FUNNY GIRL's John Manzari is Coming to Birdland
His show “The First Set” is a high-energy evening highlighting the influence of tap dance on African-American music.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz May. 05, 2022
BIRDLAND THEATER will present John Manzari - the acclaimed dancer, singer, actor, and choreographer currently appearing on Broadway in Funny Girl - in a special event on Monday, May 23 at 8:30 PM. His show "The First Set" is a high-energy evening highlighting the influence of tap dance on African-American music through songs by Ahmad Jamal, Gregory Porter, Bill Evans, and others. John is joined by the Luther S. Allison Trio which includes Stanley Ruvinov on bass, Zach Adleman on drums, and Luther S. Allison on piano. There is a $30 music charge. Birdland is located at 315 West 44th Street in New York.
John Manzari is an Ovation Award and Helen Hayes Award nominated performer and teacher. Stage credits include the Bessie Award-winning production Ayodele Casel: Chasing Magic; 42nd Street, choreographed by Jared Grimes; Maurice Hines: Tappin' Thru Life, featuring his mentor Maurice Hines; The Wiz is 40: A Celebration in Dance and Music, directed and choreographed by George Faison; and Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies. Television credits include the PBS special "The Kennedy Center 50th Anniversary Celebration Concert," ABC's "The View," Michael Feinstein at the Rainbow Room and The Jerry Lewis Telethon. Concerts include NYPopsUp, Ayodele & Friends at Little Island, Spoleto Festival with Caleb Teicher, Fall for Dance, Fall for Dance North (Canada), Amelia Island Dance Festival, Gold Coast Dance Festival, and Birdland Jazz Club and Jacob's Pillow with Luke Hickey. John can be seen in the documentary about his mentor Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back and the award-winning short film Slip.
BIRDLAND THEATER will present John Manzari in "The First Set" on Monday, May 23 at 8:30 PM. There is a $30 music charge and a $20 food and beverage minimum. Birdland Theater is located downstairs at Birdland Jazz Club, 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
Every Saturday at 5:30 PM - 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
May 9 (Monday) 7:00 PM - Birdland Jazz Club
Debbie Gravitte with Marc Shaiman
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
May 16 (Monday) 7:00 PM - Birdland Jazz Club
Wendy Moten - "Sings Richard Whiting (And Other Classics That Should Never Be Forgotten)"
"The Voice" performer Wendy Moten will perform the songs of Richard Whiting, with hits including "He's Funny That Way," "My Ideal," "Miss Brown to You," and "Too Marvelous For Words." Ms. Moten will also perform the Janis Ian classic "At Seventeen," Paul Simon's "Still Crazy After All These Years," and one of her most popular songs from "The Voice," "Over the Rainbow." Moten is an exceptional singer, a pure musical spirit, and a bridge from Memphis to Nashville to the rest of the world. Respected in the music industry for years, the wider public discovered her through her remarkable run on NBC's "The Voice" in 2021. She turned all four judges' chairs on her blind audition and ended up in second place overall - unprecedented for an artist in her fifties. A native of Memphis, Moten sang R&B on a major label in the '90s then moved to Nashville to become an in-demand harmony singer. She spent 15 years as vocal support voice for Julio Iglesias. And she has toured with Martina McBride, Tim McGRaw & Faith Hill, and Vince Gill. She's performed as a soloist on the Grand Ole Opry and was a featured artist in the Country Music Hall of Fame. In 2019 she joined the Grammy-winning Nashville western swing band The Time Jumpers.
$50 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
May 16 (Monday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Jason Kravits - "Off the Top!"
Kravits returns to Birdland with "Off the Top!" after several sold-out shows last year. Whether you recognize him from Broadway (The Drowsy Chaperone, Relatively Speaking) or TV ("Halston," "The Undoing," "Dr. Death," "B Positive," "Search Party"), you've never seen Jason Kravits quite like this. In a performance London's Reviewsgate calls "a five-star masterclass in the art of improv," Jason invents an entire cabaret, from scratch, right before your eyes. Every song, every lyric, every show-biz anecdote, humblebrag and overshare... made up, on the spot, based on your suggestions. Backed by the most daring band in the business, and featuring very special guests, Jason creates a solo, improvised musical-comedy high wire act you must see to believe.
