COACHELLA VALLEY REPERTORY’S SUMMER CABARET SERIES of music, charismatic personalities and theatre insider stories galore continues through in June with Tony Award® nominee and ‘Broadway Baby’ MELISSA ERRICO (June 5 & 6); GLENN ROSENBLUM and special guests (June 12), for his Broadway Showstoppers Series, Part II; Broadway, concert and recording artist ALYSHA UMPHRESS (June 13); Broadway veteran and CVRep audience favorite LESLIE TINNARO in her one-woman show (June 19); actor/singer/comedian JASON GRAAE (June 20); Broadway and Grammy Award nominee PHILIP CHAFFIN (June 26); and award-winning Broadway star and iconic Disney voice, KEN PAGE (June 27).
2024 Summer Cabaret Series (full schedule below)
Coachella Valley Rep
May 15-July 25, 2024
Wed and Thurs at 7
for tickets ($50), call 760.2962966 x 201 or visit CVRep
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MELISSA ERRICO │June 5 & 6, 2024
Featuring TEDD FIRTH
“Broadway Baby / walking off my tired feet/ pounding Forty-Second Street/to be in a show!” So begins Stephen Sondheim’s anthemic song of a show girl’s search for stage stardom. In MELISSA ERRICO’s new show, THE LIFE & LOVES OF A BROADWAY BABY, the Tony Award winner sets her own life to the Broadway songs that she has sung and owned — and offers both a sensational set of beloved standards and a series of witty and sometimes wicked stories about a life and career that has illuminated the Great White Way. Rapidly becoming as well-known as a New York Times author, as an actress, Melissa combines these two gifts in a show that is full of fierce song and funny stories. One critic said her show is like experiencing the “Nora Ephron rom-com version of Sex In the City.” A sexy, sublime study of American songs, ranging from Cole Porter to Harold Arlen to Joni Mitchell and beyond, Broadway World raved, “the way Melissa Errico immerses herself in every moment, the technical brilliance of her vocal abilities, and the sheer star power that the lady exudes, makes her a take-no-prisoners performer, offering a leave-it-all-on-the-floor show.”
Tony-nominated Melissa Errico (My Fair Lady, High Society, Dracula, White Christmas) brings her new show from 54 Below in New York, London, and Paris, where THE LIFE AND LOVES OF A BROADWAY BABY, received five stars and was called “A perfect night out, Broadway Baby combines all the best from musical theatre and underground jazz … from cheeky and playful (Sondheim, Marc Shaiman, Rodgers & Hart), it goes to lyrical and sentimental (Michel Legrand, Johnny Mercer), and back.” As Melissa says jokingly, her show is like an Italian stew: she puts in it the best she’s got. London Theatre Weekly wrote, “And the audience agrees with her, fully charmed by her voice and eager to hear more.” Musical Theatre Review said, “Mesmerizing. She is nothing less than a force of nature. Is there nothing this lady cannot do?”
BROADWAY SHOWSTOPPERS SERIES WITH GLENN ROSENBLUM
PART II │June 12, 2024
“… he has a beautiful tenor/baritone voice, which is proof alone that he should be singing and doing cabaret far more often.” – Grigware
Glenn Rosenblum is a busy vocalist, actor, musical mensch, lecturer, and celebrity talent broker. An amazing font of musical and theatre knowledge and insider information, Rosenblum continues his survey of musical theatre with Installments of BROADWAY SHOWSTOPPERS with GLENN ROSENBLUM. He holds a Bachelor Arts degree in theatre from The School of Theatre, Film and Television at UCLA, and has attended the School of Dramatic Arts at USC, and the New College at Hofstra University. BroadwayWorld.com called him the “New Prince of Los Angeles Cabaret” in his new one man cabaret show, The Musical Man. He has been seen regionally on stage in musicals, including Cabaret (Emcee), Guys and Dolls (Nathan Detroit), Man of La Mancha (Barber), and Little Shop of Horrors (Seymour). He also played himself in Annabelle Gurwitch’s hit comedy Fired!, recorded for National Public Radio at Los Angeles Theatre Works. His off-Broadway credits include Lucky Lucy and the Fortune Man, starring Blythe Danner, Little Mighty with Sam Harris, and Rise of David Levinksy, featuring Larry Kert. Glenn’s television work includes an Old Navy commercial with Kristin Chenoweth, as well as episodic turns on the series Bones and Miami Vice.
