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Back in the day all the guys I knew who frequented night clubs wanted to be like Frank Sinatra.  We would exit a venue after his performance, arm in arm with our gals mimicking his swagger and trying to sing like him.  I also worshiped Jack Jones, Tony Bennett, Mel Torme , Vic Damone, and all those other great male vocalists but I never left a show trying to “be them”.  Sinatra appealed to everyman and we all liked to believe that in some small way we had some of him in us. 

There have been lots of Sinatra type tribute shows over the years performed by many talented artists. However, the one that brings you the closest you will ever come to the man and his music was performed by Bob Anderson last night at Carnegie Hall.  Backed by a 32 piece Orchestra and the original Sinatra charts supplied by Frank’s longtime music director Vincent Falcone, Sinatra and his music were on stage again.  You had to remind yourself that it was really Bob Anderson and not the Chairman of The Board.  To quote Tony Bennett after he was at a Bob Anderson Sinatra show…”You had me the second you walked on stage, Frank would have loved this show”

Bob Anderson’s performance paradoxically gave me a deeper appreciation of the musicianship of Frank Sinatra.  Because Bob is able (as he writes about it) not to mimic Frank’s phrasing but “feel” it I was able to inhale the magic of a Sinatra live performance that I never got from recordings.  Bob highlights the unique rhythmic ability Frank had in turning around the beat on a word and creating a more intense meaning to a lyric.

Bob Anderson, who also does singing impersonations of many other male vocalists is truly the best singing impersonator in the world (as his PR states}. Dean Martin critiqued, “You do me better than I do me”. He is the only one that ever attempted to impersonate my musical hero Buddy Greco, and Bob was spot on with Mr. G.

Thank you Bob Anderson for bringing Frank Sinatra back to Carnegie Hall.

BOB ANDERSON
BOB ANDERSON
BOB ANDERSON
JOE TORRE & BOB ANDERSON
KEITH MAAS, STEPHEN SOROKOFF, CAROLYN KLUCHA, (Twin Palms Entertainment), KEN LAUB
EDA SOROKOFF, BOB ANDERSON, JAMIE deROY
CYNTHIA, MICHAEL RIEDEL, EDA SOROKOFF
LEE MUSIKER, PIANIST FOR THE N.Y.POPS, TONY BENNETT, DIANE RUSSOMANNO, BOB ANDERSON EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, STEPHEN SOROKOFF
JILL STORY, EDA SOROKOFF, ROB STORY
GARY SPRINGER & ERROL RAPPORT
COMING ATTRACTIONS

Stephen studied at the Manhattan School of Music. Besides being a pianist, Stephen’s business career was in the Fashion Industry. He was CEO of a textile manufacturing facility and President of an international textile machinery company. Stephen was on the Board of Directors of the “First All Children’s Theatre” which brought the Stephen Schwartz musical The Trip and Captain Louie to the Kennedy Center in Wash DC. His wife Eda, an interior space designer and classical pianist was on the Board of Barrington Stage Company and is still active at BSC. Stephen’s photographs, videos and articles appear on Broadwayworld.com, T2Conline.com and The New York Observer. He is active in the entertainment events at the Friars Club, where he is a member. Stephen is also an Honorary Board Member of The Society For The Preservation of The Great American Songbook. Stephen Sorokoff@gmail.com

Ken Fallin's Broadway

Ken Fallin’s Broadway: Musical Director Ian Niederhoffer

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Musical Director Ian Niederhoffer’s dynamic musical group Parlando presents “Odysseys,”  the opening concert of its 2023-2024 season, Wednesday, October 4th at 7:30 pm at Merkin Hall at The Kaufman Center.

Founded by Ian Niederhoffer in 2019, Parlando provides the musical and historical context to prepare every audience member for the music they are about to hear. Through short introductions to each piece, Parlando bridges the gap between audience and performer, creating an intimate, accessible orchestral experience.

Every Parlando program has a theme and contains a blend of new, underrepresented, and standard works. By connecting each piece through a shared theme, the concert becomes a story, and the audience is able to carry the experience from one piece to the next. Parlando strives to leave every audience member knowing more about classical music than when they walked in.

