By Andrew Gans
11 Jul 2003
VIDEOS for CHARITY
Many of you are probably aware of this — but for those who are not — the video production company Broadway Beat sells copies of many of the annual Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS fundraising events. Proceeds from the videos also benefit that worthy organization, and the videos can be ordered by simply logging on to www.broadwaybeat.com (click on "Order Forms"). Recently on sale are the 2002 Gypsy of the Year competition and the 2003 mountings of the Easter Bonnet Competition and Broadway Bares. All three offer several divine diva moments you won't want to miss! Other videos on sale of interest to diva fans include the 2001, 2002 and 2003 Nothing Like a Dame concerts as well as the all-star Broadway tribute to Elton John — featuring Betty Buckley, Heather Headley and Sherie Rene Scott — plus a video that spotlights the "Fabulous Ladies of New York Cabaret" and a tribute to the late, great Nancy LaMott.
IN OTHER DIVA NEWS OF THE WEEK: Side Show Tony nominee Alice Ripley will join forces with Grammy-nominated singer songwriter Everett Bradley for a concert at the Zipper Theater July 22. Part of the Sh-K-Boom Room concert series, the concert will be held at 8 PM at the Zipper, located in Manhattan at 336 West 37th Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues. All tickets are priced at $20; call (646) 205-2246 for reservations. . . . Comedian/actor Mario Cantone will host a star-studded concert July 28, also at the Zipper Theater. The concert concludes the aforementioned summer concert series presented by the Sh K-Boom Room and will feature such talents as Adam Pascal, Sherie Rene Scott, Ripley and Michael Cerveris. Special surprise guests are also expected to take part in the evening; show time is 8 PM. Call (646) 205 2246 for reservations; all tickets are $30. . . . Those who want to catch Grammy Award winner Toni Braxton in the Disney musical Aida should avoid certain matinee performances. A spokesperson for the Elton John-Tim Rice musical confirmed that the singer-actress will not play Wednesday and Saturday matinees during her engagement in the musical. The spokesperson said that Braxton, who has a four-month-old child, wanted to "maximize the time she can spend with her family" and that the six-show-a-week schedule was agreed upon long before she joined the company. The Wednesday and Saturday matinee performances will be played by Braxton's standby, Saycon Sengbloh, who has been seen in the national tours of Aida and Rent. Braxton, however, does play the 3 PM Sunday matinees as well as Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 8 PM. Although opera companies regularly feature two or more performers sharing the same vocally demanding role, that practice is a rare occurrence on Broadway. Some notable exceptions: the women portraying Evita played evening performances only, and those starring as Kim in Miss Saigon also played selected performances. Six-time Grammy Award winner Toni Braxton's last Aida performance is scheduled for Nov. 16. . . . Mamma Mia!'s Louise Pitre — who will end her run in that blockbuster musical Oct. 19 — will take to the intimate stage of Joe's Pub in August. Pitre will offer two shows Aug. 25 — at 7 and 9:30 PM — at the cabaret room located within the Public Theater. Part of the "Upper North Side Canadian Music Series" at Joe's Pub, Pitre will perform an eclectic mix of tunes, featuring songs by or associated with Jacques Brel, Edith Piaf, Al Jolson and Bonnie Raitt. Pitre will be accompanied by her musical director, Diane Leah. Tickets for the concerts are priced at $25 (in advance) and $30 (at the door). Call (212) 239-6200 for tickets; those wishing to dine before the show should make reservations by calling (212) 539-8778. Joe's Pub is located within the Public Theater, 425 Lafayette Street. . . . Chicago has been good to Marcia Lewis, and now Marcia Lewis Bryan — the actress recently changed her stage moniker with Actors' Equity to reflect her married name — is ready to be good to you. The actress, who received a Tony Award nomination for her role as Matron "Mama" Morton in the Tony winning revival of Chicago, will return to that role in August. Bryan, who was also Tony nominated for her work in the Grease! revival, will replace Roz Ryan in the national tour of Chicago. Ryan departs the tour after its stop in Houston to begin filming the new WB sitcom "All About the Andersons." Bryan will play three engagements on the tour: San Francisco, Costa Mesa and Chicago. She begins Aug. 4 in San Francisco and plays through Sept. 26 in Chicago. . . . Former Mamma Mia! star Karen Mason will bring her new concert act, "The Winner Takes It All," to The Supper Club in August. Mason, who premiered her new show at Chicago's Davenports, will sing in the Supper Club's King Kong Room Aug. 18 at 8:30 PM. Christopher Denny will accompany Mason on piano. The King Kong Room is located in Manhattan at 240 West 47th Street. For reservations, call (212) 921-1904. . . . Ruthie Henshall — who starred on Broadway in Chicago and Putting It Together — will join the international touring company of Fosse this fall. According to Henshall's official website, the actress will join the Fosse company Nov. 24 at the Manchester Opera House. The musical featuring the works of the late Bob Fosse then transfers to the Edinburgh Playhouse, Dec. 1-13. Henshall, who is currently starring as Velma Kelly in the London production of Chicago at the Strand, will leave that Kander and Ebb musical Sept. 6.
REMINDERS
Liz Callaway in Concert:
July 18-19 in 101 Years of Broadway at the Lenape Center in Marlton, NJ
Aug. 29-30 at the Stockbridge Cabaret in Stockbridge, MA
Jan. 31, 2004 in Sibling Revelry in Boston, MA
May 8, 2004 in Sibling Revelry in Purchase, NY
Barbara Cook in Concert:
Sept. 7-8 at the Ravinia Festival in Chicago, IL
Sept. 13 at the Tulsa Opera House in Tulsa, OK
Sept. 20 in Bethlehem, PA; concert with Marilyn Horne
Oct. 3 at Symphony Hall in Boston, MA; concert with Marilyn Horne
Nov. 22 at Carnegie Hall in New York, NY
Patti LuPone in Concert:
July 19 at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, CA
Aug. 5 at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, PA ("Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda")
Aug. 22-23 in Passion at the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, IL
Oct. 25 at Symphony Hall in Boston, MA (“Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda”)
Nov. 7-9 with the Houston Symphony ("Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda")
Jan. 23, 2004 at the Eissey Campus Theatre in Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Jan. 24, 2004 at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, FL
Feb. 27-29, 2004 at the Myerhoff Hall in Baltimore, MD
March 12, 2004 at the New Jersey PAC in Newark, NJ
March 13 at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, NJ
Karen Mason in Concert:
July 12 at the Andalusia on the Delaware, PA
July 18 at the Hampton's Cabaret Convention at Guild Hall in East Hampton, NY
July 25-26 at the Desisto School Cabaret in Stockbridge, MA
July 27 at the Bradstan Country Inn in Whitelake, NY
Aug. 8 at the Gala Opening of the Chicago Theater Festival in Chicago, IL
Aug. 15-16 at Odette's in Philadelphia, PA
Aug. 18 at the King Kong Room in New York, NY
Oct. 4 with the Chicagoland Pops Orchestra at the Rosemont Theatre in Rosemont, IL
Oct. 18 at the Emelin Theater in NY
Nov. 15 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, NJ
Christiane Noll in Concert
Aug. 28 San Diego, CA with San Diego Symphony
Aug. 29 San Diego, CA with San Diego Symphony
Aug. 30 San Diego, CA with San Diego Symphony
Oct. 11 Chattanooga, TN with Don Pippin
Dec. 31 Des Moines, IA with Des Moines Symphony & Brad Little
Well, that’s all for now. Happy diva-watching!
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