The Roundtable with Robert Bannon

Theater star and Nashville recording artist RACHEL POTTER – best known for appearances on Fox TV’s “The X Factor” and the Broadway musicals The Addams Family and Evita – has signed with the innovative new label Joy Machine Records for her upcoming album Stages. The label will release her album in streaming and digital formats and on CD on Friday, May 16. Stages, produced by David Wise, is a curated collection of reimagined Broadway classics, showcasing Rachel’s roots in musical theater and her passion for reinterpreting these iconic songs with full symphonic arrangements. An exciting full throttle listening experience that feels both classic and contemporary, Stages embraces recent stage musicals whose songs aren’t often hard outside the context of the show.

Three singles from Stages have already been released: “Come What May / The I Love You Song,” a mashup from Moulin Rouge! and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, featuring Omar Cardona and Marty Thomas; “Pulled,” which Rachel sang on Broadway in The Addams Family; and “My Days,” written by Ingrid Michaelson for the Broadway musical The Notebook.˜

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RACHEL POTTER – the acclaimed Broadway star and accomplished Nashville Recording artist – has been recognized by US Weekly as “One to Watch” and praised by The Hollywood Reporter for her “crystalline vocals.” With a successful career in both musical theater and country music, Rachel has showcased her talent on stages of all sizes. 

Rachel’s impressive resume includes her turn as the ever “popular” Glinda understudy on the National Tour of Wicked. Next, she made her Broadway debut as Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family, where she shared the stage with Bebe Neuwirth and Brooke Shields as Morticia. She then went on to originate the role of the Mistress in the Tony Award-nominated revival of Evita, alongside Ricky Martin and Michael Cerveris. Her standout performance on the Original Broadway Cast Recording of the production, singing the poignant song “Another Suitcase in Another Hall,” further solidified her place in the Broadway community.  

Transitioning from Broadway to Nashville, Rachel pursued her passion for country music and achieved success as a Top 12 finalist on season three of Fox TV’s “The X Factor.” Her audition with her version of Queen’s "Somebody to Love" earned international praise, and continues to amass millions of views since the season aired. The song is featured on her solo album, Not So Black and White, which showcases her unique artistry, songwriting, and musical style. Her music videos have been featured on “CMT” and “Entertainment Tonight,” and she has garnered attention from publications such as Billboard, Rolling Stone, and Huff Post.

Rachel has been featured as a guest soloist with many symphony orchestras all over the world, including the Dallas Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Utah Symphony, among many others. She and fellow country artist, Patrick Thomas, have been celebrating the past icons of country music in their pops symphony show, “Country Legends,” for the past 10 years.

Stay connected with Rachel on social media @therachelpotter.

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Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater will present the World Premiere of Parrots at the Pagoda, written and directed by Associate Artistic Director Jorge B. Merced. Parrots at the Pagoda will feature music by Johnny Rodríguez, arrangements by Ricardo Pons and Desmar Guevara, and musical direction by Desmar Guevara. Performances begin May 1, 2025, for a strictly limited run through May 25, 2025, at the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater (304 W 47th St. New York, NY 10036).

We have the star Ruben Flores here to tell us all about it! He is a Broadway Star, a singer, actor, and more and he tells us all!

Parrots at the Pagoda is a drag origins story inspired by the life and times of Johnny Rodríguez (1912-1997), standout vocalist and prolific trios musician, pioneering female impersonator and impresario, owner of legendary El Cotorrito club in Puerto Rico, and brother to the also legendary Tito “El Inolvidable” Rodríguez. Prepare to be transported into his world, rife with vibrant costumes and timeless songs, every element crafted to immerse you in the journey of this queer trailblazer and all-around icon.

The cast of Parrots at the Pagoda will include Fernando Contreras (Bruise & Thorn)as Jongo, Bryan J. Cortés (New York, New York) as Jóngolo/Dance Captain, Samy Figaredo (“The Other Two”) as Júngulu, Rubén Flores (¡Americano!) as Johnny, Khalid Rivera (“Russian Doll”) as Jínguili, Cedric Leiba Jr (Red Sky) as Jungu and Sebastian Treviño (On Your Feet! National Tour) as Tito. Jorge Donoso (At theWedding) will be the on-stage Swing.