Broadway World dubbed him “The New Prince of Cabaret” for his show, Glenn Rosenblum is The Musical Man at Rockwell Table and Stage-LA. New York credits include Off-Broadway: Lucky Lucy with Blythe Danner, Rise of David Levinsky. In the Los Angeles Area, Grey Gardens, Promises, Promises, Sugar, Mame, Zorba, Minnie’s Boys, and, most recently, Follies, and Man of La Mancha with Ken Howard/Marilyn McCoo at the Pasadena Civic. Regional roles include Guys and Dolls, Cabaret, and Little Shop of Horrors. Rosenblum has been seen on television in Bones and Miami Vice. He has lectured extensively about Broadway for Crystal Cruises, CVRep Conservatory, and David Green’s Musical Theatre University.
His passion and obsession for Broadway’s Musical Theatre history has lead him globetrotting with Crystal Cruises as a guest lecturer. Twenty years ago, Glenn started his own company: Celebrity Access, Inc. NC. He continues as a leading talent broker of celebrity talent for diversified promotional events, product endorsements, media tours, direct-response marketing and infomercials. His Los Angeles-based company provides access to the most extensive celebrity talent base in the industry today. Glenn’s expanded Media Tour Division provides full-service production needs for national celebrity product placement for television, radio and print coverage.
ALYSHA UMPHRESS │June 13, 2024
“This captivating storyteller with a phenomenal voice had the [54 Below/NYC] audience in the palm of her hand.” – Analisa Bell, BroadwayWorld.com
On Broadway, ALYSHA UMPHRESS has appeared in On the Town (as Hildy), American Idiot, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, and Bring it On! Recent credits include the Off-Broadway revival of Smokey Joe’s Cafe, for which she received a Lucille Lortel nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical and whose cast won the Chita Rivera Award for Best Ensemble of a Musical; On the Town (again as Hildy) with the San Francisco Symphony under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas; and Wonderful Town (as Ruth Sherwood) with the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle, which was recorded on the LSO label.
Umphress’ regional credits include the world premiere of Beaches (the musical) as Cee Cee Bloom at Signature Theatre (earning a Helen Hayes nomination for Best Leading Actress in a Musical), Hood at Dallas Theatre Center (as Meg) and Pump Boys and Dinettes (as Rhetta Cupp) at Papermill Playhouse. Her television credits include “Law and Order SVU,” “Nurse Jackie,” and “Royal Pains.”
Alysha Umphress starred as Misty on the “The Climb for Amazon,” and can be seen as Murphy on the Netflix series, “Bonding.”
LESLIE TINNARO: BACK TO BEFORE │June 19, 2024
“Ms. Tinnaro delivers a powerful portrait of a survivor. She gives a heartbreaking rendition of “What Would You Do?” – Gay Desert Guide
Broadway veteran Leslie Tinnaro shares a legacy of experiences and triumphs in her one-woman cabaret show, BACK TO BEFORE. When not performing in musicals, her love of the intimacy of the cabaret genre has led her to develop several different shows that incorporate a unique blend and perspective of the music, the story, the artist and/or composer.
She was in the original Los Angeles company of Evita at the Shubert Theatre, later joining the Broadway company. Among the many roles she has presented in many productions, Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady remains her favorite. Others include Mama Rose in Gypsy, Julie in Show Boat, Sally and Fraulein Schultz in Cabaret, Lili in Carnival, Jerry’s Girls, and World Goes Round. She starred as Helen in CVRep’s 2023 production of Fun Home (“I double dare you not to feel her torment. It took my breath away.” – BroadwayWorld.com) and Fraulein Schneider in 2024 production of Cabaret.
Tinnaro was born and raised in Long Beach. For her cabaret series performance, Jeffrey Lesser joins her as her as special guest. Eddy Clement is music director and accompanist.
