Last Night, Brian J. Nash put on a show that could have played to a full house at Radio City Music Hall and satisfied every single person present. At midtown’s GREENROOM 42, he held a rapt audience in the palm of his hand for the entire 80 minutes and proved to be a real “showman.” The bottom line is that Mr. Nash “is” music. His body language and connection to the piano are wild to watch and the guy’s got “moves.” He also loves every minute of what he’s doing.
Nash has arranged, MDd and played for so many popular artists that I wouldn’t do justice to a partial listing, but he is also considered to be part “Broadway Baby” having worked with the likes of Jennifer Holliday, Shoshanah Bean, Deborah Cox, Laura Benanti, Audra McDonald among them. He travels the world and chases the music. You can follow his adventures on social media and he is quite committed to his goals and is charming and funny.  This encore engagement of the gamely titled BLUE JEAN BABY GRAND was, quite simply, a knockout, after selling out back in July. With one of the greatest bands I’ve ever seen or heard, this performer tore up the music of Elton John and Billy Joel. It was a musical education, with some great photos and an adoring attitude for his heroes, having played many of their songs over his 19 and ½ years spent in piano bars. His stories of discovery go back to his youth, when his voice changed and he could no longer sing “On My Own” from LES MISÉRABLES (in the original key) and he discovered the song “Daniel.” The show soared and soared and soared and the chemistry between the “boss man” and his musicians was built on love, respect and talent. Crazy talent. The pacing and running order of the song list was diabolical. No exaggeration. One of the reasons Eda and I were able to see it was because in July the video they filmed didn’t  work, so this was a “take two” of sorts and, if tonight was captured, it will be something to behold. Bravo to all and if you see Brian J. Nash advertised to appear anywhere near where you are, RUN! You’ll thank me.

The Band: Elena Bonomo, Drums, Mohan Ritsema, Bass, Will Shishmanian, Guitar, Tom Regouski, Reeds, Andrea Neumann, Trombone, Alphonso Horne, Trumpet

BRIAN J. NASH

BRIAN J. NASH

BRIAN J. NASH

BRIAN J. NASH

BRIAN J. NASH

BRIAN J. NASH

BRIAN J. NASH

BRIAN J. NASH

BRIAN J. NASH

BRIAN J. NASH

BRIAN J. NASH

BRIAN J. NASH

CARLOS CLEMENZ

ROGER DAWLEY, NICHOLAS YENSON, BRIAN J. NASH

NATALIE DOUGLAS & BRIAN J. NASH

ANDREW LIPPA & FRIENDS

RICHARD JAY-ALEXANDER & BRIAN J. NASH

TOM REGOUSKI & ANDREW LIPPA

EDA SOROKOFF & CARLOS CLEMENZ

CAROLOS CLEMENZ, STEPHEN SOROKOFF, BRIAN J. NASH

Matthew Morrison returns to Broadway’s Just in Time on October 20, stepping back into the role of Bobby Darin at Circle in the Square for a limited three-week encore engagement.

Morrison previously took over the role last spring following Jonathan Groff’s departure, bringing his own considerable Broadway pedigree to Darin’s music and swagger. Now he is returning once again, following Jeremy Jordan, who plays his final performance on October 18 alongside Carrie St. Louis as Sandra Dee.

The return is an intriguing one because Just in Time has proven unusually adaptable to its succession of leading men. Groff, Morrison and Jordan are decidedly different performers, and rather than demanding an imitation of the actor who came before, the production allows Bobby Darin to shift with the man standing at the microphone. Morrison brings a particularly polished show-business quality to Darin—the confidence of someone who knows exactly how to work a Broadway house while making it look effortless.

Long before television audiences knew Morrison as Will Schuester on Glee, Broadway knew him. He made his Broadway debut in Footloose, originated Link Larkin in Hairspray, earned a Tony Award nomination for The Light in the Piazza, and later appeared in South Pacific and Finding Neverland. Darin gives him the opportunity to combine acting, vocals, movement and old-fashioned leading-man charisma in a role built around a performer who understood that entertaining an audience was an art unto itself.

