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Concerts / Events
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Highly Recommended Music: WORLD ORCHESTRA WEEK [WOW!] (Carnegie Hall)
HOT CLASSICAL AUGUST NIGHTS AT CARNEGIE HALL WITH YOUNG MUSICIANS FROM AROUND THE WORLD Sick of hearing nothing but bad news about our world? Wanna be inspired? Well, there is good news out there in the world, and it’s coming to Carnegie Hall when hundreds of teen instrumentalists from around the globe come together in…
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Concert Review: THE EYES OF THE WORLD: FROM D-DAY TO VE DAY (Boston Pops Orchestra at Symphony Hall)
ONE OF THE GREATEST SALUTES TO OUR FIGHTING FORCES THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN I just experienced the most magically delicious historical musical program, filled with bravery, courage, and strength — all slathered in pure patriotic love. Last night, May 29, a packed house at Boston Symphony Hall was there to honor, celebrate and mourn…
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Cabaret Review: LUCIE ARNAZ: I GOT THE JOB! SONGS FROM MY MUSICAL PAST (Tour)
WHAT CAN I SAY EXCEPT, “I LOVE LUCIE” It has been said that the greatest art in the world is the art of storytelling and Lucie Arnaz is masterful at it. In her career of forty-five plus years in musical theater, Arnaz has amassed an impressive array of anecdotes and songs which she shared with…
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Highly Recommended Theater: BEN PLATT LIVE AT THE PALACE (Broadway’s Palace Theater)
PLATT’S WHERE IT’S AT AT THE PALACE As if opening the newly refurbished Palace Theater (after a 4 year hiatus) isn’t exciting enough, why not add Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Award winner Ben Platt as the star to christen it? For his opening performance last night, the surprise guest was the great Kacey Musgraves. Platt…
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Recommended Cabaret Series: SUMMER CABARET SERIES, JUNE 2024 (Coachella Valley Rep)
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);…
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Music Review: DUDAMEL CONDUCTS HARRY POTTER (John Williams Spotlight, LA Phil)
COMPARED TO FANTASIA, NOT SO FANTASTIQUE Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic concluded its orchestral season and its Spotlight on John Williams series on May 19 with a family-oriented program: Dudamel Conducts Harry Potter. Williams’ music is always an exciting proposition, but the program, the first half of which was dominated by another composer,…
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Cabaret Review: CAROLYN MONTGOMERY: GIRLSINGER, A CELEBRATION OF ROSEMARY CLOONEY (54 Below)
THE BLOOM IS ON THE ROSEMARY Midway into her cabaret show, girlSINGER, A Celebration of Rosemary Clooney, Carolyn Montgomery explains the meaning of the show’s name. When Clooney dropped out of high school to begin her career touring with the big bands, such women were called “girl singers,” no matter what their age. Back in…
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New York Cabaret Review: NOW AND THEN: THE STORIES (Sally Mayes at Green Room 42)
MAYES YOU LIVE IN INTERESTING TIMES Cabaret great and Tony-nominee Sally Mayes has been presenting a series of career retrospective concerts at the intimate Green Room 42 on the 4th floor of Yotel near Times Square. Each performance of this series is a one off, and those fortunate enough to catch Now And Then: The…
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Film / Concert Review: STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK–FILM WITH LIVE ORCHESTRA (SF Symphony)
SF SYMPHONY STRIKES BACK When you watch a film in theaters or play a video game at home you simply cannot recreate the power, emotion and feel of a live orchestra. As a result most music gets remembered by a few bars of catchy melody despite being, in some cases, hours long and in most…
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Music Review: VíKINGUR ÒLAFSSON: THE GOLDBERG VARIATIONS (Colburn Recital at Disney Hall)
FINDING GOLD IN GOLDBERG VI once said in a review of pianist Víkingur í“lafsson that if you want to see a modern-day Glenn Gould-like master at the keys, here’s your chance. Well, the test really came the other night when í“lafsson returned to Disney Hall for his rendition of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, which many claim…
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Recommended Cabaret Series: SUMMER CABARET SERIES, MAY 2024 (Coachella Valley Rep)