The focus of a Parlando concert is always on the music itself. The introductions are in service of the ensuing performance, preparing the audience to enjoy the music as much as possible.

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Cabaret

My View: Barrington Stage Co. on 42nd Street Oct. 30 For Its Gala at Green Room 42

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The evening of cocktails, dinner, and cabaret show headlined by Billy Stritch celebrates the inaugural season of newly appointed Artistic Director Alan Paul and Managing Director Lynsey Shade.

Proceeds from the Gala will benefit the Julianne Boyd New Works Fund.

Mary Ann and Bruno Quinson are presenting the event which is sponsored in part by Rhoda Levitt.  Eda Sorokoff is Chair with Violet Eagan & Rosita Sarnoff Co-Chairs

Since its inception in 1995, Barrington Stage (BSC) has produced 41 new works, 21 of which have moved on to New York and major regional theatres around the country.

BSC believes that new work is the heart and soul of theatre. If theatre is to thrive and create meaningful and new experiences for audiences, then it is vital to support playwrights and their visions of the world we live in.

BSC’s New Works Fund takes a two-pronged approach – PlayWorks supports the creation of new plays while our acclaimed Musical Theatre Lab develops new musicals. In both of these programs, BSC seeks artists whose unique voices speak to our audiences with relevant new plays and musicals. BSC hopes our new work will ask questions of the world we live in – questions that may not have answers but will begin a dialogue between the artists and our audiences.

 

CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS

JULIANNE BOYD & BILLY STRITCH

ALAN PAUL & RHODA LEVITT

MARY ANN QUINSON

ALAN PAUL & WILLIAM FINN

MARY ANN QUINSON & JULIANNE BOYD

BILLY STRITCH

EDA SORKOFF & BILLY STRITCH

BILLY STRTICH & STEPHEN SOROKOFF

MARY ANN QUINSON, JULIANNE BOYD, MARITA GLODT, EDA SOROKOFF

 

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Ken Fallin's Broadway

Ken Fallin’s Broadway: Dracula: A Comedy Of Terrors

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Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors, is now playing at New World Stage, 340 West 50th Street, until January 7, 2024 or beyond.

In this caricature you will find James Daly’s Dracula and clockwise: Andrew Keenan-Bolger, Arnie Burton, Ellen Harvey and Jordan Boatman who make up this amazingly talented cast.

You can read T2C’s mouth watering review here.

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Book Reviews

Ken Fallin’s Broadway: “Leading Lady; the Memoir of a Most Unusual Boy”…NEW autobiography of Charles Busch

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Tony Award-nominated writer of The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife and the long-running hit Off-Broadway play Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, and a Sundance Festival award winner, Charles Busch has created a unique place in the entertainment world as a playwright, LGBT icon, drag actor, director, and cabaret performer, with his extraordinary gift for both connecting with and channeling the leading ladies of show business.

In wonderfully readable chapters, by turns comic and moving, Charles writes how ever since his mother’s death when he was seven, he has sought out surrogate mothers in his life. In his teens, Charles moved to Park Avenue in Manhattan to live with his Auntie Mame-like Aunt Lil, who encouraged and nourished Charles’ talents and dreams, and eventually he discovered his gifts for writing plays and performing as a male actress.

Busch also shares his colorful and sometimes outlandish interactions with film and theatrical luminaries including the hilarious comedian Joan Rivers (who became a mother figure to Charles after Aunt Lil’s death), Angela Lansbury (who attended her first Passover seder with Charles), Rosie O’Donnell, Claudette Colbert, Valerie Harper, Kim Novak, and many others.

Full of both humor and heart and featuring rare photos, Leading Lady is for readers of entertainment books as well as anyone who enjoys real-life stories of artists who break the mold, ditch the boundaries, and find their own unique way to sparkle.

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Events

Theatre News: Michael McGrath, Harmony, NY Forever, Spain, The People Versus Lenny Bruce and Golden Rainbow

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Michael McGrath ,( peeking out from the curtain, lower left) in Tootsie by the fabulous Ken Fallin.

