Thursday, October 30, 2025

BESS WOHL’S “LIBERATION”:  ON BROADWAY WHERE IT BELONGS by Ron Fassler

Review by Ron Fassler . . . “This is a play about my mother. For my mother. Who recently . . . who’s not here anymore. And so, it’s about her, and her friends, her beautiful friends—…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 06:36PM

Big Band Royalty: The Anderson Brothers Big Band by Alix Cohen

By Alix Cohen The Big Band Era spanned roughly from the early 1930s to the late 1940s. It was the golden age of large jazz orchestras lead by icons. Evolving from New Orleans style dance and…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 01:28PM

“Hannah Senesh”- “I come but stand as 10,000” (Maya Angelou) by Alix Cohen

By Alix Cohen Hannah Senesh – an anglicized Hannah Szenes, (1921-1944) is revered by Jewish people as a symbol of courage, resistance, and Zionist idealism—an enduring heroine of World W…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 07:39AM
Tuesday, October 28, 2025

Marilyn Maye—Better Than Ever by Ron Fassler

Review by Ron Fassler . . . Oscar Hammerstein II’s words to Jerome Kern’s melody “The Song is You,” could have been written to perfectly describe the songstress Marilyn Maye: Beautif…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 03:53PM
Monday, October 27, 2025

Chris Autore in “Look at Me Now” by Andrew Poretz

Pianist-entertainer Chris Autore is marking an extraordinary 75 years in show business with a special performance of Look at Me Now on Wednesday, November 5 at 7 PM at Don’t Tell Mama. He�…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 11:17PM
Saturday, October 25, 2025

“On the Sunny Side of the Street”: A Cavalcade of Variety by Alix Cohen

The New York Cabaret Convention Third NightHost K.T. Sullivan, Artistic Director -The Mabel Mercer Foundation By Alix Cohen Opening tonight’s show, Mardie Millit and Michael Garin ebullien…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 09:39AM
Friday, October 24, 2025

“I’ve Heard That Song Before”- The Music of Jule Styne by Alix Cohen

The New York Cabaret Convention – Second NightHosts Klea Blackhurst and Billy Stritch By Alix Cohen Jule Styne (Julius Kerwin Stein 1905-1994) was a British American songwriter who contrib…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 03:49PM

“The Best is Yet to Come: A Celebration of Cy Coleman” by Alix Cohen

OPENING NIGHT- The 36th New York Cabaret Convention By Alix Cohen Weeeeeeere back! Under the aegis of the venerable Mabel Mercer Foundation, the cabaret community gathered once again to supp…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 10:45AM
Thursday, October 23, 2025

The Best Is Yet to Come: A Celebration of Cy Coleman by Andrew Poretz

By Andrew Poretz . . . On October 21, the 36th annual Mabel Mercer Cabaret Convention opened at the Frederick P. Lowe Rose Room (Jazz at Lincoln Center) on with The Best Is Yet to Come: A Ce…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 10:27PM
Wednesday, October 22, 2025

“Art of Leaving”: Better Left Alone by Ron Fassler

Review by Samuel L. Leiter . . . Art of Leaving is the unpropitious title of an amateurish new domestic comedy by Anne Marilyn Lucas, whose cardboard dialogue and plywood acting had me pond…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 08:56PM
Monday, October 20, 2025

“Bull Durham The Musical” Swings and Misses by Eyal Solomon

By Adam Cohen... "Bull Durham The Musical" gets close but lacks the double romantic poetry necessary to drive both romances for the grand slam the creators want. The post “Bull Durham The…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 08:03PM

Klea Blackhurst & Billy Stritch “Dreaming of A Song: The Music of Hoagy Carmichael” by Alix Cohen

By Alix Cohen Friends Klea Blackhurst and Billy Stritch go back a looong time. At the urging of uber-fan, the late Barry Day, they developed a Hoagy Carmichael show, repeatedly performing, t…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 05:29PM

The Immersive André De Shields is Tartuffe Offers a Delightful and Unique Evening by Melissa Griegel

By Melissa Griegel… Photos by Joan Marcus One of the most unique and entertaining theater offerings this season is André De Shields is Tartuffe. Running at the House of the Redeemer (7 Ea…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 04:39PM

“Triplicity”- Uniquely Captivating by Alix Cohen

By Alix Cohen If work by Talking Band has escaped your radar, Triplicity is an opportunity to rectify its notable absence. The genre-defying collaboration, “in the place where speech and m…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 08:04AM
Sunday, October 19, 2025

Ari’el Stachel’s “Other” Mesmerizes by Ron Fassler

Review by Ron Fassler . . . The 34-year-old Ari’el Stachel is blessed with charm for days. Anyone who saw his Tony Award-winning performance in The Band’s Visit were enchanted by his i…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 10:07PM

“Awake and Sing” – A Call to Action by Alix Cohen

By Alix Cohen In 1935, New York Times reviewer Brooks Atkinson found Awake and Sing! a story of “noisy, lunging humanity” he felt was weighted by character development, but promising. Se…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 09:30PM
Saturday, October 18, 2025

