BWW Reviews: KRITZERLAND CHRISTMAS Puts the Jolly in Your Holly
The cast of fantastic singers included Kim Huber, Robert Yacko, Madison Claire Parks, Roger Befeler, special guest Jason Graae, and young singers Sami and Sarah Staitman, Brennley Brown, Paige Befeler and 10 year-old Hadley Belle Miller. Virtuoso pianist James Lent served as musical director for the event headed up by host Bruce Kimmel, who was in especially good form about to celebrate a birthday on December 8.
Broadway's David Burnham and Valerie Perri Headline Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal, 9/21
Continuing its 8 year reign as the most critically acclaimed, award-winning supper club of its kind in the greater Los Angeles area dedicated to presenting the best of Broadway Performers and Nightclub Artists in concert, Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal welcomes Broadway's David Burnham and Valerie Perri in their co-headlining concert debut of Together Again for the First Time, an evening of non-stop Broadway showstoppers with Musical Direction by Mark Vogel at Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal in the NoHo Arts District of North Hollywood Sunday, September 21, 2014.
Sterling's Upstairs to Celebrate 8th Anniversary this Month
Sterling's Upstairs - housed at popular LA hot spot The Federal in North Hollywood's NoHo Arts District - has not only been described by the Los Angeles Times as "LA's cabaret destination;" but was just cited by LA Weekly as one of Los Angeles's top five supper clubs, With an arsenal of similar accolades from LA based media, Sterling's Upstairs celebrates its eight-year anniversary this month with Broadway performers Maura Hanlon Smith (June 9), Sandy Bainum (June 22) and Bernard Dotson (June 29-June 30). Kritzerland Records' Nobody Does it Better... The songs of Dorothy Fields kicked off the month-long celebration on June 1st featuring Tara Browne, Cynthia Ferrer, Zachary Ford, Kim Huber, Jenna Lea Rosen, Sami Staitman, Sarah Staitman, Robert Yacko and Special Guest... Broadway's Kerry O'Malley.
BWW Reviews: Kritzerland's New Kids in Town
Make way everybody, we've got some new kids in town and they're out to take over musical theatre one song at a time. Of course, I'm referring to Kritzerland's latest cabaret show at Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal. On Sunday, January 5th, Bruce Kimmel's New Kids in Town! featured nine terrific up-and-coming young people ranging in age from 9 to 18.
BWW Reviews: A Mirthful Kritzerland Christmas III Plays Sterling's
On Sunday, December 1 Kritzerland Records presented its 40th show and annual Christmas presentation entitled A Kritzerland Christmas III at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal with special guest star Terri White. It was a beautiful evening of mostly familiar Christmas music with a few lesser known but still great tunes. This is the whole point of Kritzerland to spotlight those songs that somehow got away without becoming hits. On hand as well as dynamic Terri White were songsters Dan Callaway, Robert Yacko, Ashley Fox Linton, Lisa Livesay, Jenna Lea Rosen, Sarah Staitman, Kelsey Scott and nine year-old Hadley Belle Miller, under the super musical direction of Richard Allan.
BWW Reviews: Kritzerland Celebrates Third Anniversary with The Songs That Got Away Part II
On Sunday evening September 1, Kritzerland celebrated its third anniversary and 37th show at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal. Entitled The Songs That Got Away II, it featured a batch of songs from various composers/musicals that Bruce Kimmel considers great but that over time have received far less airplay than deserved. In short, they have just not attained a solid popularity. Many of these songs are familiar like 'Some People' from Gypsy, but, it certainly did not gain the fame of, say, 'Everything's Coming Up Roses'... but should have. Some of the lesser known but beautiful tunes like 'It Must Be Spring' by Michel Legrand and the Bergmans are so good that it seems a shame it did get nominated for awards. Featured on this stellar program were dynamic singers Valerie Perri, Kay Cole, Jane Noseworthy, speciaLguest star Sharon McNight, Dan Callaway, Joshua Finkel, Jenna Lee Rosen, and sisters Sami and Sarah Staitman. John Boswell brilliantly served as musical director at the piano throughout the 90-minute set.
BWW Reviews: The Roar of Kritzerland as They Salute Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse
I can't help but borrow from the genius of Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse when I affirm it was The Roar of Kritzerland, The Smell of the burgers at the Federal on Sunday May 5 - Cinco de Mayo, no less - as Kritzerland presented its 33rd show in its current home at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal, entitled Once in a Lifetime: The Songs of Anthony Newley & Leslie Bricusse. And it was a lollapalooza of an evening!