La Mirada Theatre Features Frenchie Davis in SWEET SOUL MUSIC, 1/30

LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS  & UPRIGHT CABARET are thrilled to announce the remaining performers for its second show of their season, SWEET SOUL MUSIC, which will include Tony Award-nominee Brandon Victor Dixon (Broadway: The Color Purple, The Scottsboro Boys), & Leslie Odom, Jr. (Broadway: Rent, Jersey Boys, Regional: Leap of Faith opposite Brooke Shields), with the previously announced American Idol star Frenchie Davis, performing the music of Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye and Gladys Knight, and their own selections, under the musical direction of Todd Schroeder, in a one night only concert - SWEET SOUL MUSIC.  SWEET SOUL MUSIC will perform on Sunday, January 30, 2011 at 7:30PM at the NEW Cabaret Lounge at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd. in La Mirada.
 
Frenchie Davis first made her mark on Season 2 of the mega-hit reality-television show "American Idol" where judge Simon Cowell predicted "Frenchie Davis could win the show!" During the filming of AI, her stage presence, charismatic performances and power-house vocals cemented her as an audience and critic favorite nationwide. After "Idol," Frenchie headed straight to The Great White Way where she starred in the hit Broadway Musical "RENT" written by Jonathan Larson. Originally only contracted for a six-week run, Frenchie again wowed audiences with her vocal prowess, and show producers quickly extended her contract where she starred for the next four years! Frenchie has also starred in the West Coast tour of "Dreamgirls" playing Effie White, "Sing, Mahalia, Sing" playing Gospel great Mahalia Jackson, and in the 30th Anniversary National Revival production of "Ain't Misbehavin'" (opposite American Idol winner Ruben Studdard) playing the role which won Nell Carter the Tony Award. Frenchie and the cast were honored with a 2009 Grammy Award-nomination for Best Cast Recording.
            
This past summer, Davis performed alongside fellow Grammy-nominees Natasha Bedingfield and Taylor Dayne at the Americana At Brand's Summer Concert Series in front of an audience of over 10,000. Ms. Davis recently starred in "Cinderella" playing the Fairy Godmother at Berkeley Playhouse in Berkeley, CA and was a special guest performer at the 2010 Christmas Tree Lighting event in Sacramento for California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Ms. Davis was educated at Howard University in Washington DC. For more info, please visit: www.FrenchieDavis.org
 
Brandon Victor Dixon appeared on Broadway: The Color Purple; Harpo (Tony Nomination), City Center Encores! House of Flowers; Royal, The Lion King Cheetah National Tour; Adult Simba (original). Off-Broadway: The Scottsboro Boys; Haywood Patterson (Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, Drama League, Outer Critics Circle, and AUDELCO award Nomination). Regional: Ray Charles Live!; Ray Charles (Ovation Nomination), Columbia University's 107th Annual Varsity Show, as well as numerous other productions. TV: Quincy Jones's America's Millennium, ABC's One Life to Live; Darryl (recurring) Law & Order: Criminal Intent; Dix (feature) The Good Wife; Clerk (guest star). Awards: Columbia University's I.A.L. Diamond Award for Achievement in the Arts, National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts First Level Award, British Academy of Dramatic Acting scholarship, Presidential Scholar Semi-Finalist. Brandon, a Columbia University graduate.  Brandon also has a podcast on relationships called Finding Morgan Freeman, and a newly launched line of all-natural lip balm and fashion apparel called RTK (RediscoverTheKiss).
 
Leslie Odom, Jr. spent three seasons as fingerprint specialist Joseph Kayle on the hit CBS drama "CSI: Miami" and was one of the stars of the Fox pilot "Supreme Courtships." Other TV credits include guest and recurring roles on  "Grey's Anatomy", "Vanished", "Gilmore Girls", "Big Day", "Threshold", "The Big House", and "The Bill Engvall Show". Leslie recently wrapped production in Europe on the George Lucas film "Red Tails." The film recounts the story behind the perfect record of legendary WWII heroes, The Tuskegee Airmen. Odom stars alongside Terrance Howard, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Nate Parker, and R&B singer Ne-Yo to name a few. On Broadway Leslie is still the youngest to ever appear in the record breaking Rent. He was a 17 year old high school senior when he went into the show.  West Coast Theater credits include starring opposite Four-time Tony Award-nominee Raúl Esparza and Golden Globe Award-nominee Brooke Shields in the world premiere Broadway-bound new musical "Leap of Faith."
     
