Monday, October 19, 2009

A: Is for art brought by Scott Siegel

The Town Hall, Broadway's landmark concert venue, presented the fifth annual Broadway Cabaret Festival, October 16th- 18th. This three-concert series, created, written an hosted by Scott Siegel, took place over one weekend and included A Tribute to David Merrick, staring Corbin Bleu of High School Musical, on Friday October 16th at 8pm, All of Me staring Linda Eder on Saturday October 17th at 8pm and Broadway Originals on Sunday October 18th at 3pm.

On Sunday, October 18th at 3pm, Broadway Originals highlighted Michael Rupert, Stephen Bogardus, Barbara Walsh, Chip Zien and Jonathan Kaplan - the five original Broadway stars of William Finn's Falsettos - in a special tribute to that famous show. Stephanie J. Block (9 to 5, Wicked), Tony nominee Celia Keenan-Bolger (Les Miserables, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) and Manu Narayan (Bombay Dreams) also joined previously announced stars Julia Murney (Wicked, Lennon), Kerry O'Malley (Irving Berlin's White Christmas, Into the Woods) and Sharon McNight (Tony nominee for Starmites) for an afternoon of performances of the songs that they made famous on the Broadway stage. A must-see for any Broadway aficionado, the program featured favorites by Stephen Sondheim, Stephen Schwartz, Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg and more of the theater's greatest songwriters.

Scott Siegel has created for The Town Hall, three acclaimed and popular series: Broadway By The Year®, now in its tenth season, the Broadway Cabaret Festival and the Summer Broadway Festival. Mr. Siegel also conceived and produces both Broadway Unplugged and The Nightlife Awards at The Town Hall. Scott and his wife, Barbara, are authors (47 books, including The Encyclopedia of Hollywood) and critics ("The Siegel Column" and "The Two of Clubs" on TalkinBroadway.com).

Built in 1921 by a group of suffragettes, The Town Hall began as a lecture hall and public forum for debates. Over the decades, Eleanor Roosevelt, Margaret Sanger, Billie Holiday, Igor Stravinsky, Bob Dylan and Miles Davis have graced the stage. Today the hall flourishes as a popular, affordable venue, boasting the hottest acts in rock, pop, folk, cabaret, world music, comedy and dance, including Billy Joel, Blondie, Elvis Costello, Natalie Merchant, Graham Nash, Liza Minnelli, Cyndi Lauper, Norah Jones, Andre Watts, Henry Rollins, Joe Jackson, Pink Martini, Regina Spector, Brian Adams, Aimee Mann and Dawn Upshaw. For over a decade, The Town Hall has hosted live broadcasts of Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion. Over the past two-and-a-half decades, The Town Hall has produced a number of new and critically acclaimed musical series, which include The Century of Change, Not Just Jazz, Broadway by the Year® and The Broadway Cabaret Festival. Lawrence Zucker is the Artistic and Executive Director.

The 5th Annual Broadway Cabaret Festival ran October 16th - 18th at The Town Hall, 123 West 43rd Street.

Next up: Broadway un-plugged and it's not to late to get your ticket and that is a F.A.C.T.

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