Richard Skipper Celebrates

For Video Edition, Please Click Here and Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9FLqo7TGZ4&t=22s

CHARLES BUSCH has forged a unique place in the world of entertainment as playwright, actor, director, novelist, cabaret performer and drag icon. He is the author and star of over twenty-five plays including The Divine Sister, The Lady in Question, Red Scare on Sunset, The Tribute Artist, The Confession of Lily Dare and Vampire Lesbians of Sodom; one of the longest running plays in the history of Off-Broadway. His play The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife ran for 777 performances on Broadway, won the Outer Circle Critics’ John L. Gassner Award for playwriting, received a Tony nomination for Best Play and is the longest running Broadway comedy of the past twenty-five years. He wrote and starred in the film versions of his plays, Psycho Beach Party and Die Mommie Die, the latter of which won him the Best Performance Award at the Sundance Film Festival. For two seasons, he appeared as Nat Ginzburg on the HBO series OZ and is the author of the auto-biographical novel Whores of Lost Atlantis. He has directed two films; the Showtime short subject, Personal Assistant, and a feature, A Very Serious Person, which won an honorable mention at the Tribeca Film Festival. Due to his love and knowledge of film and theatre history, he has appeared as a guest programmer and in numerous documentaries for Turner Classic Movies, and has lectured and conducted master classes at many colleges and universities including NYU, Harvard, UCLA and Amherst College. In 2003, Mr. Busch received a special Drama Desk Award for career achievement. His first CD, Charles Busch Live at Feinstein’s 54 Below, was released by Broadway Records. LEADING LADY A Memoir of a Most Unusual Boy By Charles Busch Release Date: August 29, 2023. Available for Pre-Order

For Video Edition, Please Click and Subscribe Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFoNC7f35sg&t=15s

Those who experience, not the arts, but nature, may have a similar response, and also those who experience another human being. Do we not know the feeling that overtakes us when we are in the presence of a particular person and, roughly translates as, The fact that this person exists in the world at all, this alone makes this world, and a life in it, meaningful. -Viktor Frankl (March 26, 1905–September 2, 1997)

What is the Pink Moon? As the first full moon of the astrological year (remember, Aries season kicks off the zodiac), the Pink Moon reflects the the beauty of the spring bloom it illuminates. In Christianity, the Pink Moon is often known as the Paschal Moon, as it is this year, where it marks the first full moon after the spring equinox. This is important, as the Paschal Moon is used to set the date for Easter. In Judaism, the Pink Moon is identified as the Passover Moon. Please join Erron Gralore, Kassira McKee, and myself as we help you set the tone for the next month!

For Video Edition, Please Click and Subscribe Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XN5jBq8cOEg&t=30s

Robert Viagas is an author, editor, journalist, teacher, critic, librettist and project manager with more than twenty years' experience working on Broadway, most of it with Playbill Inc. and the Tony Awards. When you sit down at a play, movie, or concert—or even just watch TV or scroll on your phone—you are taking part in one of the oldest and most meaningful forms of behavior. Being part of an audience is a universal experience, one that has remained a constant feature of human societies even as it has evolved from colosseums to tiny glowing screens. Right This Way is a pop history of audiences through the ages. Delving into the distinctive aspects of what he calls “audiencing,” Playbill editor Robert Viagas renders the view from the cheap seats in energetic prose. He walks us through the different types of audiences and the history of their changing behaviors, what science has to say about how our brains respond to what we experience, how technology will continue to shape audiences, and why, during COVID-19, people risked a deadly virus to be part of a crowd. Drawing on perspectives from critics, performers, scholars, and many others, Right This Way is a lively, thought-provoking meditation on the audience experience. You’ll never sit and watch something the same way again. Hamlet calls death that undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveler returns. But he's wrong. Some do return. Each night after the applause dies, the curtain falls, the audience vanishes, the cleaners dust, and the lights are killed, great theatres become dark and silent places.

For the Video Edition, Please Click and Subscribe Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdbmZbsyrq0

Johnny Ray Miller, a native of Canton, Ohio, has been an aficionado of The Partridge Family television program and their recorded music from the show’s beginnings. Miller is a concert and theatre producer, actor, and director. He has produced and directed live theatre for more than 25 years, and has presented live concert performances by David Cassidy, Davy Jones and many others. Miller also has experience in the film/TV industry as well, having worked on Desperate Housewives, Rules of Engagement, King of Queens, CSI: New York, E.R., Cold Case, Without a Trace, The O.C. and others. When We’re Singin’ is Miller’s first book. About The Book Before there was music, there was a family. Then the family made music, or seemingly so. Before we heard the music, we met the family. Or was it the other way around? This is where our story begins. When We’re Singin’ The Story of The Partridge Family and Their Music answers those question and more, in a detailed and revealing biography. This landmark television series launched the careers of David Cassidy, Susan Dey, Danny Bonaduce, Brian Forster and Suzanne Crough while capitalizing on the star power of Acadamy Award winning actress Shirley Jones and comedic talent Dave Madden. Wrecking Crew - LA Studio Musicians The music from the TV show (loosely based on The Cowsills) also stood on its own, thanks to the talents of the greatest singers, musicians and musical arrangers that ever walked the streets of Hollywood. John Bahler, Tom Bahler, (formerly The Love Generation), with Jackie Ward and Ron Hicklin were the real background voices.

