DIVA TALK: A 2009 Diva Season Preview
By Andrew Gans
02 Jan 2009
 |  | |
Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin
|
| photo by Brigitte Lacombe |
OUT-OF-TOWN HIGHLIGHTS
How do you follow the mammoth role of stage mother of all stage mothers Rose in Gypsy? For Patti LuPone, who concludes her award-winning run in that classic Stephen Sondheim-Jule Styne-Arthur Laurents musical Jan. 11 at the St. James Theatre, the answer is simple enough: LuPone will join her former Evita co-star, fellow Tony winner Mandy Patinkin, for a limited tour of An Evening with Patti LuPone & Mandy Patinkin, which features duets and solos from such musical theatre classics as South Pacific, Carousel, Sunday in the Park with George, and, of course, Evita. The award-winning actor-singers also perform their signature songs. Visit pattilupone.net for tour dates and venues.
Last season's sold-out weekend run of Les Misérables in Concert at the Hollywood Bowl was so successful that the California venue has invited the show's director, Richard Jay-Alexander, back to helm a concert staging of the classic Frank Loesser musical Guys and Dolls. Featuring choreography by A Chorus Line Tony winner Donna McKechnie, the July 31-Aug. 2 concerts will likely be the event of the summer. All-star casting will be announced shortly — stay tuned for details!
DIVA TIDBITS
Tony Award winners Lillias White and Chuck Cooper will be among the stars of Syracuse Stage's upcoming production of the Stephen Sondheim revue Putting It Together. Directed and choreographed by Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj, the Sondheim revue will play the John D. Archbold Theatre Jan. 27-Feb. 15, 2009. Opening night is scheduled for Jan. 30. In addition to The Life Tony winners White and Cooper, the company will also feature Tyler Hanes (A Chorus Line, Sweet Charity and Hairspray), Andre Ward (Xanadu, The Producers) and Stephanie Youell (Curtains). Dianne Adams McDowell will be the production's musical director. For tickets, priced $24-$48, call (315) 443-3275 or visit SyracuseStage.org. The Syracuse Stage box office is located at 820 East Genesee Street in Syracuse, NY.
The 2009 cabaret season at The Royal Room Cabaret, located within The Colony Hotel in Palm Beach, FL, has been announced. The New Year kick offs Jan. 2 with stage and screen star
John Davidson, who will play the Florida venue through Jan. 3. Davidson will be followed by
Marilyn Maye (Jan. 6-10, Jan. 13-17, Jan. 20-24),
Sylvia McNair (Jan. 27-31, Feb. 3-7),
Faith Prince (Feb. 10-14, Feb. 17-21),
Jack Jones (Feb. 24-28, March 3-7),
Ann Hampton Callaway (March 10-14, March 17-21),
Maestro Bob Lappin (March 24-28),
Marilyn McCoo and
Billy Davis, Jr. (March 31-April 4, April 7-11) and
Maureen McGovern (April 14-18, April 21-25). Doors open at 6:45 PM for 8 PM shows. The Colony Hotel is located at 155 Hammon Avenue in Palm Beach, FL. For reservations call (561) 659-8100.
Once Upon a Time and Tomorrow: The Best of Charles Strouse is the title of an upcoming evening at Carnegie Hall that will pay tribute to the Tony Award-winning composer of Annie, Applause and Bye Bye Birdie. Presented by and featuring The New York Pops — conducted by Martin Yates — the concert will be held April 3 in Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium. Show time is 8 PM. Among those currently scheduled to lend their talents to the evening are Barry Bostwick, Gregg Edelman, Tony winner Debbie Gravitte, Rebecca Luker, Karen Mason, Emma Rowley and Eric Jordan Young. The concert will also feature the Young People's Chorus of New York City under the direction of Francisco J. Núñez. Tickets, priced $29-$100, are available by visiting www.carnegie-hall.org.
Annie Golden, most recently on Broadway in Xanadu, will be Patrick DeGennaro's guest star at his upcoming concert at Birdland. As part of the Broadway at Birdland series, singer-songwriter DeGennaro will play the famed jazz club Jan. 19 at 7 PM. DeGennaro will be backed by his band, which features Alec Berlin on guitar, Randy Landau on bass, Clayton Craddock on drums and John Roggie on keyboards. Birdland is located in Manhattan at 315 West 44th Street. There is a $25 cover charge and a $10 food/drink minimum; for reservations call (212) 581-3080 or visit www.BirdlandJazz.com.
|  | |
Eartha Kitt
|
| photo by David Turner/Studio D |
And, of course, I couldn't end the first column of the New Year without paying tribute to the singular sensation that was
Eartha Kitt, who lost her battle with colon cancer Christmas Day at the age of 81. Kitt, who could do more with a single purr than many performers can do with the entire English language, graced Broadway several times throughout her illustrious career and was rewarded with Tony Award nominations for her work in
Timbuktu! (1978) and
The Wild Party (2000). I had the privilege of catching the zesty, sometimes campy singer, actress and best-selling author several times in New York cabarets, and she was never less than thrilling, a performer who knew how to grasp her audience and never let them go. During my one interview with Kitt, who was last on Broadway in the Tony-winning revival of
Nine, she had this to say when asked what she would like to people to think when they heard the name Eartha Kitt: "I'd like them to remember me as a versatile artist of the business." Indeed, she was versatile and unlike anyone who had come before her . . . or since.
Well, that's all for now. Happy diva-watching! E-mail questions or comments to agans@playbill.com.