Directed by Alex Timbers, Just in Time transforms Circle in the Square into an intimate nightclub, placing the audience inside Darin’s world rather than safely on the other side of a proscenium. With a live band and a score packed with “Beyond the Sea,” “Dream Lover,” “Splish Splash” and “Mack the Knife,” the musical traces Darin’s extraordinary career alongside the knowledge that a childhood illness had left him believing his life would be short.

That ticking clock gives the evening its energy. Darin wasn’t merely ambitious; he behaved as if time itself were chasing him. He wanted to sing, act, write, perform and conquer whatever room happened to be in front of him before the opportunity disappeared.

For Morrison, the return offers something Broadway performers rarely receive: the chance to come back to a role almost immediately and discover what else is inside it.

Sometimes the encore turns out to be just as interesting as the original engagement.

Do not miss Morrison on October 20, as he will once again be Just in Time.

Live From The Hotel Edison Times Square Chronicles Presents, is filmed from the Hotel Edison and is a podcast extension of T2C. We are back after a small hiatus.

Today owner Suzanna Bowling talks with with Caricaturist Ken Fallin and his new book About Face. Fallin’s big break was in 1983 doing the posters and advertising for the popular satirical revue Forbidden Broadway. In 1987, he was commissioned by the Boston Herald to do a celebrity caricature every week in the Sunday arts and entertainment section. Fallin has illustrated roughly 500 notable people for the Wall Street Journal, including President Barack Obama, Paul Newman and Tim Russert for Peggy Noonan’s memorial of the newsman in the paper.

The Fabulous Ken Fallin

His Forbidden Broadway posters promoted the show in London, Tokyo and Sydney. Outside of entertainment, Fallin developed relationships with corporate clientele, particularly American Express, which engaged him on several national media campaigns as well as private work. Belvedere Vodka hired him to turn famous icons like the Playboy Bunny and Quentin Tarantino into bottles of the alcohol. Other clients have included HBO, Showtime and Walt Disney Productions.

Ken Fallin in Shubert Alley

His new book About Face is a distinctive art and cultural publication that brings together a broad collection of caricatures celebrating notable figures from entertainment, music, Broadway, Hollywood, and contemporary popular culture. Through expressive artwork and recognizable subjects, the book captures the personalities and visual character of individuals who have made an impact on audiences across different generations. The collection reflects the author’s ability to transform familiar faces into engaging artistic interpretations while maintaining recognizable characteristics. With its combination of artistic expression, cultural familiarity, and entertainment value, ABOUT FACE offers readers more than a traditional collection of drawings. It presents a visual journey through the personalities and cultural figures that have shaped entertainment and public life.

Join Ken Fallin on October 7th at New World Stages, 340 W 50th St, from 5 – 7 for the unveiling of his art with a wine and cheese soiree. You have been invited.

I am so grateful to Ken Fallin for his conversation, his joy of life and his art that captures the imagination.

We are so proud because the show and our guests are featured on the TV screens in the lobby and the hotel rooms.

Rommel Gopez, Ken Fallin, Suzanna Bowling

Thank-you Magda Katz for videoing and creating the content to go live, Rommel Gopez and The Hotel Edison for their kindness and hospitality, Broadway HD and Dr K and at 200 West 54th Street for giving me back my health and my smile.

We have been named by Variety Entertainment News as one of Summer’s Best Picks in the category of Best Television, Radio, Podcasts. The company we are in, has made us so humbled, grateful and motivated to continue.

“The Daily Geek Report” named host Suzanna Bowling on the list of Most Engaging Hosts.

You can catch us on the following platforms:

Pandora

Stitcher

Spotify:

Amazon:

Apple Podcasts:

It was a night of shock, awe, surprise, and enormous talent as Randy Roberts brought a star-studded Laurie Beechman Theatre to its feet several times with a brilliant display of singing, comedy, acting, and female impersonation.

The biggest surprise of all? Randy began the evening as a spot-on Bette Midler, then transformed into a remarkable Liza Minnelli and Cher. But by the end of the night, there was no mistaking who the real star was: the incredibly talented Randy Roberts himself.

Eda and I were at the Copa back in the day when Bette Midler first entered the room to begin her performance. The excitement was electric, and I can honestly say that the wall-to-wall audience reaction when Randy entered the Laurie Beechman Theatre as Bette last night was every bit as thrilling to experience. The audience erupted. For a moment, it was as if Bette herself had walked through the door.