The performance schedule for Parrots at the Pagoda is as follows: Thursday-Friday at 7pm; Saturday at 3pm & 8pm; Sunday at 3pm.

Tickets to Parrots at the Pagoda begin at $27 and are available pregonesprtt.org.

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Maze Honoring Frankie Beverly: The Legacy Band, will be making it’s first

We have the lead singer Tony Lindsay here. How did he get the job? How was touring and singing with Santana for 25 years? What can we expect from this group and how will they honor Frankie? We find out!

During Beverly’s final days, band members Carl Wheeler (keyboard and Musical Director), Tony Lindsay (lead singer), Vernon “Ice” Black (lead guitar), Kevin Stancil (bass player), Larry Wims Jr. (drummer), Kevin “FlyGuyByrd” Lloyd (lead and rhythm guitar), Cecil Green (keyboards) and Marlon B. “Wild Bill” Curry (congos) took to the stage for Beverly’s final performances

Tickets for the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival are now available and can be purchased at www.nojazzfest.com. 

For more information about Maze Honoring Frankie Beverly be sure to follow them on social media @mazehonoringfrankiebeverly. 

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Multi Grammy®-nominated vocal powerhouse Ryan Shaw and acclaimed pianist/composer/arranger Ray Angry (The Roots) have teamed up for OFF BROADWAY, a new studio album featuring R&B, soul, as well as jazz, rock, reggae, house and classical-inspired takes on classic Broadway hits.  With material spanning over 70 years, OFF BROADWAY is due out on May 2nd

  Click here to pre-order the album.  

Shaw and Angry will again join forces for a very special New York City album release live performance event at 54 Below on Tuesday, May 6th.  Please click here to purchase tickets.

Ryan Shaw has received widespread critical acclaim over the course of his career with an abundance of accolades.  Of Shaw’s incredible vocal prowess, The Los Angeles Times declared, “Prepare to have your soul rocked…”, while Billboard deemed him “a massive talent with a huge voice.”  The Washington Post avowed, “So big and rangy, that voice.  So churchy and unmistakenly Southern.  So full of fire and conviction, exploding with emotion.”Shaw is a three-time Grammy® nominated artist for his solo projects, Columbia Records’ THIS IS RYAN SHAW, his IN BETWEEN and Dynotone’s REAL LOVE. 

He has shared the world stage with such artists as Van Halen, Bonnie Raitt, John Legend, B.B. King and Jill Scott. His music has been featured on FOX’s So You Think You Can Dance and ABC’s Dancing with The Stars, Grey’s Anatomy, and Lincoln Heights, and the films My Blueberry Nights and Bride Wars and the Sex and the City soundtrack.  

He starred as Judas in the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Olivier Award-winning London production of Jesus Christ Superstar, as the original Stevie Wonder in Motown: The Musical on Broadway, and on London’s West End as the Soul of Michael Jackson in Thriller Live.  He debuted at Radio City Music Hall in the Dream Concert benefit for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. 

Ray Angry is a pianist, producer, composer and arranger who is one of the most in-demand artists today. Classically trained with roots in gospel, Ray’s resume includes work with such diverse superstars as Jeff Beck, Wynton Marsalis, Mark Ronson, Q-Tip, Mick Jagger & Dave Stewart, Dionne Warwick, D’Angelo, Lauryn Hill, Kelis, Christina Aguilera and so many more.  

He is the CEO and Founder of Mister Goldfinger Music Group, which released the album, RAY ANGRY ONE and singles from his Public Domain project. Recent projects include a solo piano album, RAY ANGRY THREE; a trio album with David Murray and Questlove entitled, PLUMB; and an album of his weekly NYC live show, Producer Mondays.Angry’s film and television work includes composing music for Amy Schumer’s Life & Beth Seasons 1 & 2 on Hulu; Seasons 1 - 5 of Inside Amy Schumer on Paramount+; the award-winning short film Aisle 2; Expecting Amy on HBO; the documentary film, Why Is We Americans?; the critically acclaimed award nominated documentary film, Descendant on Netflix; the feature film, The Lockdown; the feature documentary, Out of Breath; Amy Schumer’s comedy special, Emergency Contact on Netflix, and the sports documentary series, Up for Debate on ESPN.

Angry can be seen weekly on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as a member of the house band, The Roots. 