T2c is saddened by the passing away of Tony Award winning Michael McGrath. He was 65. McGrath was best known for his starring roles in over 14 Broadway shows including Plaza Suite, Tootsie, Spamalot (Tony nominated), Memphis, My Favorite Year, Swinging on a Star, Little Me and Nice Work if You Can Get It, which earned him a Tony award. He was a twice nominated for a Tony award, three-time Drama Desk Award nominee, Outer Critics Circle nominee and Theatre World Award winner. McGrath also the sidekick-announcer to Martin Short on “The Martin Short Show.” His roles on the big screen included “Changing Lanes,” and “The Interpreter.” He also was a voice in multiple animated features including “The Secret of Kells” and “Wolfwalkers.”

McGrath is survived by his wife of 30 years, actress Toni Di Buono and daughter, actress Katie Claire McGrath. He and Di Buono are reputed to have met on the set of the Boston production of “Forbidden Broadway.”

Ringing in the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah on Thursday, September 14th at 1:30 pm cast members, playwright and lyricist, Bruce Sussman and Rabbi Jill Hausman from The Actor’s Temple gave a blessing and a traditional nosh of apples, honey and rugelach. Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman’s musical Harmony with direction and choreography by Warren Carlyle will begin previews on Wednesday, October 18, ahead of a Monday, November 13 official opening night.8

For the second consecutive year, NY Forever, in partnership with City National Bank and the New York City Department of Transportation will present Broadway Forever, a series of free, star-studded, pop-up concerts and community service activations, empowering New Yorkers across the city to build a better city for all.

At both event dates, fans will have the opportunity to sign up for future community service opportunities in these neighborhoods, which will be coordinated by New York Cares and their partner organizations.

NY Forever is a non-profit organization working to recapture faith and pride in New York by organizing and motivating New Yorkers from every borough and generation to participate in the city’s civic rebirth. It aims to support the well-being of our city by encouraging and facilitating New Yorkers to participate in gestures big and small. NY Forever is calling all New Yorkers to take the pledge and commit to New York’s future.

Performing are Broadway Forever creators Erich Bergen and Richard Mumby, Amber Ardolino (Broadway: Back To The Future), Casey Cott (Broadway: Moulin Rouge! The Musical), Charity Angél Dawson (Broadway: Waitress), Olivia Holt (Broadway: Chicago), Cheyenne Jackson   (Broadway: Into The Woods), Christopher Jackson (Broadway: Hamilton), Alexis Michelle (RuPaul’s Drag Race), Jelani Remy (Broadway: Back To The Future), as well as current cast members from Moulin Rouge! The Musical(Jacqueline B. Arnold, Heather Makalani, David Merino and Kelsey Orem), and Some Like It Hot! (Kayla Pecchioni).

Andrew Burnap

Second Stage Theater (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director; Lisa Lawer Post, Interim Executive Director) today announced complete casting for Spainby Jen Silverman anddirected by Tyne Rafaeli. Tony Award winner Andrew Burnap (Camelot, The Inheritance) and Danny Wolohan (Camelot, Macbeth)join the previously announced Tony Award nominee Marin Ireland, Zachary James, and Erik Lochtefeld.

Marin Ireland

This limited engagement will begin previews on Wednesday, November 8, 2023 and will officially open Thursday, November 30, 2023 at the Tony Kiser Theater (305 West 43rd Street).

Step into a sophisticated, slippery world where the line between truth and fiction is all in the packaging. It’s 1936, and a pair of passionate filmmakers have landed their next big project: a sweeping Spanish Civil War film with the potential to change American hearts and minds. It just happens to be bankrolled by the KGB. This seductive and funny new play about the art of propaganda and the dangerous ongoing Disinformation Age explores how art can change the world—for better and worse.

