Monday, June 19, 2023
By Andrew Poretz … Victoria Guthrie, a former model, currently a working actress with many credits, made her cabaret debut this month at Don’t Tell Mama. Theater Pizzazz was on hand for …
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 11:09PMThursday, June 15, 2023
By Andrew Poretz … The American Popular Song Society (“APSS”) held its second annual Gala Celebration at the off-Broadway venue Theater555, honoring cabaret legend Marilyn Maye with a …
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 02:46PMWednesday, June 14, 2023
By Andrew Poretz … Australian-born pianist Matt Baker brought his latest show, A Rhapsody of Gershwin, to Chelsea Table + Stage on June 7. A fellow of considerable talent as a pianist and …
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 03:13AMSaturday, June 10, 2023
By Andrew Poretz … MAC Award-winning vocalist Goldie Dver opened her new show, Bridges, at Don’t Tell Mama this week. The show is partly in support of her debut album, the newly released…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 08:32AMSaturday, June 3, 2023
By Andrew Poretz . . . The “Boy from Oz,” the late, great entertainer Peter Allen, was many things: a song-and-dance man, sure; a composer of pop hits, absolutely. Allen was also the sen…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 05:11AMFriday, May 26, 2023
By Andrew Poretz … Las Vegas-based singer Amanda King made a fine debut at 54 Below on May 19. Though she has appeared in New York before, this was her first solo show. Ms. King made a spl…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 06:30PMSaturday, May 20, 2023
By Andrew Poretz … Margo Brown returned to her cabaret home base at Don’t Tell Mama recently for two nights with her newest show, Forever Me with Love, which celebrated the release of he…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 08:05AMWednesday, May 17, 2023
By Andrew Poretz … Singer, guitarist and songwriter Allan Harris brought his golden baritone and his matching gold guitar to Chelsea Table + Stage for a grade-A set of jazz standards, Nat …
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 05:08AMSaturday, April 29, 2023
By Andrew Poretz . . . This reviewer saw Seth Sikes and Nicolas King’s The New Belters when they first presented it last October at The Green Room 42. It showed promise, but, was certainly…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 09:30AMFriday, January 13, 2023
By Andrew Poretz … Broadway, film and pop star John Lloyd Young returned to 54 Below for a four-night residency. The Jersey Boys star had a new backup band, led by that long-haired geniu…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 06:37PMSaturday, January 7, 2023
By Andrew Poretz … Prodigious Grammy-winning saxophonist and composer Joe Lovano celebrated his 70th birthday with an eight-set, four-night run at Birdland Jazz with his large jazz ensembl…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 10:59AMThursday, January 5, 2023
With special guest Nicole Zuraitis By Andrew Poretz … This writer has reviewed or simply attended hundreds of shows by dozens of artists who have graced the Birdland stage over the years.�…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 05:32AMSaturday, November 19, 2022
By Andrew Poretz … Susan Mack is the living embodiment of the saying, “Hard work pays off.” Long successful personally and professionally, and beloved in her community, she did not p…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 10:10AMTuesday, November 15, 2022
By Andrew Poretz . . . Singer Madelaine Warren returned to the Laurie Beechman Theatre for an encore performance of Invitation. The classically trained soprano has been on the cabaret scene …
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 06:16AMMonday, November 14, 2022
By Andrew Poretz … Bob O’Hare is a former actor who gave it up to become an attorney four decades ago, a profession he still practices. Like many attorneys, he’s quite the raconteur.…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 08:11AMSaturday, November 12, 2022
By Andrew Poretz … Have you ever wished you could brag that you caught an early version of a show like Hamilton or In the Heights before it hit Broadway? If you were at 54 Below on Novem…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 09:30AMWednesday, November 9, 2022
By Andrew Poretz … Remember those 60’s shows like Hullabaloo! and Shindig! that had exclamation marks as part of their titles? Well, Jo Brisbane does! This Kansas City writer and per…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 08:45AMSaturday, November 5, 2022
By Andrew Poretz … Nicolas King and Seth Sikes performed their new show, The New Belters, before a sold-out crowd at The Green Room 42 on October 29. They described this first show as a …
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 10:25AMWednesday, October 26, 2022
By Andrew Poretz … One could visit a galaxy far, far away in search of the finest “Pops” orchestra in the universe. As it happens, a subway ride to Carnegie Hall is a better bet. T…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 01:45PMTuesday, October 18, 2022
By Andrew Poretz … Shana Farr, a winner of several major musical theater and cabaret awards, is an accomplished actress and singer with a gorgeous, classically trained voice and the statur…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 03:06PMThursday, October 13, 2022
By Andrew Poretz … While the New York theater world discusses who is the best Fanny Brice on Broadway, Naomi Miller might be as close to the real thing as you’ll find in 2022, though mor…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 02:31AMThursday, September 29, 2022
By Andrew Poretz … We started and ended our week with Billy Stritch, first with his Mel and Ella show with Gabrielle Stravelli on Monday (reviewed here), and capped off the week with his C…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 08:51AMFriday, September 23, 2022
By Andrew Poretz … Mel Tormé and Ella Fitzgerald were two of the greatest jazz singers of the twentieth century, masters of singing and performance whose legacy continues long after their…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 11:30AMMonday, September 19, 2022
“The Shadow of Her Smile” By Andrew Poretz . . . Imagine spending much of your young life constantly being told, “You look just like Elizabeth Taylor… in National Velvet!” The endl…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 08:15AMFriday, September 16, 2022
By Andrew Poretz . . . The legendary cabaret chanteuse Karen Akers reprised her acclaimed Water Under the Bridge show to a near-capacity crowd at Birdland Jazz on September 12th. The Tony-no…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 01:56PMTuesday, September 13, 2022
By Andrew Poretz … Actress and singer Donna Vivino is a successful performer since early childhood, and most notably played Elphaba in Wicked. At 54 Below, Donna performed with her siste…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 10:31AMTuesday, September 6, 2022
Charles Mingus Centennial by Andrew Poretz . . . Hot jazz on a sultry Friday night in August. That’s what patrons of Chelsea Table + Stage received from Mingus Dynasty. There are a handf…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 03:30PMBy Andrew Poretz. . . The Quintin Harris Quartet made their first appearance at Chelsea Table + Stage with a fine debut set. The Quartet was actually a trio. He was backed by Sam AuBuchon on…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 07:15AMSunday, September 4, 2022
Mostly Soul: Beloved Hits from Motown to Broadway . . . By Andrew Poretz … John Lloyd Young is a dynamic entertainer and actor. The Tony and Grammy winner is also a multi-Platinum record…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 07:25AMFriday, September 2, 2022
By Andrew Poretz … Julie Benko is having one hell of a year. It would be fair to say that this is “The Year of the Benko.” Prior to 2022, you likely did not know the name of this e…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 07:49AMTuesday, August 23, 2022
By Andrew Poretz … Jacob Khalil and his trio returned to Birdland Theater on August 14th for two sets. After a strong showing in The Lineup with Susie Mosher earlier that week, it was cl…
SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 07:32AM 
