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Rob Lester
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Cabaret Review: CATHERINE RUSSELL (Birdland Jazz Club / New York)
GOOD VIBES, GOOD SONGS– LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL Vintage jazz, Mardi Gras spirit, and irresistible charm make for another Birdland triumph Celebrating ten years of playing Birdland, the imminent release of a new live recording, and the sounds of New Orleans’ annual Fat Tuesday festivities, Catherine Russell was in a merry Mardi Gras mood…
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Music Review: COME SUNDAY: THE SACRED WORKS OF DUKE ELLINGTON (Jazz at Lincoln Center / New York City)
TAKE THE “A” TO AMEN Luther S. Allison reimagines Ellington’s sacred music with power, passion, and joyful reverence. A mix of jubilation and reverence was, appropriately, projected in a satisfying concert at the end of January in The Appel Room, one of the performance spaces of Jazz at Lincoln Center at Columbus Circle. To get…
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Off-Broadway Review: AN IDEAL HUSBAND (Storm Theatre at A.R.T./New York Theatres)
WITNESSING WILDE’S WONDERFUL WIT IS ALWAYS WELCOME Storm Theatre delivers elegance and precision, if not always sparkle Lurking under the characters’ control, courtesies and curtseys, calculated comments, formal wear and formalities, etiquette, etc., are their real feelings and fears that forced smiles with gritted teeth and British stiff-upper-lip mask. Mocking manners and marriage in the…
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Cabaret Review: JIMMIE HERROD (54 Below)
A HIGH VOICE, SOME HIGHLIGHTS, AND A HIGH-SPIRITED CROWD If you were shopping for the most versatile fantasy fabric for fashioning a fabulous outfit, imagine it by checking each of these boxes: ✅ … something smooth as silk, ☑️ … something warm as wool, ✅ … stretchable as elastic, ☑️ … solid as denim, ✅…
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Cabaret Review: QUINTIN HARRIS TRIO (Quintin Harris, Griffin Frank, and Max Marsillo at Birdland Jazz Club)
QUINTESSENTIAL QUINTIN Essential jazz, effortless swing, and a trio’s genuine chemistry Jazz fans bid farewell to January with a smile at Birdland Jazz Club by settling into a sublimely satisfying set by pianist and vocalist Quintin Harris and his terrific trio-mates, bassist Griffin Fink and drummer Max Marsillo. “We’ve become like brothers,” the calm leader…
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Concert Review: AN EVENING WITH LAURA BENANTI (Kaufmann Concert Hall, 92NY)
MUSIC, MEMORIES, MOTHERHOOD & MELANIA Laura Benanti sparkles in a knowing, joyful evening at 92NY Her silver gown sparkled. Her voice sparkled. Her wit sparkled. Yes, Laura Benanti was aglow on January 29 in a concert at 92NY. Self-aware, self-confident, and a bit full of herself in the most entertaining way possible, her musical menu…
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Cabaret Events: AMERICAN SONGBOOK HIGH SCHOOL COMPETITION & CABARET WORKSHOP CONCERT (Mabel Mercer Foundation, Laurie Beechman Theatre)
A CONTEST AND A CONCERT The Mabel Mercer Foundation nurtures the next generation of cabaret artists Three cheers for the Mabel Mercer Foundation (MMF) and its ongoing commitment to introducing younger performers to the Great American Songbook and the art of cabaret. This winter, the Foundation has presented two related initiatives: a concert held last…
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Theater Preview: CREATIVE STAGE SPECTACULAR 2026 (Creative Stage Collective, Symphony Space)
AN INTERGENERATIONAL, SENSATIONAL THEATRE GROUP Creative Stage Collective’s annual revue proves that age is irrelevant when imagination leads To get to their Sunday rehearsals, the many members of Creative Stage Collective are real troopers, traipsing and trudging through snow falling—and lingering—in unpleasant temperatures dipping below freezing and staying there. After all, these dedicated kids, teens,…
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Concert Review: ISABEL LEONARD AND FRIENDS (Carnegie Hall)
A VARIED AND VOLUPTUOUS NIGHT OF SONG A night at Carnegie Hall always feels special and elegant, and the evening of January 15 was no exception. Applause was plentiful, cheers resounded, and moments of surprise and comic relief brought amused laughter that banished any fear that a heavy layer of formulaic formality would settle over…
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Theater Review: CAMELTON (Stephen Cole’s One-Man Show About One Man’s Wild Ride)
THERE’S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MIDDLE EAST Stephen Cole’s backstage Qatar saga is stranger than fiction—and just as entertaining In the story category of “truth is stranger than fiction,” and well worthy of inclusion in an edition of Ripley’s Believe It or Not, comes the mind-boggling saga of how…
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Music Review: THE LOVESTRUCK BALLADEERS (Birdland Theater)
A POEM IN PRAISE OF THE LOVESTRUCK BALLADEERS There’s a super group that gets plenty of cheers:They’re called The Lovestruck Balladeers.They had a Birdland three-night gig.And the repertoire was pretty darn big.They play vintage music – originals, too.One cute highlight’s a song that’s called “Looking for You.”And this delight just happens to beThe title tune…
