By Andrew Gans
18 Aug 2003

IN OTHER DIVA NEWS OF THE WEEK: Mamma Mia!'s Karen Mason, A Man of No Importance's Jessica Molaskey and cabaret veteran Tom Andersen will perform at a benefit for WBAI-FM Sept. 8. The concert — which is scheduled for 7 PM at Danny's Skylight Room — will celebrate the 25th anniversary of WBAI's "Everything Old Is New Again," which spotlights theatre and cabaret recordings each Sunday from 9-11 PM ET on WBAI 99.5 FM. The program is also broadcast on the internet at www.2600.com/offthehook/hot2.ram; David Kenney is the program's host. The Sept. 8 concert will be taped for future broadcast on WBAI-FM. More performers for the one-night-only event will be announced shortly. Tickets for the benefit concert are priced at $25 plus a two-drink minimum. Danny's Skylight Room is located at 346 West 46th Street. Call (212) 265-8133 for reservations. . . . The Broadway company of The Lion King will welcome a new Nala this month. On Aug. 26 Kissy Simmons — who toured with the "Gazelle" company of The Lion King — will join the New York company of the Tony-winning musical. Simmons will replace Reneé Elise Goldsberry in the role originally created on Broadway by Heather Headley. A graduate of the University of South Florida, Simmons has appeared in regional productions of The World of Jacques Brel, Gift of the Magi and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The Lion King will mark her Broadway debut. . . . Tony Award winners Jane Krakowski and Nathan Lane will co-host the 12th annual Broadway on Broadway concert Sunday, Sept. 7 at 11:30 AM. Held in Times Square, this year's free outdoor concert will feature numbers from almost every musical now playing as well as sneak peeks from upcoming productions. Spectators — which are expected to number 50,000 — will have the opportunity to enjoy scenes from Hairspray, The Producers, Nine, Gypsy, Big River, Avenue Q, Mamma Mia!, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Chicago, Cabaret, Rent and The Phantom of the Opera as well as those from the forthcoming productions of Wicked, Little Shop of Horrors, Taboo and Never Gonna Dance. The afternoon will also offer glimpses of upcoming plays: Retreat from Moscow, Golda's Balcony and Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All. The free Broadway on Broadway event will also be filmed by WNBC-4 for broadcast on Tuesday, Sept. 9 at 7 PM.

REMINDERS

Liz Callaway in Concert:
Aug. 29-30 at the Stockbridge Cabaret in Stockbridge, MA
Oct. 11 with the Binghamton Philharmonic Pops in Binghamton, NY
Oct. 20 at the 14th Annual New York Cabaret Convention in New York, NY
Jan. 31, 2004 in Sibling Revelry in Boston, MA
Feb. 8, 2004 in Sibling Revelry in Riverfront, IL
May 1, 2004 in Sibling Revelry in Orono, ME
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:

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:

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!