Billy Porter, Kathy Najimy, Constantine Maroulis & More Coming to Feinstein's at the Nikko in January 2015

Feinstein's at the Nikko kicks off 2015 with a bang with an exciting lineup of artists, including Tony Award winner Billy Porter; actress, feminist and activist Kathy Najimy; world-renowned artist Vonda Shepard; Broadway star Constantine Maroulis; and the dynamic cabaret duo Amy and Freddy. Additional artists will be added at a later date. Tickets for all performances are on-sale now and available by calling 866.663.1063 or visiting www.ticketweb.com.

Located within Hotel Nikko (222 Mason Street, San Francisco), Feinstein's at the Nikko presents a wide range of entertainers from stage and screen all within an intimate 140-seat cabaret setting. There is a $20 food and beverage minimum per perso inside the showroom which guests can use towards cocktails as well as a variety of small plates crafted exclusively for Feinstein's at the Nikko by Executive Chef Philippe Striffeler, through Restaurant Anzu. Cheese and dessert platters will also be available in the showroom.

AMY & FREDDY
Friday, January 2 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, January 3 at 7 p.m.
Tickets: $25 - $40

Quite possibly, Amy & Freddy can lay claim to one of the longest running gigs in show biz, as headliners for 14 consecutive years on one of the world's highest profile cruise line companies, RSVP Vacations.

Amy Armstrong is the unforgettable sassy, brassy, saucy, plus sized chanteuse who belts, bowdlerizes, boogies, and bares her soul at the microphone. Freddy Allen, pianist and Music Director, sometimes joins her in song as the patience-of-a-saint, ivory-tickling sidekick. Theirs is a rare talent to captivate, amuse and enchant!

Their signature renditions alternate between the bluesy and the bawdy, the inspiring and the insightful, the tasteless and yet tantalizing, and ALWAYS with the powerhouse pipes of Ms Armstrong in perfect synchronicity with Mr. Allen's piano-playing pastiche.

Having shared stages around the world in 20-plus countries with the likes of such show business icons as Bea Arthur, Kathy Griffin, Mary Wilson, Phyllis Diller and Jennifer Holiday, to name a few, Amy & Freddy are well known to audiences as finalists on "American's Got Talent" (2009).

For additional information on Amy & Freddy, visit www.amyfreddy.com.

KATHY NAJIMY · LIFT UP YOUR SKIRT
Friday, January 9 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, January 10 at 7 p.m.
Tickets: $45 - $60

Actress, feminist and activist Kathy Najimy brings Lift Up Your Skirt, an in-progress, semi- autobiographical show to Feinstein's at the Nikko for two performances only! Lift Up Your Skirt will feature some true stories of Kathy's upside down life from her beginnings in San Diego to her life as a movie maven and social justice super-hero, as well as a monologue about Marriage Equality from "Aunt Maddie" a beloved character from "The Kathy and Mo Show." Accompanied by Kathy's Musical Director (NYC's finest and cutest) Brian Nash, the 80-minute show is sure to guarantee an evening filled with laughter and heart.

Kathy Najimy is known for her memorable performances in over 25 films including "Sister Act" and "Hocus Pocus," as well as several TV projects. She is very proud to have been named Ms. Magazine's "Woman of the Year!" Najimy is currently recurring on HBO's "VEEP", and has two films debuting in 2015: "A Change of Heart" and Disney's "Off The Island."

For TV, she voiced "Peggy Hill" (14 seasons) on the Emmy-winning "King of the Hill", And 3 seasons as Olive on "Veronica's Closet" on NBC. She was also series regular on "Numb3rs" and "The Big C."

Other than "Sister Act" and "Hocus Pocus", her work includes starring roles in"Rat Race," Pixar's Oscar and Golden Globe winning "WALL-E" "Madea Christmas" and "Say Uncle" (Philadelphia Film Festival Best Actress). Najimy was featured in "Hope Floats" "Zack and Reba" "Soapdish" "The Fisherking" "This Is My Life" "The Hard Way," "The Wedding Planner" "Jeffrey, and "The Guilt Trip", among others.

In the theater, Kathy starred as legendary "Mae West" in the hit Broadway play Dirty Blonde, and later at The Old Globe Theatre (Outer Critics Circle Best Actress). With Mo Gaffney, Najimy wrote and starred in The Kathy and Mo Show, her long-running feminist comedy off-Broadway play, (Obie Award) that became 2 hit HBO specials. Kathy is currently co-producing a series for HBO and a Play at Lincoln Center Theater.

For additional information on Kathy Najimy, visit www.kathynajimy.com.