JASON GRAAE │ June 20, 2024
“By the time Graae has pulled his last inspired stunt, he’ll have convinced the crowd that there is nothing he can’t do and no entertainment technique he hasn’t mastered.” – Village Voice NYC
The infinitely talented JASON GRAAE returns to CVRep with his new show, GRAAVITAS, in which he explores his roots with songs and stories. Graae has appeared in countless important Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, on TV and film, in opera and on many recordings. He originated the role of Houdini in the L.A. production of Ragtime at the Shubert Theatre. He Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Joel Hirschhorn Award for
Outstanding Achievement in Musical Theatre and an Ovation Award for Forbidden Broadway Y2KLA!” At the Hollywood Bowl, he played Benny in Guys and Dolls” and Marcellus in The Music Man. He starred as Scrooge in the world premiere of Scrooge in Love, performing the role for three years and winning the Theatre Bay Area Award for Best Actor in a Musical.
He has won four NYC Bistro Awards, among others. Graae starred with Faith Prince in the critically acclaimed The Prince and the Showboy, which gained a second Nightlife Award and a Robby Award for Best Duo. Graae has been featured on Broadway in A Grand Night For Singing, Falsettos, Stardust, Snoopy!, Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?. Off-Broadway shows include the original casts of Forever Plaid, Olympus on My Mind, All in the Timing, Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh (Drama Desk Nomination-Best Actor in a Musical), and many more. Graae recently traveled across the U.S. for a year and a half as the Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the National Tour of Wicked.
Graae has performed his one-man show throughout the country, winning four Bistro Awards and a NY Nightlife Award, as well as making TimeOut NY‘s Top 10 Cabaret shows of the year. Graae won the L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award for outstanding achievement in musical theatre.
On television, Graae has appeared on many shows, including “Six Feet Under”, “Rude Awakening”, “Friends”, “Frasier”, “Sabrina the Teenage Witch”, “Living Single”, “Caroline in the City”, and “Providence”. On PBS, he was a guest soloist twice with the Boston Pops, as well as with Marvin Hamlisch and the National Symphony in Holiday for the Troops at The Kennedy Center and in the Jerry Herman documentary, Words and Music by Jerry Herman.
Movie appearances include the title role in Sunshine Barry and the Disco Worms (2008 Toronto and London Film Festivals), Disney’s Home on the Range, On Edge, Gepetto, The Dukes of Hazzard in Hollywood, and Awakening of Spring. He has been heard on many cartoons and for six years, was the voice of Lucky the Leprechaun for Lucky Charms Cereal.
Graae made his Metropolitan Opera House debut as the male vocalist in Twyla Tharp’s Everlast with American Ballet Theatre. Graae made his Los Angeles Opera debut as Njegus in The Merry Widow, repeating the role with Dallas , New Orleans, Houston Grand Opera, and Michigan Opera Theatre (Oscar Wilde Award nomination). Also with L.A. Opera, he was featured as Offenbach in The Grand Duchess, directed by Garry Marshall. He has played Frosch in Die Fledermaus with the Washington National and San Francisco Operas, the Manhattan School of Music, and, most recently with Houston Grand Opera.
Jason has recorded more than 65 CDs, including original cast albums, concerts, compilations, and his three solo CDs, You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile – Jason Graae Sings Charles Strouse and Jason Graae LIVE at The Cinegrill, and Perfect Hermany-the songs of Jerry Herman.
PHILIP CHAFFIN: WILL HE LIKE ME? │ June 26, 2024
“… has the perfect honeyed baritone for those swanky musicals of the 20s and 30s …”
In WILL HE LIKE ME?, three-time Grammy nominee Philip Chaffin takes two dozen classics of the Great American Songbook — songs once considered off-limits to male vocalists — and reimagines them for the marriage-equality era. He weaves together nearly a century of American popular song to tell a gay man’s love story: one that takes him from first date to final farewell. CVRep audiences will remember him as Da in the 2023 production of Once. His career spans 25 years, with NYC credits that include the world premiere of Alan Menken and Tim Rice’s King David and the Encores! revival of Sweet Adeline. He has appeared solo at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and The Kennedy Center, and performs in regional theaters on both coasts.
