Loop – Lyceum Theatre New York – Now playing

The 2020 Pulitzer Prize for drama went to Michael R. Jackson’s musical A Strange Loop. It’s an aptly named meta-musical about a gay Black man who’s writing a musical about a gay Black man.  Reviews were through the roof when it ran off-Broadway.

Last week’s reviews were even stronger for the Broadway production. This is going to be a very hot ticket this season and quite possibly the musical to beat for the Tony Awards.

Stephen Brackett directs A Strange Loop. The ensemble features Antwayn Hopper, L Morgan Lee, John-Mihael Lyles, James Jackson, Jr., John-Andrew Morrison, Jaquel Spivey and Jason Veasey.

For tickets and more information, please go here.

An Evening with Fran Lebowitz – Multiple Venues – April 28^th – May 6^th

It probably surprises no one more than Fran Lebowitz that after the Netflix series Pretend It’s A City debuted she would be a hot ticket around the world. But here she is participating in conversations – exactly what she did with Martin Scorsese in that series.

April 28^th – May 1^st will find her at The Broad Stage in Santa Monica. On  May 2^nd she’ll be at the Balboa Theatre in San Diego. On May 5^th she’ll be at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto and on May 6^th she’s at St. Jean Baptiste Church in Montreal. A European tour launches in late June.

For tickets and more information, click on each venue’s name.

MJ The Musical – Neil Simon Theatre NY – Now – September 4th

It was, of course, inevitable that there would be a jukebox musical showcasing the countless hit songs by Michael Jackson. What may set this musical apart from failed attempts to use songs by The Beach Boys, Cher John Lennon and more is that the book is by two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner Lynn Nottage and the show is directed and choreographed by Christopher  Wheeldon.

Myles Frost makes his Broadway debut as MJ. Walter Russell III (so good in Fire Shut Up in My Bones at the  Metropolitan  Opera) and Christian Wilson alternate performances as Little Michael. Interestingly Tavon Olds-Sample is listed as playing “Michael” in the show. 

Will this musical be a Thriller or will audiences tell this show to Beat It? Either way it’s bound to be interesting.

For tickets and more details, please go here.

American Ballet Theatre on Tour – Now – May 15^th

ABT is on tour with two different programs. Opening this week at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa is ABT Forward. Leonard Bernstein is celebrated in Bernstein in a Bubble; Alonzo King premiere’s Single Eye with music by Jason Moran and Tony Bennett is front and center in Zig Zag. This same program will be performed at the Kennedy Center March 29^th and March 30^th.

Don Quixote is on the program for performances at Chrysler Hall in Norfolk, VA; the Kennedy Center and the Mahalia Jackson Theatre in New Orleans.

For tickets and more information click on each venue’s names.

Take Me Out – Hayes Theater New York – Now – October 2^nd

Richard Greenberg’s 2003 play Take Me Out won the Tony Award for Best Play. It tells the story of a professional baseball player (Jesse Williams) who comes out as gay. His doing so reveals a lot about his teammates and their prejudices about his sexuality and his race.

Also appearing in the play are Patrick J. Adams and Jesse Tyler Ferguson. This is a very adult show that features a nude shower scene with most of the cast. So few professional athletes on major teams have come out in the 19 years since this play was first performed on Broadway. That means Take Me Out is just as topical today as it was then.

For tickets and more information, please go here.

Plaza Suite – Hudson Theatre (NYC) – March 28^th – June 26th

Neil Simon’s comedy about relationships and marriage opened on Broadway on February 14, 1968. The show ran for 1,097 performances and featured George C. Scott and Maureen Stapleton as three separate couples who all visit the Plaza Hotel in New York at different times. 

This first-ever revival of the play stars Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker. John Benjamin Hickey (Tony Award-winner for his performance in The Normal Heart) directs. Danny Bolero, Molly Ranson and Eric Wiegand round out the ensemble.

This limited engagement is scheduled to close on June 26^th.

For more information, please go here.

(Photo by Joan Marcus)

Cyrano – Brooklyn Academy of Musc – April 5^th – May 22^nd

The recent Joe Wright film of Edmond Rostand’s play presented a variation from tradition in telling the story of the man with a large nose who falls in love with Roxanne. Get ready for an even more radical approach.

James McAvoy stars in this new version by Martin Crimp. Gone after the period costumes and pleasantries. This Cyrano is more interested in the love of language than in unrequited love.  Modern clothes, hand mics and stand mics are the tools at the cast’s disposal.

Directed by Jamie Lloyd, this production earned the Olivier Award for Best Revival.

For tickets and more information, please go here.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater –multiple venues –  April 6^th – May 8^th

For over 60 years the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has celebrated what it is to be an African American through innovative dances that utilize a wide array of musical styles. 

They are on tour to celebrate the 10^th Anniversary of Artistic Director Robert Battle. Amongst the pieces on the program are 2004’s Mass; Ella from 2008 and For Four from 2021. Also on the program is Revelations created by Ailey in 1960.