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The 32nd edition of the New York African Film Festival kicks of in New York this May. Film at Lincoln Center (FLC) and African Film Festival, Inc. (AFF) will celebrate the 32nd edition of the New York African Film Festival (NYAFF) from Wednesday, May 7 to Tuesday, May 13.

Over the course of the month of May the festival continues at Maysles Documentary Center in Harlem from May 15 to 18. Moves to Brooklyn Academy of Music under the name Film Africa from May 23 to May 29 during Dance Africa, and closes with a May 31st outdoor screening at St. Nicholas Park in Manhattan.

The documentary Memories of Love Returned by Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine is the Centerpiece Film of this year’s New York African Film Festival. Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine is an American-Ugandan stage and screen actor, playwright, photographer and documentarian known for performances in The Chi, The Lincoln Lawyer, Dead Ringers and will also be seen in the upcoming series Dexter: Resurrection.

Memories of Love Returned will have its New York premiere on Saturday, May 10. The 6:30pm screening at Film at Lincoln Center will be followed by a Q&A with director Ntare. The documentary is an intimate portrait of the transformative power of photography based on Ntare’s chance encounter with Kibaate Aloysius Ssalongo, a photographer whose work spanned from the 1950s to his death in 2006, in Uganda. The chance encounter turned into a 22-year journey documenting and exploring Kibaate’s life and photography and the profound impact it had on Ntare’s life and the lives of the entire community he documented.

Executive produced by Steven Soderbergh, Memories of Love Returned was named best documentary at the Africa International Film Festival and won the Audience Award at the Pan African Film Festival.

For tickets to the May 10 screening and Q&A for Memories of Love Returned, or for more information on the 2025 New York African Film Festival, visit https://africanfilmny.org/ or www.filmlinc.org/

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Paul Iacono, best known as star of G.B.F., Fame, and MTV’s “The Hard Times of RJ Berger,” in the world premiere of The Stritch Is Back: Paul Iacono Sings Elaine Stritch... Sings Elton John on Saturday, May 3 at 9:30 PM. Written and performed by Paul Iacono and directed by Ben Rimalower, the show recreates wildly personal and painfully hilarious moments shared with Elaine from Carnegie Hall to Hollywood, accompanied onstage by music director Drew Wutke, with music consulting and additional arrangements by Peter Saxe.

As mentioned in the 2013 documentary, Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me, the octogenarian diva’s aborted final project was to be a cabaret of Elton John songs. The Stritch Is Back: Paul Iacono Sings Elaine Stritch... Sings Elton John imagines how that might have been, in a brassy evening of excess and exposé. Actor and writer Paul Iacono recreates his misadventures with mentor and muse Elaine Stritch, set to the music and lyrics of Elton John and Bernie Taupin. From an awe-struck child in the world of Broadway to an adult creative navigating the challenges of show business, join Paul for a larger-than-life journey through the highs, lows, and lessons learned from his relationship with his indomitable stage-godmother, Elaine Stritch.

Paul Iacono (Writer / Performer) is thrilled to return to The Green Room 42. A graduate of Manhattan’s Professional Performing Arts High School, Iacono is best known for portraying the title character on MTV’s “The Hard Times of RJ Berger.” Paul was first featured on “The Rosie O’Donnell Show” at age eight, after she discovered his unique talents for impersonating Frank Sinatra and Ethel Merman. Favorite stage credits include Mercury Fur (The New Group), Bridget Everett’s Rock Bottom (Joe’s Pub), Noël Coward’s Sail Away with Elaine Stritch (Carnegie Hall), and John Guare’s Landscape of the Body, with Lili Taylor and Sherie Rene Scott (Signature Theatre). Favorite film credits include MGM’s remake of Fame, Darren Stein’s G.B.F., and Dating My Mother with Kathy Najimy. Iacono's play Prince/Elizabeth premiered at The Teatro LATEA Theater co-starring Sofia Black D’Elia and Peter Vack, The Last Great Dame (loosely inspired by his relationship with Elaine Stritch) at Jane Friedman’s HOWL! Happening Gallery, and High Priest, the Andy Warhol Silver Factory epic, at La MaMa Experiments Play Reading Series. His cabaret “Where’s The F*cking Kid?” premiered at 54 Below, with “Psychedelic Hedonism” following at Joe’s Pub (New York Magazine “Critic’s Pick”), followed by “Psychedelic Playhouse,” and most recently “Paul Iacono, Unfiltered,” both at The Green Room 42.