“Art”- The Emperor’s New Clothes? by Alix Cohen

By Alix Cohen “We’re not selling objects—we’re selling ideas, emotions, and the aura of cultural relevance.” Larry Gagosian (Gagosian Gallery) Serge (Neil Patrick Harris), a succes…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 10:33AM
Friday, October 17, 2025

Watch Out World, Here She Comes! Ava Nicole Frances Performs at The Laurie Beechman Theatre by Melissa Griegel

By Melissa Griegel… Photos by Melissa Griegel Photography www.melissagriegel.zenfolio.com Ava Nicole Frances is taking the cabaret world by storm. She began showcasing her vocal talents pr…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 11:43AM
Thursday, October 16, 2025

“Ragtime” Meets the Moment in a Thrilling Revival by Ron Fassler

Review by Ron Fassler . . . Eleven months ago, the City Center Annual Gala Presentation of Ragtime, minimally staged by director Lear DeBessonet, received excellent reviews (mine among t…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 10:59PM

Limón Dance Company by Alix Cohen

By Alix Cohen Chaconne (1942- José Limón) is inspired by a dance originating in Mexico during the Spanish occupation. On stage are dancers from the current company, older alumni, La Guardi…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 11:07AM
Wednesday, October 15, 2025

LEITER LOOKS AT BOOKS: “CAREFULLY TAUGHT: AMERICAN HISTORY THROUGH BROADWAY MUSICALS” by Eyal Solomon

By Samuel L. Leiter... Casual notes on show biz books, memoirs, and studies, dust gatherers and hot-off-the presses. The post LEITER LOOKS AT BOOKS: “CAREFULLY TAUGHT: AMERICAN HISTORY THR…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 12:04PM

“Let’s Love!” – A Dramedy About Connection by Alix Cohen

By Alix Cohen With Let’s Love! Ethan Coen gives us a contemporary La Ronde, the French anthology film directed by Max Ophüls. Seemingly disparate chapters on sex/love/attachment unexpecte…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 09:06AM
Tuesday, October 14, 2025

“Gwyneth Goes Skiing” Navigates A Slippery Slope by Ron Fassler

By Alex Eichholz . . . ​For a show that opens with the line “Prepare to be GOOPED!”, I was neither gooped nor gagged by Gwyneth Goes Skiing, which opened tonight at SoHo Playhous…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 07:10PM

Louis Rosen CD: “American Sunset”- A Thinking Man’s Cri de Coeur by Alix Cohen

By Alix Cohen American Sunset is a concept album written between Election Day November 5, 2024, and Inauguration Day, January 20, 2025. Liquor and drug consumption increased, sleep became el…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 12:08PM
Sunday, October 12, 2025

Happenstance Theater presents “Dreadful Episodes”- A Peculiar Delight by Alix Cohen

By Alix Cohen Inspired by the illustrations of Edward Gorey, Victorian reverie, ill-fated romance, calamitous croquet, and the dangers of windy cliffs. “The world is full of people who are…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 12:11PM
Friday, October 10, 2025

“On the Wheels of a Dream” by Alix Cohen

The American Songbook Gala Celebrating Lynn Ahrens & Stephen Flaherty By Alix Cohen Lynn Ahrens was working as a copywriter when invited to write a song for children’s television. A bu…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 02:49PM

Bedlam presents “Are the Bennet Girls Ok?” – Expect the Unexpected by Alix Cohen

A Contemporary Feminist Look at Pride and Prejudice By Alix Cohen “Oh my God, everyone here sucks!” exclaims Kitty Bennet, bored at a Ball. (Violeta Picayo) ‘Decidedly not the familiar…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 02:12PM

A long-Awaited “Waiting For Godot” Arrives on Broadway by Eyal Solomon

Review by Carol Rocamora... Director Jamie Lloyd gives us a daring version of Beckett's classic The post A long-Awaited “Waiting For Godot” Arrives on Broadway appeared first on Theate…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 01:15PM
Wednesday, October 8, 2025

Dylan Mulvaney Shares Her Life in Story and Song in “The Least Problematic Woman in the World” by Ron Fassler

Review by Ron Fassler . . . It is with only a fleeting awareness of her media persona that I attended The Least Problematic Woman in the World, Dylan Mulvaney’s solo autobiographical pla…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 07:50AM
Tuesday, October 7, 2025

This Is Not a Drill — When it Takes a Vacation Bomb Scare to Make You Realize Life is Precious by Jk Clarke

In January 2018, people across Hawaii received an alert that a ballistic missile was headed for them . . . The musical, This Is Not a Drill examines how that moment affected the lives of sev…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 04:43AM
Sunday, October 5, 2025

“The Bliss Option” -Every day the choice is yours by Alix Cohen

A Panacea for the Floundering By Alix Cohen The near? future. Population growth is bleeding earth’s resources. With AI rampant, employment is an issue. People haven’t been coping well fo…

SOURCE: Theater Pizzazz at 01:08PM

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