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Theatre Review: GOING BACHARACH: THE SONGS OF AN ICON (Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater)
A REMARKABLY RESPLENDENT & RADIANT REVUE If you’re wandering around Manhattan, just “Wishin’ and Hopin’” for a magnificent musical revue with some “Magic Moments,” don’t “Walk On By” the building at 10 West 64th Street. The show there is the “Best That You Can Do,” so “Make It Easy on Yourself” and see the super-satisfying…
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Concert | Theater Review: OKLAHOMA! IN CONCERT (Carnegie Hall)
OH, WHAT A BEAUTIFUL EVENIN’! RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN RIDE AGAIN AT CARNEGIE HALL With a full cast, full dialogue, and a glorious orchestra, this Oklahoma! concert leans into the classic’s warmth— exclamation point included. Ah, the classic musical Oklahoma! It begins with the offstage cowboy character named Curly singing about nature—“There’s a bright golden haze…
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Theatre Review: FINDING DOROTHY PARKER (Laurie Beechman Theatre)
SARCASM ON STEROIDS To say that Dorothy Parker had a way with words would be the understatement of the century—and she spanned two of them, being born in the last decade of the 1800s and hanging on until 1967. Even her own death was subject to one more pithy punchline. In a story with herself…
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Cabaret Review: BOOM! 15TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT (Ann Hampton Callaway & Liz Callaway at 54 Below)
BOOM! IS A BLAST! Separately, each is terrific. Together, the two are sublime. When singing sisters Ann Hampton Callaway and Liz Callaway combine their voices and sensibilities—echoing each other’s lines, with glorious harmonies weaving and soaring through songs—it’s one of the best things you can do for your ears. At 54 Below, through Saturday, January…
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Off-Broadway Review: THE DISAPPEAR (Minetta Lane Theatre)
MARRIAGE, MOVIES & MISERIES AT MINETTA LANE Marriage may be like a garden — has to be consistently and attentively nurtured and cared for or it will wither instead of bloom and grow — but for Ben and Mira in The Disappear, nobody’s doing much watering, making this particular union look parched, prickly, and perilously…
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Cabaret Review: DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER & BILL CHARLAP (Birdland)
A PLEASING PAIR Standards stretched, teased, and joyfully reimagined The song “’S Wonderful” will be a century old next year, so it’s not a new thing to wonder if its titular positive adjective might describe the rendition du jour and the full live set or recording in which it has appeared. In the case of…
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Album Review: CHRISTMAS & YOU (Anthony Nunziata)
A RARE HOLIDAY ALBUM OF ALL-NEW SONGS Anthony Nunziata sidesteps recycled carols with a freshly written, earnest Christmas collection It’s not exactly a Christmas miracle, but it is kind of rare among the thousands of holiday albums to find one with material that is 100% new. Year after year, most new releases rely heavily on…
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Album Review: CHRISTMAS (Judy Whitmore)
A PLEASANT CHRISTMAS Warm, traditional holiday fare delivered with sincerity and respect When it came time to title her Christmas album, the unpretentious, straightforward singer Judy Whitmore apparently didn’t give a whit about coming up with something witty or flashy. It’s simply called Christmas. And in keeping with that no-nonsense title, Whitmore comes off as…
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Film Review: SERIOUS PEOPLE (directed by Pasqual Gutierrez & Ben Mullinkosson)
A FILM ABOUT MAKING A VIDEO–ARE THEY SERIOUS ABOUT THIS??!?!!? Depending on your level of patience and maturity, you may or may not have serious problems with Serious People. It’s probably best not to take it seriously. The concept has potential for comedy and some payoff—eventually. But it takes a long time to get there;…
Interview: DAVID SERERO (director of “Tovah,” a documentary about Tovah Feldshuh)
by Shari Barrett | August 31, 2026
in Film, Interviews, Los AngelesMusic Preview: PACIFIC JAZZ ORCHESTRA BENEFIT CONCERT (October 10, 2026 | L.A.)
by pwsadmin | August 30, 2026
in Los Angeles, MusicTheater Review: ADOLESCENT SALVATION (Theater Wit / Chicago)
by Croydon Fernandes | August 29, 2026
in Chicago, TheaterDance Preview: GLORYA KAUFMAN PRESENTS DANCE AT THE MUSIC CENTER 2026–27 (L.A.)
by pwsadmin | August 28, 2026
in Dance, Los AngelesTheater Preview: KAIJU (The Road Theatre Company & BroadStage / Los Angeles)
by pwsadmin | August 28, 2026
in Los Angeles, TheaterDance Preview: DRACULA, A DARK SHADOW (State Street Ballet / Santa Barbara)
by Gregory Bernard | August 28, 2026
in Dance, Los Angeles, RegionalTheater Review: BEING PIAF (Odyssey Theatre Ensemble / Los Angeles)
by Ernest Kearney | August 27, 2026
in Los Angeles, Theater
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