Kevin Smith Kirkwood Returns to Joe's Pub with CLASSIC WHITNEY: ALIVE!

Kevin Smith Kirkwood - currently appearing on Broadway in the Tony Award-winning musical Kinky Boots - will bring CLASSIC WHITNEY: ALIVE! back to Joe's Pub at The Public for a four performance limited-engagement residency this summer after a series of smash, sold-out shows. Due to popular demand, CLASSIC WHITNEY: ALIVE! "The Greatest Hits: Volumes 1 & 2" will serve four nights with two different shows and set lists! "The Greatest Hits: Volume 1" will be performed on Sunday, August 5 and Monday, August 13 with "The Greatest Hits: Volume 2" on Monday, August 6 and Sunday, August 12. Fans can buy tickets for a single show or see both shows at a discounted rate with the "Love Whitney" package. This performance is part of the Showtime Salon Series, a yearlong celebration of LGBTQ+ live art sponsored by Joe's Pub and SHOWTIME®. Tickets to Volume 1 are HERE and Volume 2 are HERE.

After playing to packed houses at The Cutting Room and Joe's Pub, being featured on NBC TV, and being hailed as a "Critics' Pick" by Time Out New York, Kirkwood again channels the voice, look and spirit of the late icon Whitney Houston as she ascends from the choir of heaven and inhabits the body of Kirkwood to perform renditions of special live concert arrangements of hits from the diva's incredible catalog. Kirkwood has performed CLASSIC WHITNEY: ALIVE! around the world on Atlantis Cruises and even a command performance at Whitney's estate. The show was hailed as "pitch perfect" by The Huffington Post, with BroadwayWorld.com calling it "thrilling" adding "Kirkwood's good-natured performance delivered Whitney at her best." According to Washington Square News, "to say that Kevin Smith Kirkwood dazzled as Whitney Houston would be an understatement. You couldn't take your eyes off of him!"

Backed by a full band and a full cast, Mr. Kirkwood brings Whitney realness with a script that is constructed from excerpts of her concert banter and interviews. CLASSIC WHITNEY: ALIVE! is the ultimate Whitney tribute from the ultimate Whitney fan. CLASSIC WHITNEY: ALIVE! is written by Mr. Kirkwood, directed by Ray DeMattis, with musical direction by Drew Wutke (Into the Woods, Little Fish) featuring Nick Rashaad Burroughs as Bobby Brown, with John Lucas as Gary Houston, Lacretta Nicole as Cissy Houston, and Kerry Flanagan as Bette Sussman, Jaleesa Beavers as Kelly Price, Ashanti J'Aria as Faith Evans and Emily McNamara as Mariah Carey. Costume design is by Martha Smith and Marcus Desion, with wigs by Sabana Majeed ("The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel").

The New York Times wrote "Mr. Kirkwood is fabulous in drag!" in Off Broadway's How to Save the World and Find True Love in 90 Minutes and also hailed him as "Hilarious!" in It's Karate, Kid, The Musical! The Houston Chronicle exclaimed "Mr. Kirkwood's Trixie registers as a genuine dish- a vivacious femme fatale (with a big belting voice to boot)" and The San Francisco Chronicle raved about his "astonishing Whitney Houstion-ish star turn" in Dragapella! Starring the Kinsey Sicks!

Kevin Smith Kirkwood made his Broadway debut in the Tony Award winning musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and earned a 2005 New York Innovative Theater Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor for It's Karate, Kid! Kirkwood can currently be seen wowing audiences in Broadway's Tony Award Winning musical Kinky Boots and stars as Roxy in the recently released feature horror film titled Condemned (written and directed by Eli Morgan Gesner and also starring Dylan Penn and Lydia Hearst).

CLASSIC WHITNEY: ALIVE! will be presented at Joe's Pub at The Public Theater. Tickets for the individual shows are $30 each. The "Love Whitney" Package is $55 for both shows, a savings of $5. The venue is located in The Public Theater, 425 Lafayette Street (between East 4th and Astor Place) NYC. . For tickets call (212) 967-7555 from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM or visit joespub.com, or visit in person at The Public Theater Box Office at 425 Lafayette Street from 2:00 PM daily. There is a $12 food / two (2) drink minimum per person per show, unless otherwise noted.

Joe's Pub AT THE PUBLIC, named for Public Theater founder Joe Papp, opened in 1998 and plays a vital role in The Public's mission of supporting young artists while providing established artists with an intimate space to perform and develop new work. Joe's Pub presents the best in live music and performance nightly, continuing its commitment to diversity, production values, community and artistic freedom. The organization also offers opportunities like New York Voices, an artist commissioning program that provides musicians the resources and tools needed to develop original theater works; Joe's Pub Working Group, an artist development initiative; The Vanguard Award & Residency, a yearlong series that celebrates the career of a prolific and influential artist, who leads their own artistic community; and nationwide programming partnerships. Commissioned artists have included Mx Justin Vivian Bond, Bridget Everett, Daniel Alexander Jones, Ethan Lipton, Toshi Reagon, Allen Toussaint and more. The venue's food and beverage partner is the venerated Noho Hospitality Group, helmed by acclaimed chef Andrew Carmellini. With its intimate atmosphere and superior acoustics, Joe's Pub presents talent from all over the world as part of The Public's programming downtown at its Astor Place home, hosting approximately 800 shows and serving over 100,000 audience members annually.

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