This tour takes them to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles (April 6-10); The Granada Theatre in Santa Barbara (April 13^th and 14^th); Marcus Performing Arts Center in Milwaukee on April 20^th; KeyBank State Theatre in Cleveland (April 22^nd – 24^th); The University of Massachusetts on April 26^th; Boston’s Boch Center Wang Theatre (April 28^th– May 1^st); University of North Carolina (May 3^rd and 4^th) and concludes at Prudential Hall in Newark (May 6^th – 8^th). Click on each venue’s name for more information and tickets.

Sheku & Isata Kanneh-Mason Tour – April 19^th – May 8^th

Pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason and her brother, cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, launch a recital tour on April 19^th at Campbell Hall in Santa Barbara. The core repertoire finds the duo performing works by Frank Bridge, Benjamin Britten, Karem Khachaturian and Dmitri Shostakovich. The Khachaturian is replaced by a work by Beethoven at a few concerts.

The tour takes them to Los Angeles; Costa Mesa; La Jolla; San Francisco; Ann Arbor; Princeton; Kansas City, MO; Baltimore; New York; Toronto; Boston and Atlanta.

For tickets and more information, click on the name of the city above.

Funny Girl – August Wilson Theatre – Now playing

It’s been 58 years since the musical Funny Girl opened on Broadway and turned Barbra Streisand into one of the world’s greatest stars. Since then producers have long considered a revival, but let’s face it, those are big shoes to fill.

Enter Beanie Feldstein who is tackling the role of Fanny Brice. Like Streisand, Feldstein has only played a supporting role in one musical before this one (Hello, Dolly!). Joining her are Ramin Karimloo as love-interest Nick Arnstein and Jane Lynch as Mrs. Brice. Michael Mayer directs the show which has a revised script by Harvey Fierstein.

People, people who need tickets and more information should go here.

Top Album Choices

Jeremy Pelt: Soundtrack

Jazz composer and trumpeter Jeremy Pelt releases his new album this week. It features 10-tracks with Vicente Archer on acoustic & electric bass; Victor Gould on piano; Chien Chien Lu on vibraophone; and Fender Rhodes and Allan Mednard on drums. Anne Drummond plays flute on two tracks and Brittany Anjouy plays Mellotron on two track.

Pelt is a terrific musician and his previous two albums, The Art of Intimacy Vol. 1 and Griot: This Is Important!revealed an incredible range and are essential listening.

Spencer Day: Broadway by Day 

These two albums couldn’t be more different, but both are immensely satisfying works. Vocalist/songwriter Spencer Day offers his interpretations of songs from some of Broadway’s greatest musicals including A Chorus Line, Follies, My Fair Lady and South Pacific on Broadway By Day. His unique stylings provided a new way of hearing these classic songs.

Gerald Clayton: Bells on Sand

Composer/pianist Gerald Clayton’s new album is one we’ve been listening to for over a month. It’s a quiet and gentle album that is filled with inventive music that requires your concentration. That commitment will be deeply rewarded with an inner-peace that Bells on Sand brings to your ears.

Main Photo: Stacey Sergeant, Amara Grandson, Okwui Okpokwasilli, Tendayi Kuumba, Kenita R. Miller, D. Woods and Alexandria Walles in for colored girls who considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf (Photo by Marc. J. Franklin)

The post Best Bets Still Available – May 2nd appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

This annual event is a fundraiser for the Ali Forney Center which serves LGBT homeless youth. You don’t need to make a donation to watch the concert, but donations are obviously encouraged.

The line-up of talent for this year’s Night of a Thousand Judys is stellar: Tony winners Lena Hall (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) and Alice Ripley (Next to Normal) are joined by Tony nominees Beth Malone (Fun Home); Eva Noblezada (Hadestown), Adam Pascal (Rent). They are joined by Ann Hampton Callaway, Spencer Day, Natalie Douglas, Nathan Lee Graham, Ann Harada (Avenue Q), L Morgan Lee (A Strange Loop), George Salazar (Be More Chill), Billy Stritch, T. Oliver Reid (Hadestown), Jessica Vosk (Wicked) and Bright Light Bright Light.

Justin Sayre is the host for Night of a Thousand Judys. He’s the executive story editor and writer for the television series The Cool Kids and 2 Broke Girls.

What can you expect from this show? Each artist will put their own stamp on a song recorded by Judy Garland. Think The Wizard of Oz, The Harvey Girls, A Star Is Born, Summer Stock and perhaps a song or two from her Carnegie Hall concert.

Whether you are a friend of Judy’s, a fan of Judy’s or just want to enjoy some good music, Night of a Thousand Judys is an annual tradition that we will all get to see this year! Or as Judy sang in her most popular song, “The dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.”

Photo of Judy Garland is a publicity still for The Harvey Girls.

The post Night of a Thousand Judys appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

Broadway By Day is the name of this album and, while he’s in Los Angeles, Day will return to the recording studio to finish a few more songs for it. I caught one of his shows in New York this spring and he offered up inspired takes on songs from Evita, South Pacific and more.

Like many artists in the music business these days, crowd-funding is one significant way of being able to finance the recording of new material (unless, of course, you are Beyoncé). The webpage for that effort references songs from A Chorus Line  and Hello, Dolly! as part of the planned song selection. I’m betting he doesn’t choose to do the big hit song from Godspell. “Day by Day” by Day would be too much, even if it sounds like the lyrics themselves.