VONDA SHEPARD
Friday, January 16 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, January 17 at 7 p.m.
Tickets: $40 - $55

After playing to sold-out houses last March, world-renowned artist, Vonda Shepard, returns to Feinstein's at the Nikko for two performances only. Featuring intimate versions of Vonda's songs - as well as some of her favorite covers - this show is guaranteed to get audiences on their feet! Shepard encourages song requests for her show via her Facebook page...or you can yell out your request from the audience, so don't be shy!

After 30 years of playing clubs, theaters, and touring the world many times over, Vonda Shepard is about to embark on yet another new project... going back to her indie roots and launching a KickStarter campaign to fund her 14th album. Born in New York City in 1963 - and playing piano since the age of 6 - Vonda still loves what she does, and is thrilled to still have a forum in which to share her music.

You may know Vonda Shepard as a star of screen (TV's "Ally McBeal") and stage - the recent New York revival of Randy Newman's Faust, starring Randy Newman, for which she garnered rave reviews: "And in one of the year's great stage moments to date, Newman and multi-Emmy and Grammy winner Shepard brought the house down in the second act with the gorgeous duet "Feels Like Home." - Theatermania.com.

One of her earlier releases, "It's Good, Eve," still rings true, and about which Chris Willman of Entertainment Weekly said "the singer/songwriter genre doesn't get any better than this." This is also the album that led directly to her being hired as the "voice of Ally McBeal", where she was also the "behind the scenes" music producer, producing over 500 songs for the artists Sting, Robert Downey Jr., Jon Bon Jovi, Al Green, Gladys Knight, Chubby Checker, Randy Newman, Barry Manilou, and many more. The show also released four albums on Sony/550, featuring Vonda, which she also produced.

During this time, Vonda also recorded "By 7:30" and "Chinatown," and later released "From The Sun," as well as two live albums, a live DVD and the album titled "Solo," where she rerecorded some older original tunes.

Vonda has played keyboards and sung with Rickie Lee Jones, Al Jarreau and Jackson Browne. She was signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1988 and released two albums for them.

She has sold over twelve million albums and has won two Golden Globes, two Emmy Awards and two Screen Actor's Guild awards.

For additional information on Vonda Shepard, visit: www.vondashepard.com.

CONSTANTINE MAROULIS · MY LIFE IN ROCK
Friday, January 23 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, January 24 at 7 p.m.
Tickets: $35 - $50

Hotel Nikko San Francisco and Michael Feinstein are thrilled to welcome Tony Award nominee Constantine Maroulis to Feinstein's at the Nikko for two performances only. Hailed as "Broadway's rock star," Maroulis - along with his full band - will perform songs from his vast career, including Rock of Ages and Jekyll & Hyde, as well as favorite songs ranging from Andrew Lloyd Webber to Whitesnake.

Constantine Maroulis burst onto the scene on the fourth season of "American Idol," alongside country superstar Carrie Underwood. His fame from 30 million viewers, mixed with his prior solid training in musical theatre, led him to Broadway, where he helped turn Rock of Ages into a worldwide brand. Apart from his long-running Broadway stint in the show - which garnered him his first Tony Award nomination for Best Actor - Maroulis starred in the National tour and had a cameo in the 2012 film. From there, he revived Jekyll & Hyde on Broadway with a brand new concept album and a pre-Broadway national tour. Maroulis currently stars in Rock of Ages on Broadway, marking his return to his iconic Tony-nominated role. Constantine continues to remain the leading contemporary rock voice on Broadway.

For additional information on Constantine Maroulis, visit www.constantinemaroulis.com.

BILLY PORTER
Friday, January 30 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, January 31 at 7 p.m.
Sunday, February 1 at 7 p.m.
Tickets: $45 - $60

Hotel Nikko San Francisco and Michael Feinstein are honored to welcome Tony and Grammy Award-winning singer, composer, actor, playwright and director Billy Porter to Feinstein's at the Nikko for three performances only. Porter will perform songs from his new critically acclaimed album, "Billy's Back on Broadway," as well some of his other favorites!