Food For Thought Productions, now in its 22nd year, continues celebrating the oft-neglected one-act play and theatre at its best with Award-winning actors, writers and directors, with a unique series set for its 2023 Season. Zach Grenier, Larry Pine, Penny Fuller, Bob Dishy, Michael Citriniti and special guest Martin Garbus

The People Versus Lenny Bruce is the third segment of “All The Court’s A Stage,” a series of one-act plays that are based on seven of Martin Garbus‘ cases and directed by Antony Marsellis. Martin Garbus, who has been called “One of the world’s finest trial lawyers”, has represented: Lenny Bruce, Philip Roth, Samuel Beckett, Igor Stravinsky, John Cheever, Daniel Ellsberg, Al Pacino, and Susan Sontag, to name a few! He also smuggled letters from Andrei Sakharov to Jimmy Carter.

In April 1964, Lenny Bruce appeared twice at the Cafe Au Go Go in Greenwich Village, with undercover police detectives in the audience. He was arrested along with club owners Howard and Elly Solomon, who were arrested for allowing an obscene performance. On both occasions, Bruce was arrested after leaving the stage. A three-judge panel presided over his widely publicized six-month trial, prosecuted by Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Richard Kuh, with Ephraim London and Martin Garbus as the defense attorneys. Bruce and Howard Solomon were found guilty of obscenity on November 4, 1964. The conviction was announced despite positive testimony and petitions of support from—among other artists, writers and educators—Woody Allen, Bob Dylan, Jules Feiffer, Allen Ginsberg, Norman Mailer, William Styron, and James Baldwin, and Manhattan journalist and television personality Dorothy Kilgallen and sociologist Herbert Gans. Bruce was sentenced to four months in a workhouse; he was set free on bail during the appeals process and died before the appeal was decided. Solomon, the owner of the club where Lenny was arrested, later saw Bruce’s conviction overturned

The October 3rd, 2:00pm performance (Preceded by luncheon), directed by Antony Marsellis, will be available live via Streaming as well as in-theatre audience. A Q&A will follow the performance with the cast, Playwright/FFTP Founder Susan Charlotte, Directror Antony Marsellis and Martin Garbus himself! The FFT series is presented at 3 West Club. Tickets for the ‘live’ performance are $65, and with discounted code ‘FFTP’ tickets are $45. For additional information and zoom tickets please contact FFTP at: 646-366-9340 or email:  info@foodforthoughtproductions.com

The York Theatre Company, announced today the cast and creative team for its production of Golden Rainbow, with book by Ernest Kinoy and music and lyrics by Walter Marks, the third offering of the Fall 2023 “Musicals in Mufti” series.

The cast features Felipe Barbosa Bombonato (Les Misérables), Jonathan Brody (The Sorceress), Nick Cearley (The Skivvies), Robert Cuccioli (York’s Rothschild & Sons), Mara Davi (Dames at Sea), Max Von Essen (York’s Tenderloin), Danielle Lee Greaves (Parade), Jillian Louis (York’s The Game of Love), Gina Milo (York’s Subways Are for Sleeping), Benjamin Pajak (The Music Man), and Maria Wirries (York’s Penelope: or How The Odyssey Was Really Written).

Golden Rainbow is directed by Stuart Ross (York’s Enter Laughing), with music direction by David Hancock Turner (York’s Cheek to Cheek and Desperate Measures).

Golden Rainbow (based on Arnold Schulman’s play A Hole in the Head) is the jazzy, heartfelt story of a single dad trying to achieve success in Las Vegas while raising his extremely bright and savvy son. His late wife’s sister arrives and tries to bring stability to the boy’s life, but unintentionally falls in love with her brother-in-law. The musical originally opened on Broadway on February 4, 1968 and ran nearly a year. It starred the married couple of Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gormé, major stars from their extensive work in the recording, television, and concert industries. The musical introduced the enduring standard “I’ve Gotta Be Me,” recorded by Sammy Davis, Tony Bennett, Michael Jackson, Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder, Klea Blackhurst, and many others.

Golden Rainbow will play the following 11-performance schedule— First Week: Saturday at 2:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 2:30 & 7:00 p.m. Second Week: Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. (Opening Night), Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Talkbacks follow all matinee performances.

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