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Rob Lester
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Cabaret Review: JEFF HARNAR – THE 1959 BROADWAY SONGBOOK (Birdland / New York)
A VERY GOOD YEAR Someone should carve a statue to this delightful performer If the world of cabaret ever got around to having someone carve its own equivalent of Mount Rushmore, the smiling face of singer Jeff Harnar might well be one of the heads in stone. After all, he’s carved out quite a long…
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Cabaret Review: SPOTLIGHT KIDZ CABARET: ALL THAT GLITTERS (The Green Room 42)
YOUNG VOICES, BRIGHT LIGHTS Two dozen aspiring performers take the stage with enthusiasm, confidence and plenty of personality It doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes to make an educated guess that most of the smiling faces, cell-phone cameras and wildly applauding hands at a cabaret show filled with kid performers belong to proud parents, grandparents, siblings and…
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Cabaret Review: ETHAN MATHIAS: WAIT ‘TIL YOU SEE WHAT’S NEXT (The Green Room 42 / NYC)
WAIT ‘TIL YOU HEAR HIM A gifted young singer proves he’s more than a novelty act When singers do their shows in New York City’s cabaret rooms, their audiences often include plenty of fellow vocalists. Some are longtime friends; others haven’t yet met. They may have shared a bill at a benefit or group concert,…
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Music Review: THE MUSIC OF US: FROM THEN TO NOW (The New York Pops / Carnegie Hall)
SOMETHING FOR ALMOST EVERYONE The New York Pops casts a wide musical net across two and a half centuries of American song. Although the first style of music most people think of when they think of Carnegie Hall is classical music, the storied venue’s grand Isaac Stern Auditorium and its co-inhabitant, Zankel Hall, quite regularly…
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Music Review: IF I AIN’T GOT YOU: THE BEST OF R&B (The New York Pops / Carnegie Hall)
R&B STRINGS ATTACHED The New York Pops dresses beloved love songs in elegant symphonic attire Love was in the air at Carnegie Hall on the night before Valentine’s Day as The New York Pops and conductor Steven Reineke turned their attention to the romantic side of Rhythm & Blues with If I Ain’t Got You:…
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Theater Review: CRAZY FOR YOU (Goodspeed Opera House / East Haddam, CT)
NOTHING CRAZY ABOUT LOVING THIS SHOW This joyful revival earns every smile I admit that I am crazy for Crazy For You, and this feel-good production is quite a delight in Connecticut at the Goodspeed Opera House (now celebrating its 150th anniversary). This merry 1992 musical is a solid, splashy audience-pleaser, stuffed with swell old…
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Cabaret Review: LAURIE ROLDAN – A SONG FOR YOU: THE MUSIC OF KAREN CARPENTER & FRIENDS! (The Green Room 42 / New York)
A TRIBUTE WITH HEART Laurie Roldan honors Karen Carpenter with affection, authenticity, and grace. Singer Laurie Roldan could easily be elected president of the Karen Carpenter Appreciation Society. Her concert tribute at The Green Room 42, A Song for You: The Music of Karen Carpenter & Friends!, reflects a lifelong devotion to the singer/drummer while…
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Music: BRYCE EDWARDS: MY PERFORMER OF THE YEAR
THE OLD SOUL OF THE NEW CENTURY Singer, multi-instrumentalist, vaudevillian, songwriter, musical historian—and one of today’s most irresistible entertainers Halfway through 2026 may seem a little early to name a Performer of the Year, but I’m comfortable making the call. Bryce Edwards has earned it. I’m forever crawling under the table to retrieve my socks…
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Concert Review: TONY DANZA AND THE STARS OF TOMORROW (The Triad Theatre / New York City)
THEY’RE GONNA SHINE Young performers take center stage with heart and hope A sold-out fundraiser on Feb. 26 at The Triad offered a fast-moving night of entertainment and an emotionally moving glimpse into the Stars of Tomorrow Project, introducing many of its current and former participants through song, dance, and heartfelt testimonials. Opening eyes and…
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Concert Review: CHANGED FOR GOOD: A CELEBRATION OF STEPHEN SCHWARTZ (The New York Pops / Carnegie Hall)
NO PLACE LIKE SCHWARTZ A star-studded birthday gala honors one of musical theater’s most enduring songwriters The New York Pops celebrated its 43rd Birthday Gala at Carnegie Hall on April 27 with Changed for Good: A Celebration of Stephen Schwartz, honoring the Academy, Grammy, and Tony Award-winning composer-lyricist. Led by music director Steven Reineke, an…
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Theater Review: MELISSA MANCHESTER: FIFTY THREADS: AN ARTIST’S JOURNEY (54 Below, NY)
MAN, OH MAN! MANCHESTER IS IN FINE FORM A warm, witty retrospective celebrates fifty years of songs, stories, and an artist still at the top of her game. Regulars at 54 Below may have done a double take upon entering the room for one of Melissa Manchester‘s four May performances. First, the piano had been…
