Stephen Hanks News

The editors of the BroadwayWorld.com New York cabaret section announced today that nominations for the 4th annual New York Cabaret Awards will be revealed during the week of November 23. There will be five to 12 nominees selected in approximately 20 categories, as well as 'Editor's Awards' for special achievement. This process will be a departure from previous years when potential preliminary nominees were solicited online from BroadwayWorld.com readers and the highest vote getters were declared nominees before an online vote for the winners. But BroadwayWorld does want your input on nominees for four special categories that have been added to the mix this year: FAVORITE CABARET PERFORMER, MALE & FEMALE and FAVORITE CELEBRITY CABARET PERFORMER, MALE & FEMALE.

For the third installment of his New York Cabaret's Greatest Hits--a wonderful new monthly series at the Metropolitan Room celebrating award winning and critically acclaimed cabaret shows of the past--Producer Stephen Hanks (and his Cabaret Life Productions) wisely chose Maxine Linehan's What Would Petula Do? A Tribute to Petula Clark. Although this show won no awards, nor received critical acclaim in 2009 (when I first saw it at the Laurie Beechman Theatre), Linehan's revival this past Monday night of one of her first cabaret shows could certainly be considered one the best of this or any year. 

'Folks, you ain't heard nothin' yet!' That is the iconic quote of the legendary Al Jolson, who was called 'The World's Greatest Entertainer' through the first half of the 20th century and was arguably the first American pop superstar. When Jolson's career was all but over in the mid-1940s, Columbia Pictures decided to film the story of his life, which became the 1947 classic, The Jolson Story (followed in 1949 by a successful sequel, Jolson Sings Again). The film not only became one of the most successful biopics in movie history, it revived Jolie's career and established him once again as an entertainment superstar.

After two years performing his highly praised show, It Was Me, honoring the songbook of famed lyricist Norman Gimbel at New York's Don't Tell Mama, Bistro Award-winning vocalist and BroadwayWorld.com 'Best Male Vocalist' nominee Jeff Macauley presented a new show this past spring at New York's Metropolitan Room. In Mr. Lucky: The Songs of Henry Mancini, Macauley celebrates the music of the iconic composer. Macauley's orchestra for Mr. Lucky is Award-winning Musical Director/pianist and arranger Tex Arnold, with Jon Burr on bass. Now Macauley is bringing Mr. Lucky to Don't Tell Mama on November 21 at 7 pm.

Urban Stages (Frances Hill, Founding Artistic Director, Peter Napolitano, Producer/Director of Musical Programming) today announced the line-up for this year's Award-Winning Musical event WINTER RHYTHMS 2015, which will begin Wednesday, December 2 and will feature some of New York's best musical performances through December 13, 2015 at Urban Stages Theatre. WINTER RHYTHMS 2015 marks the seventh year that Urban Stages has brought noted musical artists to its stage during the holiday period. The mission of Winter Rhythms is to bring the talents of known and unknown singers, musicians, lyricists and composers to the attention of the New York theater community while performing at Urban Stages Theater. Winner of the 2015 Ruth Kurtzman Benefit Series MAC Award, WINTER RHYTHMS benefits Urban Stages' acclaimed Outreach Program, which brings more than 200 free "arts in education" presentations to libraries and schools throughout the five boroughs. This year's event features 20 shows and more than 100 artists.

Urban Stages announces the line-up for this year's Award Winning Musical event WINTER RHYTHMS 2015, which will begin Wednesday, December 2and will feature some of New York's best musical performances through December 13, 2015 at Urban Stages Theatre (259 West 30thStreet, just East of 8th Avenue). Tickets are $25 per show and may be purchased by visiting urbanstages.org or by calling (866) 811-4111. For complete schedule information, visit urbanstages.org.

Maxine Linehan, one of New York's rising star concert and cabaret vocalists, sure knows how to celebrate the newly-crowned National League Champion New York Mets and their sudden home-run slugging superstar Daniel Murphy. The Irish-born Linehan recently took to the roof of her midtown westside residence to sing a special song in honor of fellow Irishman Murphy, who recently set a Major League Baseball post-season record for belting a home run in six consecutive playoff games. What song did Linehan pick as her love ode to the Murphy and the Mets? What's else but a parody of that iconic Irish ballad 'Danny Boy,' the original of which Linehan featured in her critically acclaimed cabaret show Beautiful Songs. As you'll see and hear in the video below, Maxine Linehan knocked this one out of the park.

