Marty Thomas Presents DIVA at Industry With Ramona Keller

Grammy nominated recording artist and Broadway performer, Marty Thomas (Xanadu, Secret Garden, Wicked) prepares to redefine the nightclub scene with his new act Marty Thomas Presents: Diva at the hottest spot in Hell's Kitchen. With Industry-Bar dominating every happy hour crowd of the week in the heart of the Theatre District, it only seemed fitting that the neighborhood destination finally brings the cabaret-style spotlight back center stage. Industry-Bar and Thomas are set to breathe life back into the doldrums and monotony of a Music-less Monday.

Bob Pontarelli the proprietor of Industry-Bar describes the event: "The Divas night is a weekly salute to all the divas we know and love from film, recordings and video...from Madonna, Tina, and Aretha, to Gaga and Beyoncé...the list is endless! The centerpiece each week is a live tribute featuring the biggest, belting, show-stopping voices on Broadway. What's not to love?"

"Diva will hit home with the theatre crowd," Thomas explains. "It'll be a brand new show every week, featuring diva material - all the songs that fans like to hear, but in a new light. This is really a way to feature and celebrate some wonderful female talent."

Diva promises a return to glamour and the theatrics lost onto a culture starved for original performers, who sing live and regaled their adoring audiences in fabulous fashions. "It'll be more burlesque than karaoke," elaborated Marty, who is not only the MC of the weekly Monday night event, but will be musically arranging and conceptualizing the varying themes. The girls, emerging starlets in their own rites are pop-songstresses Kelly King (Michael Bolton and Babyface), singer-actress Anne Fraser Thomas (How the Grinch Stole Christmas), and performer Kat Hennessy (Bananaschpeel, Wicked).

"The girls will be working as a group, providing three-part harmonies," continuEd Thomas, "they will also be featured as solo artists." They will be performing some favorite popular standards, hits made famous by Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion and other divas of today. As an unexpected bonus, Thomas is also arranging some musical "mash-ups" giving the show a much more unique and contemporary flair. "And every week we will be joined by a ‘special guest' Broadway artist," which Thomas will pool from his limitless access of talented friends who have appeared or are currently performing on the Great White Way. "Not only is Marty a huge talent," adds Pontarelli, "but he has an amazing track record in gay nightlife and a phone book with every number you can imagine. The quality of talent he'll draw for this production will be unprecedented."

As if that were not enough to engage the audience, Thomas is introducing magnificent acts, including trained contortionists to engage the divas in new and elaborate stage antics, certainly likely to keep his talented trio of vocalists on point. "It'll always be a spectacular surprise!"

On Monday, March 28 DIVA welcomes Ramona Keller! Ramona recently appeared as the female lead in the national tour of "Handel's Messiah Rocks". She made her Broadway debut in "Smokey Joe's Cafe" as the standby for BJ Crosby and Brenda Braxton. Later she toured Europe with the show in the role of B.J. She originated the roles of Radio 1 in "Caroline or Change" and Ms. Paradise in "BKLYN the Musical", both on Broadway. Some of her regional credits include, Two productions of "Dreamgirls", "Lonestar Love", "Beehive", "The Buddy Holly Story", and the musical review "In Time" with Hugh Jackman in Las Vegas. She also had the honor of reviving her role of the Radio in "Caroline or Change" in London at the Royal National Theater.

Industry-Bar's Marty Thomas Presents: Divas is certain to become the new brightest light off off Broadway on Monday nights, sparking a new trend by providing live, incomparable, musical entertainment. The must-see show will begin at 11pm; there is no cover, must be 21 years
of age to enter. See the website at www.martythomaspresentsdiva.com or follow them on twitter at www.twitter.com/martysdivas.

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