He was named one of Out 100’s most influential after coming out in Michael Musto’s Village Voice column in 2011. Iacono has six other projects in development, including his downtown cult-favorite, Gotham Rogues: The Unauthorized Batman Parody Musical, which will have its first full presentation this September at Joe’s Pub.

Instagram: @PsychedelicHedonism

The Stritch Is Back: Paul Iacono Sings Elaine Stritch... Sings Elton John will be performed on Saturday, May 3 at 9:30 PM at The Green Room 42 (570 Tenth Avenue at 42nd Street, on the 4th Floor of Yotel). The cover charge ranges from $20-$50. A livestream option is available for $20.

For tickets: TheGreenRoom42.VenueTix.com

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We have a fun one for you today! A Multi-Hyphonate Acting Star Is Here!

Charlie Thurston just appearing as "Man" (aka Macbeth) opposite Whitney White in White's Macbeth In Stride at BAM to great reviews and sold out crowds! Charlie can do Shakespeare, sing, play accordion! What can he not do?

Charlie recently appeared in the Off-Broadway critical hit Liberation at The Roundabout and just received a Lucille Lortel nomination for his work in last season's Here There Are Blueberries (New York Theater Workshop/Tectonic Theater Project).

Charlie is also a playwright and his play Someone Will Remember Us premiered in January at Trinity Rep where he's been a company member for over a decade.He's best known from TV as the WGBH executive "Roland" in both seasons of the Julia Child series Julia on HBO Max.

He's a fascinating dude and plays a mean accordion. Hold tight to hear all about it!

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All The Beauty In The World, a new one-man play written and performed by Patrick Bringley, based on his New York Times Best-Selling memoir, will play the DR2 Theatre (103 E. 15th Street), it was announced today. Directed by Dominic Dromgoole (Artistic Director of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London from 2006 – 2016; Julius Caesar; Romeo and Juliet; Present Laughter),

Patrick Bringley’s All The Beauty In The World is a portrait of one man's life through a time of transition. While looking for somewhere to contemplate his life and heal from his brother’s death, Patrick quits his high-profile journalism career at The New Yorker and seeks refuge in the most beautiful place he can think of: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Through his job as a Museum Guard, Patrick starts his life anew, all while falling under the spell of the place and the people he meets there. As his connection to the art around him grows, so does Patrick, until he gradually emerges... transformed by all the beauty.

The stage adaptation of All the Beauty in the World was first produced as a special presentation at the 2024 Charleston Literary Festival, Charleston, South Carolina. All The Beauty In The World features scenic design by Dominic Dromgoole,  lighting design by Abigail Hoke-Brady (A Guide for the Homesick; The Last Supper), projection design by Austin Switser, (Paradise Interrupted; Emilie), and sound design by Caleb Garner (The 39 Steps; Cabaret).“As a museum guard, I stood quietly in corners and never dreamed I would take center stage,” said Patrick Bringley. “I'm touched by the public's embrace of my memoir — a story about art, an extraordinary workplace, and the fellowship I discovered in the wake of a loss. Performing it as a one-man play is fitting, given a guard’s solitary role. But what excites me most is getting to share moments of epiphany with an audience. After all, a theater, no less than a gallery, is a place for art.

All The Beauty In The World plays DR2 Theatre (103 E. 15th Street). Performances are Tuesday at 7PM, Wednesday at 2PM and 7PM, Thursday at 7PM, Friday at 8PM, Saturday at 2PM and 8PM, and Sunday at 3PM.

Tickets begin at $45.00 and are available at: 

www.AlltheBeautyintheWorldPlay.com.

