BWW Reviews: Lena Hall Rocks Café Carlyle with SIN AND SALVATIONApril 8, 2015Fresh off of her Tony Award-winning run as Yitzhak in the Broadway revival of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Lena Hall makes her Cafe Carlyle debut with SIN AND SALVATION. With her rocker sensibilities, she is turning the intimate venue on its head with a show that features a fascinating blend of rock, pop, blues, and even a touch of rap.
BWW CD Reviews: Seth Glier's IF I COULD CHANGE ONE THING is Vibrantly SmoothApril 8, 2015Grammy nominated artist Seth Glier released his latest studio album, IF I COULD CHANGE ONE THING, on April 7, 2014. On the record, the 26 year old singer-songwriter brings a charming pop sensibility to these mostly mellow tunes. Crafting an album that reminds listeners of artists like Ed Sheeran and Ryan Tedder, Seth Glier does find his own distinct voice and sings with a timbre and tonality that is simultaneously airy and vibrantly smooth.
BWW Reviews: MY NAME IS RACHEL CORRIE Lacks PowerApril 7, 2015Taken from the writings of Rachel Corrie and edited by Alan Rickman and journalist Katharine Viner, the play MY NAME IS RACHEL CORRIE is known for being controversial. At its heart, it is a play that exposes the atrocities that occurred during the Second Intifada. The politics surrounding the Gaza Strip are complex and convoluted, and MY NAME IS RACHEL CORRIE puts the audience on the front lines.
BWW Reviews: Patti LuPone Burns Bright in THE LADY WITH THE TORCH Encore at 54 BelowApril 3, 2015Patti LuPone, living Broadway legend and Two-time Tony winner, returns to 54 Below with her acclaimed solo show THE LADY WITH THE TORCH. Showcasing her breathy alto and stunning belt, Patti LuPone 'belly ache[s]' (her words) her way through an inspired evening of well-known torch songs. And once the diva takes the stage, there is simply no denying that LuPone's grace, poise, and power are pure magic.
BWW Reviews: Well-Strung Thrills with POPSSICAL Encore at 54 BelowMarch 30, 2015New York City based string quartet Well-Strung returned to 54 Below on Friday, March 27, 2015. Performing to a sold-out house, the always charming and handsome performers delighted audiences with an encore engagement of their entertaining hit show POPssical. While reprising much of what they performed the last time I reviewed them in late October, the guys' charismatic set had a handful of new surprises.
BWW Reviews: Anika Larsen Charms at BirdlandMarch 25, 2015Celebrating the release of SING YOU TO SLEEP, Anika Larsen made her solo concert debut at Birdland on Monday, March 23. Joined by her BEAUTIFUL castmates Jessie Mueller and Jarrod Spector and her XANADU castmate Kenita Miller, Larsen's set featured songs from her album and thematically appropriate solos that featured her guests' talents too. Thus, the evening was the perfect night cap to an otherwise manic Monday.
BWW CD Reviews: Steve Grand's ALL AMERICAN BOY is Earnest, Relatable CountryMarch 23, 2015Following the success of his debut single 'All American Boy,' Steve Grand began working on his debut album of the same title. Raising over $325,000, his album is currently the third most funded project in Kickstarter's history. Tomorrow, March 25, 20115, the stellar game-changing country album ALL AMERICAN BOY will be available for purchase.
BWW Reviews: Ben Vereen's STEPPIN' OUT at 54 Below Entertains with EaseMarch 18, 2015Simply hearing the name Ben Vereen uttered invokes the magic and allure of Broadway. From originating key roles in JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR and PIPPIN, Vereen has called the stages of Broadway home for years. Therefore, it is no surprise that he commands an audience with charm and pizzazz, easily entertaining a full house at 54 Below with his new cabaret show STEPPIN' OUT.
BWW Reviews: Tony Yazbeck's THE FLOOR ABOVE ME at 54 Below is SpellbindingMarch 17, 2015Tony Yazbeck returned to 54 Below with The Floor Above Me, his tap filled cabaret show. Co-written and Co-directed by Yazbeck and Howard Emanuel, it explores the charismatic performers love for dance, his road to Broadway, and his career. Yazbeck unleashes his larger-than-life charm and talent, gifting audiences with a spellbinding performance.
BWW CD Reviews: Brian Gallagher's ALL THAT'S AHEAD is Smartly Captivating and EmotionalMarch 14, 2015Broadway veteran Brian Gallagher is a bona fide singer/songwriter. His debut album ALL THAT'S AHEAD, featuring a healthy handful of appearances from his wife Megan Hilty, is informed by the emotional sincerity and unembellished structure of the blues tradition and the genuine strength of singer/songwriters. ALL THAT'S AHEAD offers the best of the blues and singer/songwriter genres with a footprint that is uniquely his own.
BWW Reviews: RAP GUIDE TO RELIGION Smartly Blends TED Talk with PerformanceMarch 14, 2015SoHo Playhouse is known for presenting NYC with some of the finest hysterical yet thought-provoking material that modern theatre has to offer. Enter Baba Brinkman's RAP GUIDE TO RELIGION, a comical 90-minute one act that explores the Darwinian and psychological imperative and power the construct of religion has for the continued evolution of the human species.
BWW Reviews: Emily Padgett and Erin Davie Sing with Heart and Humor at 54 BelowMarch 6, 2015Making their 54 Below debuts together, Emily Padgett and Erin Davie crafted a cabaret show that was filled with humor and heart. Singing duets and solo numbers, the lovely ladies who played Violet and Daisy Hilton in this season's Broadway revival of Side Show at the St. James Theatre skillfully entertained the dinner time crowd and left us looking forward to the next time they tread the boards on the Great White Way.
BWW CD Reviews: Rachel Potter's NOT SO BLACK AND WHITE Vivacious and HeartfeltMarch 3, 2015Despite growing up in Texas, I more or less hated country music for most of my life. If only more of it had sounded like Rachel Potter's first full length album NOT SO BLACK AND WHITE. If it had, I may have been a fan of the genre earlier. Mixing in sensibilities of pop and rock, Rachel Potter's brand of country is fresh and bold. Most refreshing of all is that her take on country is uniquely hers. There is no artifice or facade; there's just great music.
BWW Reviews: ALTAR BOYZ 10th Anniversary Reunion Concert is Soul Lifting FunMarch 2, 2015ALTAR BOYZ opened Off-Broadway at Stage 4 of Dodger Stages on March 1, 2005. The award-winning, hit musical comedy closed after 2,032 regular performances on January 10, 2010. For two very special performances at 54 Below on March 1, 2015, actors who played the now iconic fictional Christian boy band took to the stage to celebrate the show's 10th anniversary with pizzazz, wit, and a whole lot of harmonizing.