200 stories by "Andrew Poretz"
By Andrew Poretz … Remember those 60's shows like Hullabaloo! and Shindig! that had exclamation marks as part of their titles? Well, Jo Brisbane does! This Kansas City writer and p…
By Andrew Poretz … Nicolas King and Seth Sikes performed their new show, The New Belters, before a sold-out crowd at The Green Room 42 on October 29. They described this first show as …
By Andrew Poretz … One could visit a galaxy far, far away in search of the finest "Pops" orchestra in the universe. As it happens, a subway ride to Carnegie Hall is a better bet. T…
By Andrew Poretz … Shana Farr, a winner of several major musical theater and cabaret awards, is an accomplished actress and singer with a gorgeous, classically trained voice and the statur…
By Andrew Poretz … While the New York theater world discusses who is the best Fanny Brice on Broadway, Naomi Miller might be as close to the real thing as you'll find in 2022, though more …
By Andrew Poretz … We started and ended our week with Billy Stritch, first with his Mel and Ella show with Gabrielle Stravelli on Monday (reviewed here), and capped off the week with his C…
By Andrew Poretz … Mel Tormé and Ella Fitzgerald were two of the greatest jazz singers of the twentieth century, masters of singing and performance whose legacy continues long after their…
"The Shadow of Her Smile" By Andrew Poretz . . . Imagine spending much of your young life constantly being told, "You look just like Elizabeth Taylor… in National Velvet!" The endless comp…
By Andrew Poretz . . . The legendary cabaret chanteuse Karen Akers reprised her acclaimed Water Under the Bridge show to a near-capacity crowd at Birdland Jazz on September 12th. The Tony-no…
By Andrew Poretz … Actress and singer Donna Vivino is a successful performer since early childhood, and most notably played Elphaba in Wicked. At 54 Below, Donna performed with her sis…
Charles Mingus Centennial by Andrew Poretz . . . Hot jazz on a sultry Friday night in August. That's what patrons of Chelsea Table + Stage received from Mingus Dynasty. There are a handf…
By Andrew Poretz. . . The Quintin Harris Quartet made their first appearance at Chelsea Table + Stage with a fine debut set. The Quartet was actually a trio. He was backed by Sam AuBuchon on…
Mostly Soul: Beloved Hits from Motown to Broadway . . . By Andrew Poretz … John Lloyd Young is a dynamic entertainer and actor. The Tony and Grammy winner is also a multi-Platinum reco…
By Andrew Poretz … Julie Benko is having one hell of a year. It would be fair to say that this is "The Year of the Benko." Prior to 2022, you likely did not know the name of this e…
By Andrew Poretz … Jacob Khalil and his trio returned to Birdland Theater on August 14th for two sets. After a strong showing in The Lineup with Susie Mosher earlier that week, it was …
By Andrew Poretz … Ah, the Jazz Age of the Roaring Twenties, that romanticized, Great Gatsby era of music and mayhem, the days of hot jazz, ladies in flapper outfits and well-dressed men, …
By Andrew Poretz . . . Mary Stallings, a world-renowned jazz vocalist who has sung professionally since her teens in the late 1950s, returned to Smoke for a four-night stand to continue the …
One Last Time (For Now) By Andrew Poretz … In a bittersweet night at 54 Below, the popular and insanely talented Drew Gasparini, a singer-songwriter, played his "last" concert at the club …
By Andrew Poretz … Actor and singer T. Oliver Reid has a long history on Broadway having played some dozens of roles in some 13 shows, often as an understudy or "swing" performer. He c…
By Andrew Poretz … When two irresistible forces meet, the inevitable result is combustion. At 54 Below on Monday night, combustion occurred when Mauricio MartÃnez, a star of Telemun…
By Andrew Poretz … Joe Iconis is a prodigious songwriter and playwright primarily known for his successful, campy musical plays, notably Be More Chill, and funny, if not silly, story-based…
Special Anniversary Edition Birdland Jazz Club By Andrew Poretz … Birdland is not only home to some of the greatest jazz performers. The venue also hosts Jim Caruso's Cast Party every …
Bewitched:Â The Life and Lyrics of Lorenz Hart . . . By Andrew Poretz… Karen Oberlin, a longtime fixture on the New York cabaret scene and an award-winning performer, presented a one-of…
The name Ari in Hebrew means "lion." After seeing this encore performance of Ari's Arias, the definition ought to be "love""for Ari Axelrod is love personified. Love radiates from his voice,…
By Andrew Poretz . . . The Bill Charlap Trio presented conductor, composer, pianist and music educator Leonard Bernstein's theater songs at the wonderful, nonprofit New Jersey Performing Art…