For Video Edition, Please Click and Subscribe Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtRo8qQXMlY

John O'Neil talks about Josephine's at Club Cafe in Boston. John O'Neil, one of New England's finest cabaret actors (Niagara Falls Gazette), has also been recognized by the Boston Globe as one of New England's best-known cabaret artists. Regularly appearing at popular nightclubs and cabarets across the country, an evening with John O'Neil equally charms the lover of the soulful cocktail pianist and the fan of the art of cabaret. Composer Ernie Lijoi says, "Listening to John O'Neil ... I was knocked over. It changed my way of writing. After that, I wrote thinking how my music would sound in performance." John's show, 'So Kaye: The Songs of Danny Kaye was nominated for a 2000 IRNE AWARD (Independent Reviewers of New England). His show Camp Songs was named one of the year's 10 best cabarets by Bay Windows newspaper in 2000. John made his New York debut at Danny's Skylight Room in Being Earnest: The Songs of Ernie Lijoi, also named one of Boston's best cabaret shows in 2001.

Nationally acclaimed Screen Actors Guild actor, and female celebrity impersonator, Joe Posa, draws from nearly 30 years of performances on the International Stage, TV, Motion Pictures, Cabaret, and Nightclub performances in bringing his talents to the stage in his latest production of “Back & BITTER Than Ever”, a tribute the late great comic legend Joan Rivers.   Dr. Judi Bloom helps individuals and couples change their habits, patterns, and perspective in order to lead a more satisfying life.

For Video Edition, Please Click and Subscribe Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv8RJXxTfL0

'll be joined by Barbara Bleier, AJ Hunsucker, Therese Lee...and a few more surprises!

Critically acclaimed Actor/Singer/Writer, Barbara Bleier, returns to the stage, in a new show which brings you tales and tunes from across many decades of her life, and many different experiences. From the days of singing in coffee shops across the east coast, to being a young pianist performing at Carnegie Hall. From having 5 of her plays “put up” on various stages such Abingdon Theatre and NY’s popular HB Studios. Song selections will include material by songwriters, Michele Brourman and Amanda McBroom, John Bucchino, Richard Maltby, Jr. & David Shire and the late Murray Grand. Quotes on Barbara: A consummate actor, but she also brings heart & passion to her lyrics. Bleier soars in a highly personal song about “Carnegie Hall” featuring the unique collaboration of John Bucchino & Michael Feinstein." Bart Greenberg, NiteLifeExchange, NY.  For Additional information, please visit the websites: www.pangeanyc.com www.barbarableier.com

Therese Lee, a California native and resident of Los Angeles, introduced herself with “If You Knew My Story” (S. Martin, E. Brickell) and between verses, told us how this saga began—exhausted from her work cleaning apartments, she crashed her car, thus robbing her of an Angeleno’s most valuable possession. A singer, actress and self-confessed movie nerd, she ended up working as a reporter for Reel Hollywood, a small entertainment outlet. And yes, she literally rode the bus to her red carpet gigs. This change in fortune, however, inspired this delightful and often moving evening of songs and stories.

For Video Edition, Please Click and Subscribe Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mVPPLzo9wc&t=34s

Are you curious to learn the secrets of cabaret success? In this episode, we will discuss how to create a successful cabaret show, from the planning stages all the way through to performance. 

Amanda King: With the sound and soul of a classic chanteuse, it's no surprise that Amanda King showcases a catalog of music gems from the 1930s, 40s, and 50s embodying many of the figures who make up the vivid tapestry that is American Popular Music and Jazz. Possessing a smoothness of voice and surety of style, she has been hailed by New York Times critic Stephen Holden as one of the nightclub world’s “exceptional rising talents.” Catch her LIVE as part of Capital Cabaret in Washington DC March 23

Karen Mason has starred on Broadway, Off-Broadway, television, and recording: and “has few peers when it comes to ripping the roof off with her amazing voice that knows no bounds!” (TheatreScene.net) Karen is a 13-time MAC Award winner, has won the MAC Award for Major Female Vocalist of the Year for six consecutive years, and recently was the recipient of the 2019 MAC Lifetime Achievement Award. Karen Mason brings back her critically acclaimed tribute to Kander & Ebb to Birdland Monday March 20th

Daryl Sherman: One of the top swing singers to emerge during the past 30 years, Daryl Sherman has a light high voice that is influenced by Mildred Bailey and also by Ella Fitzgerald, Sylvia Syms, Billie Holiday, Blossom Dearie, and Barbara Carroll. Honored this year with a special Bistro award for Enduring Artistry! Perhaps her most renowned gig was a 14-year run at Manhattan's Waldorf-Astoria, where she played Cole Porter's Steinway.

