Just Announced: Collins, Stokes Mitchell, Kidjo & More Lead Town Hall's 2010 Season

The Town Hall, Broadway's landmark concert venue, has announced its 2010 season lineup. Headliners include Grammy Award-winning folk icon Judy Collins, Grammy Award-winning Afro-funk singer Angélique Kidjo, Tony Award-winning Broadway star Brian Stokes Mitchell, jazz singer Lizz Wright with Grammy-nominated jazz bassist Richard Bona and world music sensations Tito Paris and Lura. Also appearing are stars from ABC's Dancing with the Stars and PBS' America's Ballroom Challenge for Champions of the Dance, Richard Nader's Doo Wop Party, the acclaimed, singing political satirists Capitol Steps and the 10th anniversary season of the popular hit series Broadway by the Year®, called "an annual event that is treasured by Broadway babies" by Stephen Holden of The New York Times.

Artistic and Executive Director Lawrence Zucker says, "I am very proud to announce our new season for 2010. We have outstanding artists and wonderful music from around the world, including Portugal, Benin and the U.S., as well as some timely comedy, dance and cabaret. I am also thrilled to be celebrating Broadway by the Year's 10th anniversary with four great concerts culminating in a celebration of the last 20 years of  Broadway music."

Tickets for the 2010 Town Hall season are currently available through mail order only. Visit The Town Hall website at www.the-townhall-nyc.org for a printable order form. On Decmeber 1st, tickets will go on sale at The Town Hall Box Office between noon and 6PM (except Sundays), 212-840-2824, and Ticketmaster, 212-307-4100 or www.ticketmaster.com.

The complete Town Hall line-up is:

Friday, February 19 at 8PM - CAPITOL STEPS

You may have watched SNL or tuned in to Comedy Central's The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, but when it comes to satire, you haven't seen the real thing until you have been to the Capitol Steps. As The New York Times says: "Those who complain that politicians and government are good for nothing are wrong. Capitol Steps makes it clear that more often than not, they're good for a laugh." The group of former Capitol Hill staffers have made appearances on NBC, CBS, ABC, PBS and as well as NPR with their holiday special, Politics Takes a Holiday. Capitol Steps, christened the "Forbidden Broadway of Politics" brings a night of musical bi-partisan political satire to New York, featuring songs from their latest album, Obama Mia.
Tickets: $50 and $45

Monday, February 22 at 8PM - BROADWAY BY THE YEAR®: 1927

The series once described as "...an invaluable and entertaining jewel in the cabaret crown of New York" by Show Business Weekly celebrates its 10th season by taking the audience on a musical journey through the best of the Great White Way. The Broadway Musicals of 1927 will include music from Showboat, Rio Rita, Hit the Deck!, Ziegfeld Follies of 1927, Good News and more, all sung by the great talents of Broadway and cabaret. Created, written and hosted for The Town Hall by Scott Siegel, the Broadway by the Year® series features show-stopping numbers as well as lesser-known gems.
Tickets: $55 and $45

Friday, February 26 at 8PM - CHAMPIONS OF THE DANCE

The evening features world professional ballroom champions Mayo Alanen from ABC's Dancing with the Stars and Tony Scheppler from PBS' America's Ballroom Challenge performing the waltz, foxtrot, tango, cha-cha, rumba and more, under the direction of world-renowned former champion Tarliat Tarsinov.
Tickets: $50 and $45

Friday, March 5 at 8PM - JUDY COLLINS IN CONCERT

After starting her career at age 13, Judy Collins is the definition of a living legend. With over 50 albums, numerous Top 10 hits, multiple Grammy nominations and a win, folk icon Judy Collins returns to The Town Hall stage with special guest local singer-songwriter Kenny White.
Tickets: $50 and $45

Friday, March 19 at 8PM - DOO WOP PARTY

Take a trip down memory lane with hit music from the ‘50s and ‘60s with artists including Paul Revere & the Raiders singer Mark Lindsay (Arizona, Silverbird, Indian Reservation), Danny and The Juniors (At the Hop, Rock ‘n' Roll Is Here To Stay), Barbara Lewis (Hello Stranger, Baby I'm Yours) and The Orlons (Wah-Watusi, Don't Hang Up, South Street).
Tickets: $50 and $45