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Zihe Tian & Shall See Theater Present 

七月半遗愿清单 Of Ashes And Souls

 A World Premiere Play by Zijun (Neil) Wang and Zihe Tian

 Directed by Zijun (Neil) Wang

April 25-27, 2025 (4 performances)

Friday & Saturday at 8pm; Saturday & Sunday at 2pm

The Flea Theater – The Sam

20 Thomas Street

New York, NY 10007

 General Admission Tickets are $32.00 (plus $2.25 booking fee) 

For tickets, visit:

https://www.tickettailor.com/events/ofashesandsouls/1649190

Zihe Tian and Shall See Theater Company present Of Ashes and Souls, a world premiere play by Zijun (Neil) Wang and Zihe Tian reflecting on the contemporary crisis of truth in the digital age in the Gen Z influencer era. The comedic horror story is told entirely in Mandarin with English supertitles using the framework of a traditional Chinese Zhongyuan “Hungry Ghost” Festival. Wang directs a cast of nine, including Junhong (Andrew) Fei, John Jiang, Fiona Wang, QQ Xing, Kejun Zhou, Destiny Gong, Luna Peng, Zicheng Elain Zhang, and Peter Xiao. Four performances will be staged Off Broadway at The Sam at The Flea Theater, 20 Thomas Street in NYC from April 25-27, 2025.

Nine bodies. One haunted house. No escape. On the midnight of the Chinese Ghost Festival, nine influencers step into an infamous haunted house on East Mountain Island, hoping to exploit its bloody past for views. But when the clock strikes twelve, the signal cuts out, gas leaks, tapes rewind, and bodies collapse—only for their memory to reset, trapping them in an endless cycle of horror. A cursed calendar. A sunken boat. A missing gun. The spirits are waking, whispering of unfinished wills, and someone who never left. As the full moon fades, they have one last chance. Can they catch the echoes of the ashes and souls before everything is lost?

“I write and direct Of Ashes and Souls because I was haunted. Not by ghosts, but by how easily we now accept fiction as fact, especially when it’s sensational or dark,” said Wang. “In a world flooded with viral narratives and algorithm-fed fears, I wanted to explore what it means to tell a story that resists cynicism. I believe today's theater-goers, especially younger audiences, are hungry for something that confronts the chaos of our media-saturated lives, but also dares to end with sincerity, with grace, and with hope.”

Performances for Of Ashes of Souls are Friday at 8:00 p.m., Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.; and Sunday at 2:00 p.m.

General admission tickets are $32.00 (plus a $2.25 booking fee). For tickets, visit https://www.tickettailor.com/events/ofashesandsouls/1649190.

The runtime is 90 minutes with no intermission.

“In many East Asian traditions, ghosts aren’t just meant to scare—they return because they’re grieving, unfinished, or still human in some way,” shared producer, co-writer and dramaturg Zihe Tian. “I am interested in that tension: how something can be funny, frightening, and deeply moving all at once. Of Ashes and Souls lives in that space between comedy and horror, young and traditional, between performance and ritual. It weaves modern absurdity—like internet fame and clickbait ethics—into the quiet persistence of ancestral stories. I hope audiences walk away not only unsettled, but strangely comforted.”

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We love an accordian! My mom plays accordian! We love a Music Director! So we have the perfect guest! Nathan Koci is here!

Combining Jewish spiritual and Klezmer music with post-minimalism classical, jazz, and tinges of American folk, clarinetist Sam Sadigursky and accordionist/multi-instrumentalist Nathan Koci have set the release of the next two volumes of The Solomon Diaries (Adhyaropa Records), a quintet of evocative albums reflecting on the Borscht Belt region—the primary Jewish resort community that helped shape 20th-century American culture—and also exploring contemporary immigrant and Jewish experiences. The albums will be released on April 11th.

Both a compelling musical remembrance of a bygone era and a look to the future, The Solomon Diaries: Vol. IV & V combines the Sadigursky-Koci Duo with notable multi-genre guest artists: pianist Timo Andres (Tony Award nominee for Illinoise), mandolinist Joe Brent (founder of Adhyraropa Records), kaval/alto saxophonist Matt Darriau (The Klezmatics), pianist Danny Fox (Nefesh Mountain), and violinist Meg Okura (Pan Asian Chamber Jazz Ensemble).
 
Developed during their 2022-23 monthly residency at Barbés in Brooklyn, New York, the 21 original songs comprising Vol. IV & V, penned by both Sadigursky and Koci, are often more joyful follow-ups to the debut Vol. I-III set (Adhyaropa Records, 2022). Many of the songs are dedicated to prominent figures in their respective musical and personal lives, including Sadigursky's late father Isaac (a prominent clarinetist and accordionist himself), accordion legend Guy Klucevsek (Koci's mentor and teacher), violist/composer Ljova, clarinet/mandolin legend Andy Statman, and others.

The album is out! You have to listen! It is perfection!

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