CV REP’S 2024 SUMMER CABARET SERIES STELLAR LINE-UP FOR MAY A summer of great music, charismatic personalities and unspoken theatre insider-only stories galore starts when COACHELLA VALLEY REPERTORY’s 2024 SUMMER CABARET SERIES begins on May 15. Cabaret headliners for May are “America’s Tenor” MAXIMO MARCUSO (May 15), Broadway Tony Award-winner FAITH PRINCE (May 16), Broadway’s…
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Jazz Concert Review: DUETS: DIANNE REEVES, CHUCHO VALDÉS, JOE LOVANO (International Tour at Berklee)
TWO MEN AND A LADY: JAZZ ROYALTY TIMES THREE Celebrity Series of Boston’s 2023–2024 season is drawing to a close and among the final performances was the excellent Duets, featuring Dianne Reeves (vocals), Chucho Valdés (piano), and Joe Lovano (tenor saxophone). The evening began with Valdés alone with his grand piano on the stage of…
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Concert Review: ANNA LAPWOOD (Organ Recital at Disney Hall)
LAPPING UP LAPWOOD British organist Anna Lapwood brought gold sparkles to her LA Phil debut at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the final stop of her 2024 US tour (her international tour continues). She could hardly contain her excitement, calling the hall’s organ “so much more than I ever hoped it could be!” Lapwood, the 28-year-old…
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Concert Review: NO MORE WATER / THE FIRE NEXT TIME; THE GOSPEL OF JAMES BALDWIN (Meshell Ndegeocello presented by CAP UCLA at United Theatre on Broadway)
MESHELL, MY BELL “Free like a bird,” the Swahili meaning of the eclectic singer-songwriter and rapper Meshell Ndegeocello’s last name (pronounced N-dee-gay-o-cello), describes the essence of her No More Water/The Fire Next Time; The Gospel of James Baldwin performance at The United Theatre on Broadway presented by CAP UCLA. Inspired by American writer and civil rights…
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Event Review: AN EVENING WITH DAVID SEDARIS (Tour)
WHEN YOU ARE ENGULFED IN SEDARIS Storyteller and humorist David Sedaris began by “walking us through” his outfit: a pair of plaid culottes and a jacket that “looks like I lost a fight with a bear.” It did indeed consist of a lot of strips, like a wearable vertical blind. He then introduced the ASL…
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Highly Recommended Cabaret Theater: TIERGARTEN (Death of Classical at the Great Hall under St. Mary’s Church)
WEIMAR, YOU ASK? HERE’S THE ANSWER Cabaret the musical, opening on Broadway in a transformed theater, may sound exciting, but here’s a highly recommended event for those who crave complete immersion in a 1920s Berlin Speakeasy with period-themed food and drinks, vintage dress, and more. In partnership with Carnegie Hall as part of their Weimar…
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Music Review: ELGAR AND VAUGHAN WILLIAMS (LA Phil; Simone Young, conductor; Gautier Capuçon, cellist)
STUDY WAR NO MORE Last night’s program at Disney Hall began with a subdued but clear strike on the chime. It came in without warning. The atmosphere is austere and solemn, and under the clear and watchful eyes of Maestro Simone Young, the LA Phil slowly unfolds the lush colors of Arvo Pårt‘s Cantus in…
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Cabaret Review: KEN PAGE (“Right Here, Right Now” at Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood)
PAGE BY PAGE Anyone who gets a standing ovation merely by entering the room has undoubtedly accomplished something great. Ken Page’s illustrious career and sterling character earned him such a welcome from a room full of friends, colleagues, and admirers at the top of his cabaret show Right Here, Right Now, presented at the Catalina…
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Cabaret Review: APRIL FOOLS (Birdland Jazz Club)
FEAST OF FOOLS Nobody knows when April Fools’ Day started, but sure as shooting, on April 1st, someone is going to tell you your zipper is open or they just heard your number called on television and you won the lottery. Some say April Fools’ Day goes back to a Roman festival called Hilaria, celebrated…
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Music Review: MICHAEL TILSON THOMAS LEADS TCHAIKOVSKY (LA Phil)
The third and final performance of this program by the LA Phil with guest conductor Michael Tilson Thomas took place March 30 at Disney Hall. The orchestra was in standard setup as MTT entered the stage to very warm applause. He cheerily addressed his audience and his musicians as he set to work. First on…


















