Lotte Lenya News

Wagnerian vaudeville, parody pastiche, and Bayreuth burlesque await guests at DAS RHINESTONE, an evening of serious singing, sequins, and plenty of WTF operatic moments to get you in or distract you from the holiday spirit. Zachary James, appearing courtesy of The Metropolitan Opera, brings Wagner's diva daddy Wotan to glittering, semi-nude life at this one night only event on December 23 at New York's The Slipper Room (167 Orchard Street).

The York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director; Evans Haile, Executive Director), dedicated to the development of new musicals and rediscovery of musical gems from the past, announces the cast and creative team for the Off-Broadway premiere production of the new musical revue Anything Can Happen in the Theater: The Musical World of Maury Yeston with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston. Performances begin Tuesday, November 26, 2019 for a limited engagement through Sunday, December 29, 2019 at The York Theatre Company at Saint Peter's (entrance on East 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue). Opening Night is Thursday, December 5 at 6:45 p.m.

Zachary James, bass, will be making his highly anticipated Metropolitan Opera debut on November 8 in the Met premiere of Philip Glass' Akhnaten. Described as a 'true stage animal' by Opera News, James is an international opera singer known for his 'huge, robust bass' which 'resonates with force' (Bach Track), 'tremendous power and presence' (The Arts Desk, London) and 'intrinsically beautiful', 'cavernous bass' with 'oomph and range' (Opera News). Akhnaten, directed by Phelim McDermott, runs November 8 through December 7. On November 23, the production will be part of the Met's 'Live in HD' movie theater transmission series and will be broadcast to cinemas across the world.

Steven Blier, Artistic Director a?? Michael Barrett, Associate Artistic Director   presents Marc Blitzstein's No For An Answer and Kurt Weill's Der Silbersee (Silverlake). Two powerful, neglected works by two masters of political theater. Each speaks passionately to the issues of our times. 

THEATER 2020, Brooklyn Heights' NY award winning Theater Company is pleased to announce a Gala Concert a?oeBroadway in Brooklyn, A Salute to Hal Prince!a?? Join us on Saturday, November 2, 2019 from 7pm a?" 10:30pm for an evening of musical delights selected from Broadway shows that were produced and/or directed by Hal Prince.

Currently playing at Open Eye Theatre is a delightful and laidback show that audiences seem to love. a?oeWhen The Shark Bitesa?? by Chronofon is a play...or a concert...it's actually a bit difficult to pin down what category this piece is in. But, nevertheless, it continues to entertain the audience and isn't that what matters? This performance follows the lives of Bertolt Brecht, Elisabeth Hauptmann, Lotte Lenya, and Kurt Weill. The show mainly focuses on the time surrounding World War I and a bit of World War II, but that doesn't seem to be the focus of the piece. 

Boston Lyric Opera (BLO) opens the 2019/20 Season with its first production of Ruggero Leoncavallo's indelible and enduringly popular 1892 Italian opera, PAGLIACCI, running September 27 to October 6, 2019 and starring tenor Rafael Rojas (in BLO's Werther and La Traviata, 1998, and Madama Butterfly, 2000) as Canio, and soprano Lauren Michelle making her company debut as Nedda.  

THE GREEN ROOM 42 a?" Broadway's newest intimate concert venue a?" will present Annie Sherman performing a?oePiaf Livesa?? on Wednesday, August 7 at 7:00 PM. Sherman, known for The King & I and Sound of Music national tours, Ragtime on Ellis Island, and Macbeth at Los Angeles Opera, brings you her original and innovative translations of Edith Piaf songs as never before heard in English. This evening celebrating the scandalous and tragic life of Edith Piaf includes hits like a?oePadam,a?? a?oeMilord,a?? and a?oeLa Vie en Rose.a?? 