Day’s most recent album was Angel City, a series of songs about Los Angeles. He had a hit with the song “72 and Sunny.” And while the current heatwave we’re having makes me dream of a milder day, there is a new Chill Remix version of the song that was released late last month.

My personal favorite from that album is “Chateau Marmont.”

If you are in the San Francisco area, Spencer Day has two shows at Feinstein’s at The Nikko on Friday and Saturday night before he arrives in Los Angeles. Those two shows may be sold out as the website no longer has tickets for sale. It does indicate that tickets may be available directly at the venue. Best to call to check.

If you live in the New York area, Day also has a show at Green Room 42 on June 21st.

For tickets at Rockwell Table & Stage go here.

Photo of Spencer Day by Ben Hecht.

Updated:  This post has been updated to include the New York performance at Green Room 42 on June 21st.

The post Spencer Day Residency appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

Day, who is originally from Utah, grew up on MGM musicals and great singers like Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan. His previous recordings include The Mystery of You and Daybreak. He currently has a hit single with 72 and Sunny from Angel City.

This Saturday, Spencer Day will be performing with the Budman/Levy Orchestra at Catalina Bar & Grill to celebrate the release of Angel City. The theme of the album is Los Angeles and his own experiences and observations about our fair city.

I recently spoke to Spencer Day via phone about the project and fascination with LA.

How would you describe your relationship with Los Angeles?

Very complicated. (He laughs). I feel like over the years I got to see it with its make-up off. It would beat me up and then give me flowers – the way a Joan Crawford character would. When I left home and quit my Mormon mission and headed to California, I used to draw pictures of the Hollywood sign on the walls of my bedroom. I don’t know why. I was staying with relatives in Villa Park and one afternoon I took three buses to get up to Hollywood to see the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. I was obsessed. I left LA when I made this album so I could continue loving it. It’s a place where dreams can be made, but they are built on bullshit. It really exists more as a state of mind than any place I can think of. Even when I was a kid, I knew San Francisco was prettier, but LA was the fantasy.

What inspired you to create an entire album about Los Angeles?

I had actually been wanting to do that from when I was first writing songs when I was 21-22. I started playing around with the idea of it. My time in Silver Lake was my most formative time when I was younger. This was an amazing bohemian time. I stumbled onto this amazing community and I loved LA passionately – like a lover. I’ve never lost my fascination with it. La La Land has been constantly inspiring for so many people. It’s a mystery that people are trying to figure out. Ultimately we are projecting our ideas on this blank slate and seeing what we want to see.

When writing songs, what hasn’t been said about LA that you felt needed to be addressed?

That’s a very good question. I guess for me it’s almost, I don’t want to say on a spiritual level, that LA really represents the human race as a whole and this desire to find this place that is so big and could never really exist, but it doesn’t stop us from wanting it. It feels like the final frontier and the end of the rainbow.

You recorded with a big band and did some of the recording in Studio A at Capitol Records. Tell me about those sessions.

Because I crowd founded a decent amount of money, I actually wanted to go and do it right and go to Capitol Records. It managed to fit the budget for what we were doing. I was floating on air that day. I had help on the arrangements with the Budman/Levy Orchestra – they helped flesh them out. I was able to outsource these things and see what a difference it made. The quality of the musicians and the charts were so good we could do them in the old Frank Sinatra way. Exactly as I had hoped.

I’m glad you brought up the crowd funding. You’ve been with major labels, what is the state of the industry that requires you to go on your own?

It’s in complete free fall. Nobody knows where it is going. The business model is unsustainable. All this content is expected to be free. I think the public is just not aware that there are real people on the other side who have landlords who won’t accept a song as payment. I was amazed how many people were sympathetic to this. It’s a very tough time. For someone like me, I’m not the safest bet. I’m not a shoe-in for guaranteed pop success. My hope is if I keep creating, eventually I’ll create something the world will remember. I don’t need to be famous, but would like to leave something of lasting beauty that will remain with people.

Sinatra once said “My you live to be 100 and may the last voice you hear be mind.” If you were to live to 100, what would the last voice be you’d want to hear and what would he/she be singing?

That’s the toughest question in the world. There are so many beautiful voices. I really do like The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by Roberta Flack. I find the recording so simple and beautiful. I was initially dismissing Somewhere Over the Rainbow, but that might be a really nice last thing to hear, as overplayed as it is. Not the Hawaiian dude, he gets the lyrics wrong and it drives me crazy. If I’m about to die, I’m not going to care if it is overplayed or not. That or the last three minutes of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade.

Photo Credits: J. Van Evers, Brian To

The post Spencer Day’s New Record is All About Los Angeles appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

This is in celebration of his new record, Angel City. It’s a crowd-funded record filled mostly with original songs Day has written about Los Angeles. One track has already received considerable airplay, 72 and Sunny. He received great reviews for this show at Birdland in New York. This is going to be our first opportunity to hear these songs in the city in which they take place.

Photo Credit: Peter Dervin

The post Spencer Day appeared first on Cultural Attaché.