381 stories by "Rob Lester"
One of the more interesting singers on the scene these days is the one with the lovely name of Sally Darling whose newest solo cabaret show Love, Lust & Longing I am longing to see. While M…
Guess who's back in town and on Broadway? I don't mean Dolly, it's that group full of radiant harmony, Marquee Five, although you will hear something from Hello, Dolly! and other Broadway fa…
What better message to deliver to kids than that happiness and friendship will come if you'll "Just be who you really are"? A musical " endearingly entertaining " now playing, with a cast o…
The agenda on May 6, 7 and 8? Saluting some lyricists who rarely get their due. With insightful, delightful lyricist Sheldon Harnick hosting and narrating and singing a few times, Broadway…
Here's a True or False Quiz on the iconic songwriter whose work is still heard today, though he was born 12 years before the 19th century ended. Here are 10 interesting facts (or lies) abou…
Early on, when that iconic red door that has marked the gateway to Elizabeth Arden's swank Fifth Avenue salon since 1910, rolls onto the stage, it's clear we're in good hands. This good-look…
Think back to 2001. If you went to the art-house cinema at all that fall, chances are it was to catch Jean-Pierre Jeune's wide-eyed ingénue Amélie. With its many super-tight shots of newco…
In an uncertain world, one thing you can always count on is being uplifted and your cup of cheer will runneth over when entertainer extraordinaire Marilyn Maye is holding court in the spotli…
Chenoweth & McGovern's pretty inging plus Pretty Filthy, a cast recording.
Taking their cues from the movies ...
While not a typical or titanic type of musical theatre"it tends to musically glide more than soar with its more subtle persuasive attractions"the cast album is quite pleasing.
With the alarmingly large number of recent headline stories about gun violence and the ongoing debates about gun control, a sly and smart musical on the topic makes its points "and wins poin…
Here are two contemporary musicals whose scores on disc are among Broadway Records' cluster of recent releases. Neither would be mistaken for a Rodgers & Hammerstein-style musical or a whole…
Love"or a reasonable facsimile. Or maybe just another shade of the red hot. Hearing their colorful ideas and hearing them perform in a private rehearsal increased my anticipation for rich-…
This time, it's Amazing Grace, named for the stirring hymn and charting the journey of the man who wrote it. The second line of that song""How sweet the sound!""also describes the voices of …
... some whose memories go back a bit more than 50 Broadway seasons may be amazed that it's been that long since Fiddler on the Roof first came along, but it's back and there's another reviv…
. Each grabbed me right away, having surpassed my expectations based on prior familiarity with the artists and/or songs. They have lasting power, continuing to impress when I hear them again.
... here are the ones (submitted for review) that radiate with initial impact and staying power.
The Wiz and Finding Neverland:
Inspired by Baum, Barrie & Believing.
Six Sinatra tribute albums.
Two new releases concentrate on [the early] period"with gusto. Several titles appear on both albums, but with quite different stylings.
A new recorded version of a score by George and Ira Gershwin is always good news ... [Annaleigh Ashford] bubbles over with excitement, a party gal eager to have you join her party ... [Barba…
This CD release marks the 40th anniversary of the original LP of the original cast, produced by Goddard Lieberson, a kind of "encore" task for the Columbia Records giant figure.
The case of the musical Doctor Zhivago is hardly the first time that a Broadway show shuttered quickly, despite a storied road of being a celebrated novel, movie, and having a globe-trotting…
Wanna make a bet? The Fringe Festival's deliciously ridiculous musical about the selection of a new Pope, Popesical, like the actual Pope's upcoming visit, will attract big crowds. But it in…
