Coco Peru to Present BITTER BOTHERED & BEYOND at Birdland

BIRDLAND will present drag legend Coco Peru in the new show "Bitter Bothered & Beyond!" for two special performances. The first show at Birdland Jazz Club on Monday, March 21 at 7:00 PM quickly sold out, so an encore performance has been added for Tuesday, March 22 at 8:30 PM downstairs at the Birdland Theater. After everything that's been going on in the world, Coco is ready to unleash her thoughts about the past, present and future - and this exhausted dinosaur of drag is not holding back anything. "Bitter Bothered & Beyond!" has upcoming national tour dates in San Diego, CA (3/5-6), Galesburg, IL (3/11), Kingston, NY (3/19), Albany, NY (3/20), Boston (3/25-26), Orlando, FL (4/7), Ft. Lauderdale, FL (4/9), Los Angeles, CA (4/29-5/1) and more. At Birdland, there is a $40 music charge. The venue is located at 315 West 44th Street in New York.

Coco Peru, a.k.a. Clinton Leupp, has been a household name in the LGBT community for nearly 30 years. She got her start in the early 90's as a downtown favorite in the cabaret world of New York after she wrote, produced, directed, and starred in her first show, and has since enjoyed an expansive career, ranging from intimate stages in New York and LA, to television sets in millions of living rooms. She's toured around the world, and has been in multiple cherished films, garnering multiple awards and nominations for her work. Her credits include feature films Trick, To Wong Foo..., and the cult classic Girls Will Be Girls, in addition to television shows "Will and Grace," "How I Met Your Mother," and "Arrested Development." Coco's voice will soon be heard in the animated Netflix series "Dead End: Paranormal Park."

Coco has also become a viral social media sensation on Instagram and YouTube, with over 12 million views. Considered "the hostess with that something... extra," Coco has worldwide acclaim for her remarkable series of tributes to great performers, "Conversations with Coco," in which she conducted live career-retrospective interviews with such luminaries as Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Liza Minnelli, Allison Janney, and the late Bea Arthur. Coco's long history of passionate activism, unflagging support of the LGBT community, and fierce dedication to AIDS-related charities earned her the Los Angeles LGBT Center's Board of Directors Award, presented to her by Zachary Quinto.

BIRDLAND will present Coco Peru in the new show "Bitter Bothered & Beyond!" on Tuesday, March 22 at 8:30 PM, downstairs at the Birdland Theater. The performance on Monday, March 21 at 7:00 PM is sold out. There is a $40 music charge and a $20 food and beverage minimum. Birdland is located at 315 West 44th Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues) in Manhattan. For reservations, please call (212) 581-3080 or visit www.BirdlandJazz.com. In compliance with New York City rules for indoor activities, Birdland requires proof of vaccination or a verified medical exemption from all customers, staff, and performers.

UPCOMING HIGHLIGHTS AT

BIRDLAND THEATER AND BIRDLAND JAZZ CLUB

Every Monday at 9:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club

Jim Caruso's Cast Party

"Jim Caruso's Cast Party," a New York institution for almost two decades, is a wildly popular weekly open mic night/variety show that has brought a sprinkling of Broadway glitz and urbane wit to Birdland since 2004. Called "show-business heaven" by The New York Times and "the gold-standard of open mic nights" by The Wall Street Journal, "Cast Party" will take advantage of the city's post-pandemic nightlife renaissance to keep presenting a potent mix of Broadway stars, jazz swingers and cabaret legends, in addition to new faces and rising talent from every genre. The buoyant, sharp and charming Caruso guides the entire affair, while musical genius Billy Stritch (Liza Minnelli, Tony Bennett) holds court at the ivories and leads the Cast Party Symphony Orchestra (Steve Doyle on bass and Daniel Glass on drums).

$30 + $20 food/drink minimum

Every Tuesday at 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater

The Lineup with Susie Mosher

"The Lineup with Susie Mosher" is a wild, anything-goes variety show featuring entertainers from the Broadway, cabaret and comedy scenes, ranging from today's hottest headliners to the best up-and-coming stars of tomorrow. Mosher - the noted actress and singer from Broadway and beyond, called "one of those talents you need to see to believe" by Time Out New York - hosts the spontaneous extravaganza every Tuesday, and each Lineup is unique and promises to deliver an unforgettable night of quintessential New York City entertainment.

$20 + $20 food/drink minimum

March 5, 12, 19 and 26 at 5:30 PM (Saturdays) - Birdland Jazz Club

Eric Comstock & Barbara Fasano

Hailed as "the truest heir to Bobby Short" in The New York Times, pianist/singer Eric Comstock returns to Birdland with star bassist/composer Sean Smith with songs by everyone from George Gershwin to George Harrison. These two masters met on the Off-Broadway hit Our Sinatra (which Eric co-wrote) and have since worked separately and together around the world. Vocalist Barbara Fasano joins them at Birdland for a swinging Saturday supper where the music and stories are equally great. Sean Smith has been an integral part of the international jazz scene for over 25 years, and has performed with Gerry Mulligan, Phil Woods, Benny Carter, Art Farmer, Flip Phillips, Clark Terry and many others. Barbara Fasano has been praised as "a gorgeous, soulful singer who has an actor's intensity in whatever she sings" by The New York Post and "a lyrically sensitive interpreter" by The New York Times. Her latest album Busy Being Free is the recipient of the MAC Award for "Major Recording of the Year."

