BWW Reviews: Disney's Dreamy Juliana Hansen Makes Dynamic Cabaret Debut
On Sunday September 30 beautiful theatre star Juliana Hansen debuted her one-woman cabaret at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal. Directed by dynamic Bruce Kimmel and with sleek musical direction from A.J. Robb, Hansen literally had her audience eating out of her palm from the very top of the 70-minute gig. Ultra confident and never missing a beat, Hansen segued from song to story to song seemlessly. Her voice is as pure and fragile as porcelain - it is so beautiful, like that of Julie Andrews or Kristen Chenoweth, that she is a recording artist's dream, a true singer's singer. In her young career, she has been requested by Academy Award winning composer Richard B. Sherman to sing internationally for Disney in Concert and to premiere songs cut from Mary Poppins.
Kritzerland Soaring in its New Home at Sterling's Upstairs at Vitello's
On Sunday evening February 5 Kritzerland celebrated their 18th. show and second at Sterling's Upstairs at Vitello's in Studio City with a family evening of great tunes from live action films entitled Reel Imagination saluting Michelle NiCastro, a magnificent singer who passed away last year. Five remarkable female singers Alet Taylor, Juliana Hansen, Melody Hollis, Lauren Rubin and Jane Noseworthy (left to right in photo above) joined music director extraordinaire Shelly Markham at the piano and Bruce Kimmel who introduced the songs in his own inimitable style with delightful anecdotes about the composers and his association with them through Kritzerland. Composer Richard M. Sherman, of Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang fame, made a special guest appearance singing and playing the kazoo on 'The Chimpanzoo' cut from Mary Poppins (photo above).