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Music Preview: ON THE TOWN in Concert (Carnegie Hall / New York City)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK… AGAIN After the success of Oklahoma!, Carnegie Hall launches a five-year celebration of classic American musicals. After the sold-out success of Oklahoma! earlier this year, Carnegie Hall and Orchestra of St. Luke’s are making concert musicals an annual tradition. They’ve announced a new five-year series devoted to classic American musicals, beginning…
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Cabaret Review: BACK TO BARBRA (Melissa Errico / 54 Below / New York City)
A SUAVE, STREISAND- CENTRIC SOIGNÉE SOIRÉE Errico eloquently echoes superstar Streisand with style Musical mega-talents cast long shadows. Any performer who builds a show around their repertoire risks comparison, yet that hasn’t stopped a parade of vocalists from tackling the songs associated with Barbra Streisand. In The Streisand Effect: Back to Barbra at 54 Below,…
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Theater Review: WEST SIDE STORY (Paper Mill Playhouse / Millburn, NJ)
SOMEWHERE, STILL Paper Mill Playhouse proves that a classic doesn’t need fixing The powerful and poignant West Side Story has been retooled, tweaked, and tinkered with in the years since the original 1957 production boldly burst forth on Broadway. Not every change was for the better. For a change, those presenting the version at Paper…
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Film Review: LESBIAN SPACE PRINCESS (directed by Leela Varghese and Emma Hough Hobbs)
AN OUT OF THIS WORLD ADVENTURE IN THE CARTOONIVERSE Some time ago, in a galaxy far, far away (one that’s pointedly pronounced GAY-laxy in this case), there lived a lesbian princess prone to crying floods of tears and full of fears. It didn’t help her low self-esteem that her girlfriend, Kiki, suddenly broke up with…
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Event Coverage: BUBBLING BROWN SUGAR 50TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT (Amas Musical Theatre 58th Anniversary Gala Event)
BUBBLING OVER WITH NOSTALGIA Amas celebrates a milestone with a joyful reminder of the music that put the company on the map Amas Musical Theatre sure knows how to throw a party. Held in a penthouse with a wraparound terrace, the company’s 58th Anniversary Gala Benefit found guests happily mingling over hors d’oeuvres, conversation, and…
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Cabaret Review: 54 SINGS THE SECOND BARBRA STREISAND ALBUM (54 Below / New York)
SECOND HELPINGS OF STREISAND A talented roster of singers at 54 Below revisit an early Streisand classic with style, affection, and plenty of bonus treats “My new album is called The Second Barbra Streisand Album because that’s just what it is. Why should I give it some fancy name that no one remembers anyway?” That’s…
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Highly Recommended Show: HOT COMBINATION: BRYCE EDWARDS, MIKE DAVIS & BAND (Sunday, June 7 at Birdland)
OLD SONGS GET NEW LIFE FROM TALENTED YOUNG GUYS WHO ARE OLD SOULS Zip and zing with musical fizz and sparkle Hooray! They’re back!! Bryce Edwards—the mercurial, merry multi-talented, multi-instrumentalist and sassy singer—reunites with brilliant brass player Mike Davis, debonair dazzler, along with some top-drawer colleagues for a repeat of the sensational show they premiered…
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Off-Broadway Review: THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD (J2 Spotlight Musical Theater Company at AMT Theater)
WHO KILLED EDWIN DROOD? WELL, IT’S UP TO THE AUDIENCE The musical whodunit is done with panache by the reliable J2 Musical Theater Company The unpleasant fact about life is that everybody dies. In 1870, before completing his last novel The Mystery of Edwin Drood, in which the title character dies—apparently by murder—the author himself…
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Off-Broadway Review: BIKE SHOP: THE MUSICAL (Theater for the New City)
PUT THIS IN YOUR WHEELHOUSE A show that takes its audience on a ride, and shifts gears from drama to comedy and back The oft-heard practical advice to authors hoping that their stories, novels, songs, plays, etc. will ring true is: “Write what you know.” Generally attributed to Mark Twain—who did pretty well for himself…
Theater Review: HANGMEN (Long Beach Playhouse)
by Michael Landman-Karney | September 19, 2026
in Los Angeles, TheaterTheater Review: THE HUMANITIES (Victory Gardens Theater / Chicago)
by Croydon Fernandes | September 19, 2026
in Chicago, TheaterTheater Review: BEGIN AGAIN (World Premiere Musical / The Old Globe / San Diego)
by Milo Shapiro | September 19, 2026
in San Diego, TheaterTheater Review: JEKYLL & HYDE (Kokandy Productions / Broadway Playhouse / Chicago)
by Emma S. Rund | September 19, 2026
in Chicago, TheaterTheater Review: MARISOL (Open Fist Theatre Company / Los Angeles)
by Lawrence Lucero | September 18, 2026
in Los Angeles, TheaterTheater Review: THE VISIT (Pasadena Playhouse)
by Michael Landman-Karney | September 17, 2026
in Los Angeles, TheaterTheater Review: THE BIRTH OF THE PILL (TimeLine Theatre / Chicago)
by Croydon Fernandes | September 17, 2026
in Chicago, TheaterCabaret Review: JEFF HARNAR – THE 1959 BROADWAY SONGBOOK (Birdland / New York)
by Rob Lester | September 17, 2026
in Cabaret, New YorkTheater Review: A CASE FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD (Rogue Machine / Los Angeles)
by Michael Landman-Karney | September 17, 2026
in Los Angeles, TheaterTheater Review: DEAR EVAN HANSEN (Cygnet / San Diego)
by Milo Shapiro | September 17, 2026
in San Diego, Theater
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