$30 tables / $20 bar seating + $20 food/drink minimum
May 23 (Monday) 7:00 PM - Birdland Jazz Club
Twelve-time Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs winner Natalie Douglas has been called "a true force of nature" by Clive Davis of The Times (UK). She has performed at Carnegie Hall, Cafe Carlyle, The Town Hall, Rose Hall at Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Pheasantry in London, and at her NYC home club, Birdland where her award-winning "Tributes" monthly residency (Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, Nat "King" Cole, Dame Shirley Bassey, Ella Fitzgerald, Roberta Flack, Joni Mitchell, Sammy Davis, Jr., Lena Horne, Barbra Streisand and more) ran from Summer 2017 thru January 2020. Natalie has released three albums, including the MAC Award-winning Human Heart. Having also made her mark as a much sought-after educator and actor, she is a Master Teacher for the Mabel Mercer Foundation, the St. Louis Cabaret Conference, and the Eugene O'Neill Cabaret & Performance Conference.
$35 tables / $25 bar seating + $20 food/drink minimum
June 10 (Friday) 6:00 PM - Birdland Jazz Club
"Happy Birthday, Judy!" - starring Carole J. Bufford & Stephanie Blythe
to benefit The Mabel Mercer Foundation
You're invited to a very special evening celebrating Judy Garland's 100th birthday and starring the incomparable singers Carole J. Bufford and Stephanie Blythe together for the very first time. Featuring the glorious music that made Judy Garland a household name, it all takes place at the Birdland Theater on Judy's birthday --June 10th -- and includes a three course gourmet dinner at 6:30 followed by the show at 8. And to top it all off, the proceeds from the ticket sales will go to benefit the Mabel Mercer Foundation. Tickets (price includes dinner and the show - cash bar available throughout the evening) Bar seating: $75, Standard seating: $200, VIP seating (includes prime seating and post show meet & greet): $500
June 13 (Monday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Liam Forde -"Great to Be Here" Album Release
Forde makes his Birdland solo debut celebrating his album, "Great to Be Here." Called a "dreamy pop debut" by Huffpost, it features original songs that blend cosmopolitan pop and a vintage sound with contemporary influences like Jon Batiste, Lake Street Dive, and Rufus Wainwright. Forde's authentic points of view create something fresh while drawing from a 1960s soundscape that encompasses the dry wit of Noel Coward, the infectious rhythms of Stevie Wonder, and the sweeping grandeur of classic Hollywood soundtracks. Liam will perform vocals, piano and flute, with Zack Eldridge on drums. The evening features favorite standards from the Great American Songbook and selections by Kay Thompson, Michel Legrand, and others. The Wall Street Journal raved "the boy wonder never fails to find precisely the right note." The Washington Post praised Liam's "breakout performance." Forde has been the recipient of many honors, including the Bistro Award for "Performer on the Rise," the Nightlife Award for "Outstanding Male Vocalist," the Mabel Mercer Foundation's Julie Wilson Award, and a Helen Hayes Award for "Outstanding Performance."
June 20 (Monday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Luke Hawkins will be joined by his friends Alex Newell, Max von Essen, Noah Rickets, Jeff Pew, and Addalie Burns. Hawkins is a NYC based tap dancer and choreographer. He performed in and choreographed the Broadway show, Harry Connick Jr.- A Tribute to Cole Porter at the Nederlander Theatre in 2019 and has choreographed Connick and performed alongside him in 43 concerts including The Hollywood Bowl, Wolftrap, La Seine Musicale in Paris and the Paladium Theatre in London. Luke's theatre credits include the Broadway production of Xanadu, Cirque du Soleil's Banana Shpeel and Joya as well as New York City Center Encores! productions of No, No, Nanette; Gentlemen Prefer Blondes; and On Your Toes. His TV and Film credits include tap dancing alongside Channing Tatum in the Coen Brothers' movie Hail, Caesar!, the 2015 Tony Awards, "Gossip Girl," "One Life to Live," "America's Got Talent," "The Colbert Report," "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon," the 2021 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and "Annie Live!"
$30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
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