Recently he starred in the world premiere of Jersey Boys at the La Jolla Playhouse, Once On This Island with Reprise, The Soul of Rogers at Ebony Repertory Theater, Sondheim's 75th at the Hollywood Bowl, and a reading of David Mamet's Keep Your Pantheon directed by Mr. Mamet. Back east Odom starred in the world premiere Sondheim review Being Alive at Westport Country Playhouse and The Philadelphia Theater Company. The historical show featured an all African-American cast with arrangements by Michael McElroy, James Sampliner, and the incomparable Billy Porter. Leslie graduated from Carnegie Mellon University's prestigious School of Drama with honors and is a Princess Grace Award winner for Acting.        
Todd Schroeder (Musical Direction) started playing piano at the age of four. Growing up in a musical family, he was introduced to everything from Claude Debussy to Neil Diamond, from Ray Charles to Elton John, but what he remembers most is discovering, at the age of eight, the rock and roll piano playing of Jerry Lee Lewis.  For Schroeder, this variety of musical influences has produced a variety of musical accomplishments as a composer, producer, arranger, musical director and performer. Playing piano remains Schroeder's first love. He has performed at Carnegie Hall and the White House, with the Boston Pops and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and has appeared on numerous television shows including The Oprah Winfrey Show.  As an accomplished composer, his original music has been featured in film and television. His production of "Roter Mond: The Braveheart Musical" is set to open in Duisburg, Germany in November 2011. He composed music and lyrics with his writing partner, Kevin Fisher, for the new hit  musical "Unbeatable: A Bold New Musical". .(UnbeatableMusical.com) He has also recorded four of his own CD's including the critically-acclaimed "Songs My Father Taught Me".  Along with writing and producing, Schroeder has conducted and arranged for such artists as Angela Lansbury, Nell Carter, Jason Alexander, Rita Coolidge, David Burnham and Sam Harris. He also serves as the vocal director for Disney's "Aladdin, A Musical Spectacular" and for "Wicked" at Universal Studios Japan. And finally, he is the proud founder of the Todd Schroeder Young Artist Grant, an annual scholarship presented to graduating High School students wanting to pursue careers in the arts.           
 
 
ABOUT Chris Isaacson AND THE "UPRIGHT CABARET" SERIES
 
Returning for a second year, this series will perform the first Sunday night of each of La Mirada Theatre's mainstage productions as UPRIGHT CABARET, the pre-eminent Los Angeles hot spot for the next generation of world-class entertainers, brings its unique brand of cabaret entertainment to La Mirada! 
Chris Isaacson has created, produced and promoted over 450 events since forming his company in 2004. From small clubs to major theatres, Isaacson has produced some of the most influential stars of his generation including Adam Lambert (American Idol), Lea Michele (Glee, Spring Awakening), Neil Patrick Harris (CBS's How I Met Your Mother & ABC's Doogie Howser, M.D.) and more.  Isaacson is also creator/founder of LA's renowned Upright Cabaret which has been redefining the cabaret milieu for a new generation of audiences in Los Angeles since 2005.
 
Upright Cabaret seeks to celebrate old style cabaret while simultaneously turning it on its ear, bringing young Broadway and young Hollywood together in a live setting. Isaacson produces concerts and events under the "Upright Cabaret" banner including the summer concert series at the Ford Amphitheatre, the successful "American Icon Series" which plays at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza and the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs, as well as, his critically acclaimed concerts "Shoshana Sings Streisand" starring Shoshana Bean, "Stephen Schwartz: Making Good" featuring Wicked creator/lyricist Stephen Schwartz and "Eden Espinosa: Me" starring Eden Espinosa.
 
In Aug 2010, Chris Isaacson and Upright Cabaret began a relationship with The Grove in Los Angeles and The Americana at Brand in Glendale. Chris Isaacson produced Summer Concert Series with headlining acts Grammy winners Steve Tyrell, Grammy winner Paula Cole, 3x Grammy Nominee Taylor Dayne and Grammy Nominee Natasha Bedingfield. Broadway veteran Jennifer Leigh Warren, Grammy winning songwriter Matt Morris, Broadway star & Grammy nominee Frenchie Davis and WB's "One Tree Hill" star Tyler Hilton. These concerts were featured on Access Hollywood, Extra, ABC's On The Red Carpet, and KTLA 5 Morning News.
 
Chris Isaacson is currently developing Broadway Veteran Jennifer Leigh Warren's new project entitled "Little Woman/Big Voice: the songs of Dame Shirley Bassey" with Dir. Richard Jay-Alexander (Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler, Bernadette Peters) set to direct, "Star Search" Grand Champion Jake Simpson and Broadway star and American Idol star Frenchie Davis. Upright Cabaret is also currently working with the City of West Hollywood to find a permanent home for Upright Cabaret in West Hollywood.  Isaacson is committed to his humanitarian and social causes including The Trevor Project and AIDS Project Los Angeles.  Visit Chris Isaacson at www.ChrisIsaacsonPresents.com.