NiCori Studios and Productions in association with the Oakeside Bloomfield Cultural Center announces a new installment of the monthly concert series, Music at the Mansion, on Sunday, October 25, at 3pm. Performers include Michael Aquino, Charlotte Patton and Mary Foster Conklin & John DiPinto. The Young Musician Moment will feature Brandon Bennett.

This week, Mark Nadler made his solo television debut on WNET (New York/13) and WLIW (Long Island/21) in the latest installment of the new Public Television series 66th & Broadway (photo below). My friends, in the contemporary cabaret world, this is a BIG DEAL. Let's face it: When 100 people show up to a show on the same night it is an event, so the possibility of thousands (or--dare we dream--millions) of people watching Mr. Nadler perform in the comfort of their homes is beyond exciting. It is Cabaret Nirvana, Shangri-La, and Xanadu combined, the kind of exposure a cabaret artist dreams about but rarely receives.

Critically acclaimed jazz singer Laurie Krauz and her Award-winning Musical Director Daryl Kojak have reinvented Krauz's original show Tapestry Rewoven into Tapestry Rewoven UNPLUGGED and the duo-with just Krauz singing and Kojak at piano--will perform two sets at Cafe Noctambulo at Pangea (178 2nd Avenue between 11th and 12th Streets) on Saturday, November 7 at 7 and 9 pm.

Over the past few years, there's not a concert performer or cabaret singer in the country who has paid greater tribute to pop/rock icon Linda Ronstadt-and to rave reviews--than Los Angeles-based vocalist Robyn Spangler. Once again, Robyn Spangler brings her very personal Linda Ronstadt tribute show to the Metropolitan Room for a one-night only show today, September 25 at 7 pm. Featuring acclaimed Musical Director Jon Weber on piano (and cabaret stars Meg Flather, Barbara Porteus, and Craig Pomranz provided stellar backup vocals), Spangler explores the greatest hits of Ronstadt's songbook, from the award-winning pop songs to the big band tunes, from twangy country to a dash of spicy Mexicali. Robyn's show is a young woman's musical journal revealing how her emotional experiences growing up mirrored those depicted in Ronstadt's songs. This is a highly evocative show accessible and identifiable for audiences of all ages.

'Folks, you ain't heard nothin' yet!' That is the iconic quote of the legendary Al Jolson, who was called 'The World's Greatest Entertainer' through the first half of the 20th century and was arguably the first American pop superstar. When Jolson's career was all but over in the mid-1940s, Columbia Pictures decided to film the story of his life, which became the 1947 classic, The Jolson Story (followed in 1949 by a successful sequel, Jolson Sings Again). The film not only became one of the most successful biopics in movie history, it revived Jolie's career and established him once again as an entertainment superstar.

I first saw Julie Reyburn in her 2011 cabaret show Winter Songs, where she wonderfully explored in music the beauty of winter from its cool, autumnal evenings to the somber tranquility of a snow fallen night. It was a terrific act. So I was excited when Reyburn announced she would reprise her 2000 cabaret debut show, Fate Is Kind, which pretty much put her on the New York cabaret map and earned her MAC and Bistro Awards in 2001 for "Best Female Cabaret Debut." On September 14, Reyburn's show was the second in Stephen Hanks' monthly New York Cabaret's Greatest Hits Series (produced by his own Cabaret Life Productions) at The Metropolitan Room. The big questions with a series like this are: Do these shows and performances withstand the test of time? Are they really worth bringing back? In Reyburn's case, 15 years after debuting the show the answer is a resounding-YES!

After a critically acclaimed 2014 run of her solo show Maxine Linehan: Beautiful Songs, Maxine will bring back her stunning 2009 cabaret show, What Would Petula Do? A Tribute to Petula Clark, on Monday, November 2 at 7 pm. The show is the third installment of New York Cabaret's Greatest Hits, Producer Stephen Hanks' new Cabaret Life Productions Series at the Metropolitan Room (the Associate Producer of the Series is Fr. Jeffrey Hamblin, MD). The show's director is Scott Siegel (Creator, Writer, Director and Host of The Town Hall's Broadway By The Year series and Writer, Director and Producer of Michael Feinstein's concert at Jazz at Lincoln Center) with musical direction by Ryan Shirar. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at www.metropolitanroom.com or by calling 212-206-0440.