What a performer. What a night. And what a thrill to watch Randy Roberts remind a room filled with sophisticated cabaret and theatre connoisseurs that, while his impersonations are extraordinary, the real revelation is the immensely talented artist that is Randy Roberts himself. As usual, no spoilers here! Not with the buzz racing along 42nd Street that the D’Angora’s may have plans to keep Randy on that Laurie Beechman stage for many more nights for the kind of dazzling show business that left this audience begging for more.

No spoilers—except this one: Randy’s rendition of Stephen Sondheim’s “The Ladies Who Lunch” from Company left the entire company we were with last night completely spellbound. And speaking of that company, check out my photos from last night’s show.

MICHAEL D’ANGORA, RANDY ROBERTS, TOM D’ANGORA

RANDY ROBERTS

RANDY ROBERTS

RANDY ROBERTS

RANDY ROBERTS

RANDY ROBERTS

RANDY ROBERTS

RANDY ROBERTS

RANDY ROBERTS

RANDY ROBERTS

RANDY ROBERTS

MICHAEL D’ANGORA, RANDY ROBERTS, TOM D’ANGORA

TOM D’ANGORA, FRAN DRESCHER, MICHAEL D’ANGORA

PETER MARC JACOBSON, RANDY ROBERTS & FRAN DRESCHER

TOM D’ANGORA & MICHELE LEE

EDA SOROKOFF, MELISSA ERRICO, LORAN DALLAS, MICHELE LEE

LEE ROY REAMS & LORNA DALLAS

MICHELE LEE & FRAN DRESCHER

RICHARD SKIPPER & MICHELE LEE

EDA SOROKOFF, MICHELE LEE, MARDIE MILLIT

SUSIE MOSHER, IIENE GRAFF, RICHARD SKIPPER

RANDY ROBERTS & LORNA DALLAS

MELISSA ERRICO

RANDY ROBERTS & MELISSA ERRICO

GABRIELLA STRAVELLI, RANDY ROBERTS, SUSIE MOSHER

MARK SENDROFF, FRAN DRESCHER, STEPHEN SOROKOFF

LAURIE BEECHMAN THEATRE

WEST BANK CAFE

Like a magician who somehow keeps producing one dazzling surprise after another from up her sleeve, entertainer musician extraordinaire Gunhild Carling had the City Winery audience at Pier 57 on the edge of its seat last night, as her jazz/pop music and showmanship delivered one thrilling song after another.

If Louis Prima and Louis Armstrong had grown up on a steady diet of Swedish meatballs, the result might very well have been Sweden’s Gunhild Carling. She has Prima’s wild, infectious energy and Armstrong’s unmistakable trumpet phrasing and vocal flair—and she brings it all to the stage with a show-business sensibility and proficiency on many instruments that is impossible to resist.

Remember those circus clown cars where you were convinced there couldn’t possibly be room for another performer, only to have one more, and then another, and another, somehow climb out? That’s Gunhild Carling’s band. Just when you think you’ve seen the last great musician, out comes another one—each more talented and entertaining than the next, including her brother Max Carling.

A special shout-out to NYC and Birdland favorite drummer Daniel Glass, who delivered some amazing solos that had the audience cheering.

It felt like one great Bon Voyage party last night on Pier 57. And the next time Carling’s ship comes sailing into town, make sure you don’t miss the boat.

Gunhild Carling and her band are definitely a unique musical experience—part jazz concert, part circus, and completely entertaining.

GUNHILD CARLING

GUNHILD CARLING

MAX CARLING

GUNHILD CARLING

GUNHILD CARLING, MAX CARLING,Clarinet, Neil Fontano, Piano

DANIEL GLASS

DANIEL GLASS

GUNHILD CARLING, NEIL FONTANO, Bass

GUNHILD CARLING

GUNHILD CARLING

CITY WINERY

GUNHILD CARLING

GUNHILD CARLING

GUNHILD CARLING

GUNHILD CARLING

PIER 57

PIER 57

COMING ATTRACTIONS

COMING ATTRACTIONS

CITY WINERY