Martha Raye

Review: Klea Blackhurst & Billy Stritch Toast Hoagy Carmichael at Chelsea Table + Stage

In show business, there are very few sure things. But Klea Blackhurst and Billy Stritch singing songs by Hoagy Carmichael is about as close as it gets. The September 15th show was perfection.

Interview: Joe Giamalva starring in LIFE IS SHORT AND SO AM I at Jagco Entertainment.

Living in Palm Springs sitting down with Broadway gypsy Joe Giamalva who has played in many arenas from stage to screen as a sought-after actor/dancer/producer. He also entertained several generations of television viewers on Saturday morning children’s classics H.R. PufnStuf, Land Of The Lost, and Disney Channel favorites. Joe is working on a brand new one-man show about his life and career.

Interview: RICHARD SKIPPER Celebrates HELLO DOLLY at Laurie Beechman Theatre

Richard Skipper, HELLO, DOLLY! historian and friend of the late great Carol Channing, is celebrating the beloved show on its 60th anniversary, with one more performance in Manhattan on March 29th at 7 pm featuring former Dolly alum Lorna Dallas. We spoke about the first sold out show and the enduring legacy of Dolly.

A History of Broadway's Lost Theatres

This month, the reader question was: Which Broadway theaters have been demolished/repurposed and when/why?

VIDEO: Watch Lin-Manuel Miranda Wish Norman Lear Happy Birthday Through Song

Watch the video Lin Manuel Miranda sent to Norman Lear on his 100th Birthday, featuring a performance of a rewritten version of Al Jolson's 'April Showers.'

Octavia Spencer, Jennifer Aniston & More to Celebrate Norman Lear in ABC Special

Honoring the life and legacy of the remarkable storyteller, activist and philanthropist Norman Lear, the one-night-only celebration features intimate conversations, special performances and surprise reunions that pay homage to the man behind some of television’s greatest stories in celebration of his 100th birthday.

Al Hirschfeld Foundation Launches Online Exhibition 'CALL HER MADAM'

The Al Hirschfeld Foundation has launched its latest online exhibition “Call Her Madam: Sex. Crime & Fun in Polly Adler's New York.”

ABC to Celebrate Norman Lear's 100th Birthday With Special

Honoring the life and legacy of storyteller, activist and philanthropist Norman Lear, ABC will present “Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music and Laughter.” The special will pay homage to the man behind some of television’s greatest stories and will feature a lineup of celebrity guests and musical performances to celebrate his 100th birthday.

Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre Presents HELLO, DOLLY!

She's sassy, smart, and spunky, and soon she'll be back at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre. Suzanne Stark stars as the iconic Dolly Levi in the matchmaking musical Hello, Dolly! starting March 31. 

Way Off Broadway Will Say HELLO, DOLLY! This Spring

It has been a long time coming, but this spring The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre will welcome the musical Hello, Dolly! to its stage. 

BWW Review: This “Beauty” QUEEN Spins Laughs & Holds On To Her Crown In MISS RICHFIELD 1981: 40 YEARS ON THE THRONE at The Triad

The hour and a half show, from which the Minnesota queen took really only 1 short break... left the audience breathless with laughter, and then, the moments where Miss R let the audience have it with her broad baritone voice left everyone breathless in another way...

Norman Lear Will Receive The Carol Burnett Award at the 78TH ANNUAL GOLDEN GLOBES

Today the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) announced that Norman Lear will receive the Carol Burnett Award at the 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards.

Presidential Medal Of Freedom Awarded To Martha Raye For Her Service To The Troops To Be Auctioned

The Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded to Martha Raye for her USO performances in three wars will be auctioned by Nate D. Sanders Auctions on August 27, 2020.

BroadwayHD April Lineup Includes PIPPIN, FAME, BILLY ELLIOT, and More!

BroadwayHD has announced its lineup for April.

BWW Review: A Jubilant HELLO DOLLY! at Shea's Buffalo Theatre

Many may think that the heartwarming and brassy American musical comedy of yore with it's hummable tunes will never be seen again. That the days of star driven shows have dried up. The era when the names of Mary Martin, Ethel Merman, or Carol Channing all but guaranteed a hit musical. Now producers are wary of putting all of their eggs in one basket, relying on a star to stick with a show until it recoups it's investment. Happily...... no, joyously...... Broadway producer Scott Rudin was able to engage superstar Bette Midler for a year in the first revival of HELLO DOLLY! ever to happen on Broadway without Carol Channing

Fans & Famous Join Sid & Marty Krofft to Unveil Walk of Fame Star

An estimated 150 fans camped out in front of the Funco Store on Hollywood Blvd to be on hand to help celebrate the careers of SID & MARTY KROFFT with a star on the world famous Hollywood Walk of Stars.

Norman Lear To Receive Britannia Award For Excellence In Television

 The British Academy of Film and Television Arts Los Angeles (BAFTA Los Angeles) is pleased to announce that five-time EMMY®-winning television pioneer Norman Lear will receive the Britannia Award for Excellence in Television at the 2019 British Academy Britannia Awards. He joins previously announced honorees Jackie Chan, who will receive the Albert R. Broccoli Britannia Award for Worldwide Contribution to Entertainment, Steve Coogan, who will receive the Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award for Excellence in Comedy Presented by Jaguar Land Rover, Jane Fonda, who will receive the Stanley Kubrick Britannia Award for Excellence in Film, Jordan Peele, who will receive the John Schlesinger Britannia Award for Excellence in Directing Presented by Cunard and Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who will receive the Britannia Award for British Artist of the Year.

BWW Review: HELLO, DOLLY! National Tour at Durham Performing Arts Center

Based on Thornton Wilder's 1954 play titled The Matchmaker, Hello, Dolly! follows famed New York City matchmaker Dolly Gallagher Levi as receives her toughest challenge yet. She must travel to Yonkers to find a suitable match for the miserly 'well-known unmarried half-a-millionaire' Horace Vandergelder. She successfully matches many others in the city, including Horace's niece and his two young clerks, but everything seems to go wrong when it comes to matching Horace.

BWW Review: Betty Buckley a Glorious Dolly Levi

Some shows I can see again and again, especially those composed by the forever upbeat Jerry Herman. Hello Dolly bowed on Broadway when I was a teenager in the 60s and it had a long run with original star Carol Channing, followed by turns with Ethel Merman, Ginger Rogers, Pearl Bailey, Martha Raye and Molly Picon, to name a few. Every major star wanted to do it because the role offers a female actress the chance to sing, dance and act the hell out of it. It's a big, splashy gut buster about a woman who has more moxy than the Pied Piper and enough wisdom and panache to win over an army or a whole kingdom, for that matter...and, for the audience, it's one of those extra-special feel-good musicals that just doesn't quit... 'It Only Takes a Moment' to fall in live with it.. You leave the theatre actually humming the tunes. The first National Tour of the latest Dolly!  at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre through February 17 is just about the best starring thje glorious Betty Buckley..

BWW Review: AN EVENING OF LAUGHTER AND REFLECTION at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall

Carol Burnett has a way with people. She befriends you immediately, puts you at ease and opens up her heart to a candid conversation. What you see is what you get and fans will have the opportunity to get up close and personal with this cherished living legend during her upcoming tour, An Evening of Laughter and Reflection, Where the Audience Asks the Questions. This show has Miss Burnett doing what she does best - connecting with her audience. Besides taking questions, she will be showing clips from her shows in a format that harkens back to the legendary openings of The Carol Burnett Show where her studio audience had an unfiltered opportunity to engage Carol with questions and receive spontaneous answers. 'I love the spontaneity of these evenings,' said Carol.