THE GREEN ROOM 42 a?" Broadway's newest intimate concert venue a?" will present Annie Sherman performing a?oePiaf Livesa?? onWednesday, August 7 at 7:00 PM. Sherman, known for The King & I and Sound of Music national tours, Ragtime on Ellis Island, and Macbeth at Los Angeles Opera, brings you her original and innovative translations of Edith Piaf songs as never before heard in English.

THE GREEN ROOM 42 a?" Broadway's newest intimate concert venue a?" will present Annie Sherman performing a?oePiaf Livesa?? on Wednesday, August 7 at 7:00 PM. Sherman, known for The King & I and Sound of Music national tours, Ragtime on Ellis Island, and Macbeth at Los Angeles Opera, brings you her original and innovative translations of Edith Piaf songs as never before heard in English.

John M. 'Jack' Allison, prestigious theater teacher and director in the United States, Canada, and Europe, died peacefully at the age of 78 on June 16, 2019 in East Northport, New York. Born in Bayonne, New Jersey, he graduated from New Jersey City University with a BA in American Literature and History before earning an MA in Speech and Drama from The Catholic University of America, and a PhD (ABD) in Theatre and Directing from the University of Denver.

West Edge Operais offering $19 tickets for all performances in their upcoming summer festival, including the highly anticipated Bay Area premiere of Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek's adaptation of the Lars von Trier film Breaking the Waves. True to our East Bay roots, we have long been committed to presenting world class opera in unconventional locations and to an often overlooked audience. By offering a limited number of tickets at only $19, we hope to erase any barrier that would keep patrons from experiencing the drama and intensity of fully produced opera.

Cabaret is one of the most successful, popular and influential musicals ever written. You can call it's Kander and Ebb's masterpiece or a defining triumph for Hal Prince or Bob Fosse and in any case, you'll be right on the money. So it's no wonder I have so many damn recordings of the score. The good news is they are all available for streaming on various platforms and so I can throw out all these CDs without having to do any uploading.

STAGES St. Louis is thrilled to announce casting for its 33rd Season: THE BOY FROM OZ, GREASE, MAN OF LA MANCHA, and its Emerson Family Theatre Series production of Disney's 101 DALMATIANS. 'The tagline at STAGES is 'Experience The Story' and our 2019 Season stays true to these words offering something special for everyone,' expresses Associate Producer Andrew Kuhlman.

The Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) explores cultural identity in literature and music through two separate, yet linked events making up its Mango Suite Project: the Saturday, May 18, 3pm author event with 2015 National Medal of Arts winner and author of The House of Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros and the Sunday, May 19, 4pm World Premiere performance of Derek Bermel's Mango Suite by the PSO. Both events take place at Richardson Auditorium.

For Analisa Leaming, playing Irene Molloy in the national touring company of Hello, Dolly! - which heads to Nashville next week for an eight-performance run at Tennessee Performing Arts Center's Andrew Jackson Hall - there are more reasons than usual to be exhilarated and excited for an impending opening night in a new city and venue.

The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music awarded $71,000 in prizemoney at the finals of 2019 Lotte Lenya Competition, which took place in a packed Kilbourn Hall at the Eastman School of Music, Rochester, NY, on April 13. The $20,000 First Prize went to Daniel Berryman, 28 of Seattle, WA. Andrea Wozniak, 28 of Boston, MA, won the $15,000 Second Prize, and Trevor Martin, 30 of Fayetteville, GA, received Third Prize of $10,000.

New York City Opera has announced that Blythe Gaissert & Michael Kelly and Briana Elyse Hunter & Jorell Williams will comprise the rotating casts of its upcoming production of AS ONE.

Following yesterday's highly competitive semifinal competition, nine singers will advance to the final phase of the 65th annual Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, America's largest vocal competition. The winners will receive individual cash prizes of $15,000, while the remaining finalists will receive prizes of $7,500.

Kim H. Kowalke, President of the Kurt Weill Foundation, has announced the finalists for the 2019 Lotte Lenya Competition. Thirteen performers will compete for top prizes of $20,000, $15,000, and $10,000.