Porter currently stars as "Lola" in the smash hit Broadway musical Kinky Boots, for which he won the 2013 Drama Desk and Tony Awards for Best Actor in a Musical. Other Broadway acting credits include Miss Saigon, Five Guys Named Moe, Grease (all original cast), Smokey Joe's Café and Dreamgirls (20th Anniversary Broadway Concert and LA Ovation Award). Off Broadway and regional credits include Angels in America (Signature Theater), Romance In Hard Times, The Merchant of Venice, House of Lear and Radiant Baby (The New York Shakespeare Festival), Birdie Blue (Second Stage), Angels in America (Actors Theatre Of Louisville), Going Native (The Long Wharf), Jelly's Last Jam (Alliance), Topdog/Underdog (City Theatre), King Lear (Exit, Pursued By A Bear), Jason Robert Brown's Songs For A New World (original cast), Jesus Christ Superstar, Antigone, A Chorus Line and Chicago. His one-man show, Ghetto Superstar: The Man That I Am, debuted at The Public Theater in NYC in conjunction with City Theatre of Pittsburgh and was nominated for a 2005 GLAAD Media Award. Porter was also named "Pittsburgh's Performer of the Year 2003-2004" by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

As a recording artist, Porter's solo albums include his first CD, "Untitled," on A&M records and his sophomore album, "At the Corner of Broadway + Soul - LIVE," on Sh-K-Boom Records. "Billy's Back on Broadway," Porter's highly anticipated debut on Concord Records, released on April 8, 2014. Featuring ten classics made famous on the Great White Way that focus on inspiration, empowerment and hope, the album's title (and cover art) is a nod to Sammy Davis, Jr.'s recording "Sammy's Back on Broadway." Rock icon Cyndi Lauper also makes a special guest appearance on "Billy's Back on Broadway," dueting with Porter on "Happy Days/Get Happy."

Porter's voice can also be heard on the albums A Very Rosie Christmas, Jim Brickman's Destiny (top ten AC hit), Grease (revival cast album), Adam Guettel's Myths & Hymns, Gershwin and Sondheim Benefit Albums, Hercules (Disney) and Anastasia (Warner Bros.), Liz Callaway - The Story Goes On, Alvin Ailey/Revelations,Broadway Cares Home For The Holidays, Dreamgirls in Concert, HAIR (Actor's Fund Benefit recording), Great Joy: A Gospel Christmas (with The Broadway Inspirational Voices) and The Human Rights Campaign's Love Rocks.

As a director, Porter directed a critically acclaimed recreation of The Wiz and conceived a musical revue entitled Signed, Sealed, Delivered: The Music of Stevie Wonder, which starred Chaka Khan and ran at The Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas in the spring of 2002. Porter conceived and directed Being Alive, a musical celebration that aligns the cannons of Stephen Sondheim and William Shakespeare and combines them with the soulful musical styles of the African-American experience. Being Alivemade its world premiere in the summer of 2007 at The Westport Country Playhouse and immediately transferred to The Philadelphia Theatre Company, inaugurating their new Suzanne Roberts Theatre. He directed the new musical Twilight in Manchego for the NYMF in the fall of 2008 and is the NAACP Theatre Award winner for Best Direction of a Musical for his production of Once On This Island at Reprise Theatre Company, where he also conceived and directed a new musical revue calledThe Soul of Richard Rodgers. Other directing credits include Five Guys Named Moe for Casa Manana, Altar Boyz for Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma, RENT (Associate Director: Off-Broadway Revival), Wicked Summer Nights Concert Series at The Ford Amphitheater starring Shoshana Bean, Eden Espinosa and Stephen Schwartz in conjunction with Upright Cabaret where he was Artistic Director for the 2009 Season. Porter made his London directorial debut in the fall of 2009 with Olivier Award Nominee Patina Miller at Live in the Delfont Room. Fall 2014, Primary Stages presented the World Premiere of his play While I Yet Live and in early 2015 he will direct The Colored Museum at the Huntington Theater in Boston.

Porter's film and television credits include Toronto Film Festival feature "The Humbling" (with Al Pacino) and well as Sundance Film Festival features "The Broken Hearts Club" (Sony Pictures) and Intern, Noel (with Susan Sarandon and Robin Williams), "Shake Rattle & Roll" as Little Richard (CBS mini-series), "Another World" (recurring), "Twisted," "Law & Order," "Law & Order: SVU," "The Big C," "The Oprah Winfrey Show," "A Very Rosie Christmas," "The Tonight Show," and multiple appearances on "The Rosie O'Donnell Show." His original song "Time" has been featured twice on the mega-hit television series "So You Think You Can Dance" as well as the 2011 Miss America Pageant. Porter's concerts credits include opening act for Rosie O'Donnell and Aretha Franklin, Carnegie Hall, John McDaniel and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, as well as The Buffalo Philharmonic, Peter Nero and The Philly Pops, soloist for President Bill Clinton and various benefits throughout the U.S.

Porter is also a graduate of The Professional Program in Screenwriting at UCLA and is an adjunct professor at his alma mater Carnegie Mellon University's School Of Drama, where he has directed productions of Company and Letters From 'Nam.

For additional information on Billy Porter, visit: www.billyporter.com.

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