For Video Edition, Please Click and Subscribe Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oTCCKhVfMM&t=18s

Until recently, The New York Times covered cabaret on a regular basis. It was an important part of their cultural coverage. I am celebrating with some of my favorite cabaret artists! Margo Brown is joining us! Vocalist Margo Brown will celebrate the release of her romantic debut recording, Forever Me with Love, with two live shows in May at Don’t Tell Mama in Manhattan. Margo Brown is the 2022 Broadway World Winner for Best Duo Show, You’re Nothing Without Me, with Lisa Dellarossa, and a 2018 Broadway World Winner (Best Debut Show) for Margo Sings Mercer. Miss Brown will be accompanied by Music Director Jon Weber on piano and Steve Doyle on Bass. The show is directed by Tanya Moberly. Show dates are May 9th and 10th at 7PM at the legendary theater district cabaret, Don’t Tell Mama, which is a CASH ONLY ROOM. There is a music charge of $20 per person and $20 per person minimum (must include two drinks). There is a light food menu available. Reservations should be secured in advance at the following link: tinyurl.com/tbkm53fm Forever Me with Love is a collection of love songs from the Great American Songbook, including works by The Bergmans, The Gershwins, Jerome Kern and more. There are twelve tracks expertly arranged by Phil Hinton and recorded at Phil Hinton Studios in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. The recording is available now on Amazon, iTunes and all streaming platforms as well as directly from Margo Brown at www.margobrownentertainment.com

For Video Edition, Please Click and Subscribe Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eE5Et5C1nOQ&t=13s

“Just Because Your Light Flickers Does Not Mean It’s About To Go Out.” – Yohancé Salimu

Laurie Hope Beechman was an actress and singer, known for her work in Broadway musicals. She also had a career as a cabaret performer and recording artist. After her passing, the West Bank Cafe Downstairs Theater Bar in New York was renamed the Laurie Beechman Theatre. She passed on 24 years ago today.

Today, we will celebrate LISTEN TO HER HEART: The Life and Music Of Laurie Beechman.

Director: Gaylen Ross; Executive Producer: Neil Mazzella; Narrator: Rosie O'Donnell; Writer: Jesse Green;

A Tony and Drama Desk nominee, Laurie was the incomparable performer with a once in a lifetime voice that hit the rafters in such celebrated musicals as Annie, Joseph and the Amazing Color Dreamcoat, Cats, and Les Miserables. Andrew Lloyd Webber praised her “not just for her extraordinary voice, but also her remarkable contribution to musical theatre” and the New York Times hailed her as “the best young emotive belter in the dramatic tradition of Judy Garland and Barbara Streisand.” At the height of her career Laurie was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1989, the year that comedian Gilda Radner died of the same disease. Laurie faced not only a life-threatening illness, but also the prospect of never working again on the stage. Instead Laurie lived and performed with cancer for nine years. “My middle name is Hope,” Laurie said. “My mother named me well.” Winner, Creative Excellence, U.S. International Film and Video Festival Cine Gold Eagle

For Video Edition, Please Click and Subscribe Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YjHUFmPh-k&t=69s

2020, 2018 and 2017 BEST VOCAL DUO/GROUP - MANHATTAN ASSOC. OF CABARETS & CLUBS (MAC) and 2020 BROADWAY WORLD CABARET AWARD FOR BEST GROUP SHOW! Those Girls is a vocal harmony project that promises a great time filled with great music! Eve, Rachel, Karen & Wendy joined forces in 2016 to form this contemporary, four-member women’s vocal group that performs an eclectic mix of music from a wide range of styles - from pop to jazz, the Beatles to U2, country to rock, and everything in between. 

EVE EATON Eve made a return to cabaret after a nine year hiatus with 2015’s Back to Billy: A Love Affair 30 Years in the Making, for which she was nominated for a Broadway World Award in the Best Show, Female category (directed by Lennie Watts, musical direction by Steven Ray Watkins). 

RACHEL HANSER Rachel has performed in cabaret rooms, bars and clubs all over NYC, as a featured performer and as a back-up singer. Rachel’s first featured cabaret show was called 5’3” and Under, in which she played “Under”. 

KAREN MACK Karen is a ten-time MAC Award winner for vocal performance and songwriting, as well as for her vocal harmony work for 12+ years with talented singer/songwriter Michael Holland as half of the pro vocal duo that brought the acclaimed & ridiculous retropop series “Gashole!” to the world. 

WENDY RUSSELL A native New Yorker, Wendy has performed as a jazz & cabaret vocalist at clubs in and around NYC including the Allen Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Hudson Theater, Don’t Tell Mama, The Duplex, and The Metropolitan Room. Working with Lennie Watts (director) and Steven Ray Watkins (piano).