$30 + $20 food/drink minimum

March 14 (Monday) 7:00 PM - Birdland Jazz Club

Mark Mackillop - "Duets"

MacKillop, star of West Side Story, Anastasia and Dirty Dancing, is making his Birdland debut. He will storm the stage with an evening of duets with Broadway performers Jelani Remy, Joy Franz, Telly Leung, BrittMack, Ed Staudenmayer, Alex Newell and Ari Groover, singing songs from musical theatre, pop, country, and more. Originally from Vancouver, British Columbia, Mark grew up performing in musical theatre. At 17 he started studying ballet and after summers training with Boston Ballet and ABT in NYC he was hired by the nation's oldest continually running company, the Atlanta Ballet. After performing in On Your Toes as part of New York City Center's Encores series he spent a year playing Riff on the international tour of West Side Story. Mark also toured the US performing in the National Tour of Dirty Dancing and most recently playing Prince Siegfried on the First National Tour of Anastasia.

$45/$75 VIP + $20 food/drink minimum

March 21 (Monday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater

Artemisia LeFay - "Ghosts of Weimar Past"

"Ghosts of Weimar Past" is a program of musical time travel, honoring the spirit of cabaret and vaudeville from the birth to the death of Weimar Berlin. It features an all-female cast of musical characters, including Mary Spencer Knapp on accordion, Hannah Mount on piano, and Tiffany Weiss on violin. Join us as we resurrect the songs of Michael Jary, Mischa Spoliansky, Kurt Weill, and more, channeled through the music of the Orchestra of the Depraved and chanteuse Artemisia LeFay. From the gritty 20s, tumultuous 30s, and uncertain 40s, cabaret existed as a way to criticize and defy the faults of society. "Ghosts of Weimar Past" is full of Marlene Dietrich standards, snippets from Anita Berber's "Dances of Depravity," and the LGBTQ+ anthems and anti-nazi songs that were sung under the very nose of fascism.

$30 Table/$20 Bar + $20 food/drink minimum

March 28 (Monday) 7:00 PM - Birdland Jazz Club

Karen Mason - "Kander & Ebb & All That Jazz!"

Mason returns to Birdland for one night only to share her love of songwriters John Kander and Fred Ebb in her new show, "Kander & Ebb...And All That Jazz." As one of the original stars of the off-Broadway production of And the World Goes 'Round, Mason has a personal connection to these legends and their music. A night of unforgettable stories, laughter, and music, including "Ring Them Bells," "My Coloring Book," and "Go Back Home," this show highlights Mason's vocal prowess, charisma, and overall versatility. Mason is the star of Broadway's Mamma Mia!, Wonderland, Hairspray, and Sunset Boulevard, as well as the first US tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Love Never Dies. She is the also the recipient of the 2019 MAC Lifetime Achievement Award. She has graced the stages of Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, and The Drury Lane Oakbrook, as well as Royal Albert Hall in London. She has eight albums, including her latest release Let the Music Play, featuring the title song from Paul Rolnick and David Friedman.

$40 + $20 food/drink minimum

April 7 (Thursday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater

The Kinsey Sicks

For 24 years, America's Favorite Dragapella Beautyshop Quartet has served up a feast of music and comedy to audiences at performing arts centers, music venues, and comedy festivals in every kind of town you can imagine! Their award-winning a cappella singing,sharp satire, and over-the-top drag have earned The Kinsey Sicks a diverse and devoted following. They have been called "inventive, riotously and sublime" by Variety.

$40 tables / $30 bar + $10 food/drink minimum

April 11 (Monday) 7:00 PM - Birdland Jazz Club

Debbie Gravitte with Stephen Schwartz

Tony Award winner Debbie Gravitte has been in theater long enough to have made some very special friends. Join her as she welcomes Stephen Schwartz (April 11), Marc Shaiman (May 9), and Harvey Fierstein (September 12) for three separate evenings full of songs, stories, and surprises. Gravitte, one of Broadway's biggest personalities, has found herself in demand from the Broadway stage to the concert stage and beyond. After making her Broadway debut in the original cast of They're Playing Our Song, she went on to appear in Perfectly Frank, Blues in the Night, Ain't Broadway Grand, Chicago, Jerome Robbins' Broadway, and Les Misérables. She has appeared in three shows for Encores!: Carnival, The Boys From Syracuse, and Tenderloin.Debbie has performed her nightclub act worldwide, from New York's Rainbow & Stars and 54 Below, to London's Pizza on the Park to Atlantic City with Jay Leno, Harry Anderson and the legendary George Burns.

$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

April 18 (Monday) 7:00 PM - Birdland Jazz Club

Steve Ross

Steve Ross delves into the Great American and International Songbooks for some old favorites, and a couple of songs from contemporary writers, including himself, from America (Cole Porter, Harold Arlen, Irving Berlin, Hoagy Carmichael), England (Noel Coward), France (Charles Trenet) and Germany (Friedrich Hollaender). Ross has been a fixture of the cabaret community in Manhattan for over forty years. In 1981 he re-opened the legendary Oak Room at Manhattan's famed Hotel Algonquin where he held forth for over 15 years. He has appeared on Broadway in Noel Coward's Present Laughter and off-Broadway in his Fred Astaire tribute I Won't Dance. Internationally, he has performed in London, Paris, Tokyo, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Melbourne and Sydney as well as cabarets and theatres across America and on the high seas.

$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

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