Monday, March 22 at 8PM - BROADWAY BY THE YEAR®: 1948

The Broadway Musicals of 1948 will feature songs from Kiss Me, Kate, Love Life, Where's Charley?, My Romance, Lend an Ear and more. Created, written and hosted for The Town Hall by Scott Siegel.
Tickets: $55 and $45

Friday, March 26 at 8PM - ANGÉLIQUE KIDJO

Over the course of her successful career, this Beninoise songstress has spread her rhythmic Afro-funk fusion to the four corners of the globe, combining elements of R&B, funk and jazz with European, Latin American and West African sounds. Her most recent album, Djin Djin, where she collaborated with Josh Groban, Carlos Santa, Joss Stone, Alicia Keys, Peter Gabriel among others, brought the four-time Grammy nominee her first win and a NAACP Image Award.
Tickets: $50 and $45

Friday, April 9 at 8PM - LIZZ WRIGHT & RICHARD BONA

Southern singer-songwriter Lizz Wright's distinct mixture of jazz, folk, gospel and R&B has earned favorable comparisons to Anita Baker, Regina Belle, Cassandra Wilson and Tracy Chapman by the New York Times. She will be joined at The Town Hall by Grammy-nominated bassist and singer Richard Bona. Universally recognized for his blending of jazz, bossa nova, pop, afro-beat, traditional song and fun, Bona has collaborated with Harry Belafonte, Bobby McFerrin and John Legend, among others.
Tickets: $50 and $45

Friday, April 16 at 8PM - TITO AND LURA

"The prince of Cape Verdean music," Tito Paris, and "the most dynamic performer in world music right now," Lura, will come together to create a powerful sound that captures the sensuality of Cape Verde on the Town Hall Stage. A successful guitar and bass player, composer and singer, Tito blends the sound of Cape Verdean traditional mornas, coladeiras and funanas with the modern sounds of Portugal and the rest of the world. Lura is credited with bringing the music of Cape Verde to a new generation by combining the traditional island sounds with a street-wise, urban sensuality, along with jazz and Brazilian influences.
Tickets: $50 and $45

Saturday, April 17 at 8PM - BRIAN STOKES MITCHELL IN CONCERT

Brian Stokes Mitchell has enjoyed a rich and varied career at home on the Broadway stages, television and film, along with appearances in the great American concert halls. The quintessential musical theatre performer, the Tony Award-winning actor has held leads in Kiss Me, Kate, Man of La Mancha and Ragtime. He has performed across the country at Feinstein's, Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl, to name a few, and has appeared on stage and television with Reba McEntire, John Williams, Marvin Hamlish and many others.
Tickets: $50 and $45

Monday, May 10 at 8PM - BROADWAY BY THE YEAR®: 1966

The Broadway Musicals of 1966 will include songs from Sweet Charity, Mame, Cabaret, I Do! I Do!, The Apple Tree and more. Created, written and hosted for The Town Hall by Scott Siegel.
Tickets: $55 and $45

Monday, June 14 at 8PM - BROADWAY BY THE YEAR®: 1990-2010

A concert commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Broadway by the Year® series, dubbed by Stephen Holden of The New York Times as ""witty, breezily paced ... Informative ... Valuable ... The right perspective of lighthearted nostalgia" features an all-star cast performing one song from each of the last 21 years of Broadway history. The shows include Aspects of Love (1990), Falsettos (1992), Kiss of the Spider Woman (1993), Ragtime (1998), Wicked(2003), Jersey Boys (2005), and many more. The Broadway by the Year® series was created, written and hosted for The Town Hall by Scott Siegel.
Tickets: $55 and $45

Tickets for the 2010 Town Hall season are currently available through mail order only. Visit www.the-townhall-nyc.org for a printable order form. Tickets will go on sale through The Town Hall Box Office and Ticketmaster on December 1. Subscriptions for the Broadway by the Year® series are available now through mail order only. Visit www.the-townhall-nyc.org for a printable order form. Single tickets will go on sale January 2 at The Town Hall Box Office and at Ticketmaster, 212-307-4100 or www.ticketmaster.com. The Town Hall Box Office is open noon to 6PM (except Sundays) at 123 West 43rd St., 212-840-2824.