Back in 2010, Veteran of seven Broadway shows and cabaret artist Rosemary Loar  performed her critically acclaimed cabaret show Sting, Stang, Stung!, which featured jazzy and emotional interpretations of the pop icon's vast songbook of hits. Now five years later, Loar is back with a new cabaret show based on the Sting songbook. Loar's STING*chronicity offers an unexpected combination of monologues with a stunning variety of arrangements featuring the music of this brilliant contemporary songwriter.

At a time when bullying is a major problem in American society because social media has become a breeding ground for such behavior, concert and cabaret singer Lisa Jason will tell her poignant story of dealing with bullying--both mental and physical--through the music of the 1970s that she loved throughout her childhood. With her director Stephen Hanks, Lisa has created a new show, BULLIED TO BEAUTIFUL, which she will perform in her Metropolitan Room debut on Monday, October 26 at 7 pm. Through her delightful voice and self-deprecating humor, Lisa hopes BULLIED TO BEAUTIFUL will be a show that audiences not only will identify with, but that will also send a powerful message that bullying needs to be stopped.

Over the past few years, there's not a concert performer or cabaret singer in the country who has paid greater tribute to pop/rock icon Linda Ronstadt-and to rave reviews--than Los Angeles-based vocalist Robyn Spangler. Once again, Robyn Spangler brings her very personal Linda Ronstadt tribute show to the Metropolitan Room for a one-night only show on Friday, September 25 at 7 pm. Featuring acclaimed Musical Director Jon Weber on piano (and cabaret stars Meg Flather, Barbara Porteus, and Craig Pomranz provided stellar backup vocals), Spangler explores the greatest hits of Ronstadt's songbook, from the award-winning pop songs to the big band tunes, from twangy country to a dash of spicy Mexicali. Robyn's show is a young woman's musical journal revealing how her emotional experiences growing up mirrored those depicted in Ronstadt's songs. This is a highly evocative show accessible and identifiable for audiences of all ages.

Back in January, BroadwayWorld's lead cabaret reviewer Stephen Hanks announced he was giving up critiquing shows to start his own company, Cabaret Life Productions, through which he would publicize, promote, and help book cabaret performers, and also produce cabaret shows. Hanks' first major production out of the box is a monthly series at the Metropolitan Room called New York Cabaret's Greatest Hits, that features talented artists recreating award-winning or highly-praised shows we wish we'd seen--a really good idea. Hanks' series launched Wednesday night with Mark Nadler's award-winning 2003 show Tschaikowsky (And Other Russians). The Metropolitan Room was filled to the gills and abuzz with anticipation, as most of the audience was only familiar with the show's second-hand praise and/or the CD version of Nadler's performance.

Back in 2010, Veteran of seven Broadway shows and cabaret artist Rosemary Loar  performed her critically acclaimed cabaret show Sting, Stang, Stung!, which featured jazzy and emotional interpretations of the pop icon's vast songbook of hits. Now five years later, Loar is back with a new cabaret show based on the Sting songbook. Loar's STING*chronicity offers an unexpected combination of monologues with a stunning variety of arrangements featuring the music of this brilliant contemporary songwriter.

For diehard cabaret fans and lovers of live music, there's nothing like experiencing a classic show once again or seeing an award winning 'blast from the past' for the first time. That's how cabaret show producer and publicist Stephen Hanks felt and so through his new company, Cabaret Life Productions, he's launching a new monthly series at New York's Metropolitan Room (34 West 22nd Street) titled New York Cabaret's Greatest Hits. Hanks wanted the cream of the New York cabaret crop to open the series and tapped veteran cabaret star Mark Nadler, who the New York Times critic Stephen Holden has called 'Mr. Show Business' and 'an immensely talented latter-day Al Jolson.' On August 26 (7-8:30 pm), Nadler will perform his critically acclaimed show Tschaikowsky (And Other Russians), which won a 2003 Bistro Award for 'Raising Standards of Cabaret Performance,' and received MAC and Nightlife Award Nominations for 'Outstanding Performance in a Major Engagement.'