Born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Chaffin was hired – soon after college – as a vocalist with Ray Conniff and his Orchestra; he spent the next three years touring internationally. Upon his return to the U.S., he moved to New York, where he has appeared in concerts (including Encores! at City Center and Lyrics and Lyricists at the 92nd Street Y) and in theatrical evenings, including the Broadway premiere of Alan Menken and Tim Rice’s King David. He’s featured on a number of studio cast recordings – among them, the Gershwins’ Sweet Little Devil and Pardon My English, Kitty’s Kisses and Sweet Bye and Bye, plus the highly acclaimed Maury Yeston Songbook. He performs regularly in and around New York, where favorite roles include Gabey in On the Town, Joe Hardy in Damn Yankees, Spike in Song of Singapore, and Curly in Oklahoma! He recently completed a run as Arnold in the Off-Broadway revival of The Boys Next Door.
His fourth solo disc, Somethin’ Real Special (The Songs of Dorothy Fields) was released in November 2013. It graced several “year’s best” lists and prompted write-ups in The Huffington Post and USA Today; the venerable entertainment magazine Show Business cheered, “Chaffin’s gorgeous, soaring baritone will make you hear these old songs in a fresh and thrilling new way.”
Where Do I Go From You? launched the record label PS Classics, for which Chaffin serves as A&R Director. PS Classics is dedicated to the heritage of Broadway and American Popular Song. He reviews all submissions and ultimately greenlights all recordings, especially those involving the vocal artists who’ll appear on solo albums and compilations. Solo artists on the PS Classics roster include Maureen McGovern, Liz Callaway, Christine Andreas, Rebecca Luker, Steven Pasquale, Jessica Molaskey and Victoria Clark; its cast albums, including Sondheim on Sondheim, A Little Night Music, Nine: The Musical, Assassins, Grey Gardens and Company, have been honored with eight Grammy nominations. In 2011, 2013, and 2015, he received Grammy nominations for producing the Broadway Cast Recordings of Sondheim on Sondheim, Follies, and Fun Home.
KEN PAGE │June 27, 2024
KEN PAGE is an acclaimed, award-winning performer on Broadway, in theater companies across the country, in films (Dreamgirls, Torch Song Trilogy, All Dogs Go To Heaven), and in concert halls. He provided the unmistakable voice of Mr. Oogie Boogie in the classic Disney, Tim Burton film The Nightmare Before Christmas. Page also sang in concert versions of the movie at the Hollywood Bowl, Barclay Center N.Y., London’s OVO Wembley Arena, and in Tokyo, Glasgow, Dublin.
Page auditioned for the original Broadway production of Ain’t Misbehavin’ because a friend of his had told him that he looked a lot like honky-tonk legend “Fats” Waller. Page did not know how to play the piano, but ended up winning a Drama Desk award for playing Waller. Twenty-five years later, Page directed his own, touring production of the show.
He starred in Broadway’s all-Black revival of Guys and Dolls (winning a Theatre World Award), and reprised his performance at the Hollywood Bowl. He also portrayed Sebastian in The Little Mermaid live to film performance at the Bowl. Page performed in Ain’t Misbehavin’ (winning a Drama Desk Award for Best Actor) and in Children of Eden in London’s Palladium, plus a concert version of My One and Only. Page started his career at the MUNY in St. Louis, and as performed there in 44 productions. Benet Braun will be musical director.
(Full season information below.)
2024 SUMMER CABARET SERIES
May 15 — MAXIMO MARCUSO
May 16 – FAITH PRINCE
May 22 – GLENN ROSENBLUM BROADWAY SHOWSTOPPERS, PART I
May 23 – EDMUND BAGNELL “THIS MAGIC MOMENT”
June 5 & 6 – MELISSA ERRICO
June 12 – GLENN ROSENBLUM BROADWAY SHOWSTOPPERS, PART ii
June 13 – ALYSHA UMPHRESS
June 19 – LESLIE TINNARO
June 20 – JASON GRAAE
June 26 – PHILIP CHAFFIN
June 27 – KEN PAGE
July 10 – DEVEN GREEN & HANDSOME NED
July 11 – BROADWAY BARBARA
July 17 – GLENN ROSENBLUM BROADWAY SHOWSTOPPERS, PART iii
JULY 18 – BRENT BARRETT & BERNIE BLANKS
July 24 – JULIE & JANA CARDIA
July 25 – DAVID BURNHAM
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