Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Info & our opening night program - I Never Miss A Larry Kramer Musical...



From Hi Drama theater review outlet - this was our first review from this run:
Hi! Drama     https://www.facebook.com/hidramas?ref=stream 

EVA HEINEMANN REVIEWS
I NEVER MISS A LARRY KRAMER MUSICAL: a PARODY CHAT WITH BETTE MIDLER
Written by Fred Landau
Director/Dramaturg: Michael Kirk Lane
Music Director : Clare Cooper


Fred Landau is a latter day Alan Sherman. He takes familiar music and adds his own biting wit to the re-conceived lyrics.

If you are unfamiliar with him you can find his Parodies on You Tube or his book 21st Century Oldies (Parody Lyrics from A to B) Volume One.

In this case he takes on Bette Midler played with brassy charm by Jennifer Pace who anxiously awaits with Jo (Clare Cooper on the piano) for the Tony Nominations where she ends up being blatantly snubbed.

The songs to tell of her woe are "The Boogie Woogie Broad Whose name begins with a B" How well her show is doing despite not being a musical in "The Gross" (The Rose) and the Wind Beneath My Wings becomes an anthem of disgust as "They make the blood boil beneath my skin."

Other songs utilized were "From a Distance and "Quarter to Three" among others and you will just have to see this fun silly delightful over too soon show.

The only thing I didn't get was the title because Larry Kramer has nothing to do with this as far as I can tell.

Jennifer Pace is a consummate performer and can really belt out those songs.

Performances:

at Roy Arias Studios: Stage II
300 West 43rd Street, 4th Floor
 




I NEVER MISS A LARRY KRAMER MUSICAL:
A Parody Chat with “Bette Midler"

Bette --------------Jennifer Pace
 Jo ------------------Clare Cooper

Written by Fred Landau
Director/Dramaturg: Michael Kirk Lane
Musical director Clare Cooper
                                                       Stage manager Terry Prideaux



JENNIFER PACE  is an actress and singer who has performed in numerous venues.   She can be found in cabaret/piano bar scene weekly and recently appeared as  Pattie in Smokey Joe's Cafe and as Vickie in The Full Monty, as well as performing in Mexico at the Hard Rock  Resort. Bistro award winner for piano bar entertainer and received multiple MAC nominations for cabaret shows and piano bar entertainer. She can be seen at Brandy's every Monday and Wednesday. A graduate of NYU's Experimental Theatre Wing, Ms. Pace comes from a family of professional musicians - clarinet great Sal Pace, and she has two albums of standards  recorded with her father, Gary Pace. Having performed all over this land in clubs, piano bars and theaters, Jennifer is currently working on a Beatles and a Billy Joel show as well as a new cd of the American Songbook.  Stay tuned.
http://brandyspianobar.com/Performers/jennifer_pace.html

CLARE COOPER is a singer/songwriter/keyboardist from New York City who
performs as a solo artist, band member and musical director. A graduate
of Berklee College of Music, she has won songwriting awards including
the Songwriter's Guild of America President's Award and the Abe Olman
Scholarship, and has performed in songwriter events for BMI, NARAS and
the Songwriter's Guild of America.  She can be seen regularly at the
Rodeo Bar with Miss Babs & The Kickin' Boogie Band, and behind the
piano at Don't Tell Mama.  In addition to two CDs of original material
("Northern Drive" and "Valentine"), she is the composer of musical
comedy "How To Marry A Divorced Man."  Clare has been musical director
for "Tony 'n' Tina's Wedding," "Sometimes Over The Summer," "Hot
Flashes," "Jaws! The Musical" and assistant musical director for
"Memphis."  TV appearances include "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" and
AMC’s “Into Character.”
http://clarecooper.com/Welcome.html






MICHAEL KIRK LANE Michael Kirk Lane is thrilled to be working with his dear friends Jennifer and Clare on this fun project. He  has worked extensively in the teaching artist realm with such companies as Wingspan Arts, Rosie's Theatre Kids and Theatre Development Fund ; as well as the nationally recognized Flint Youth Theatre.  He is a two time Manhattan Association of Cabaret Award nominee, in 2013 for  Piano Bar Singing Entertainer and  in 2011 as producer and host of the critically acclaimed open mic The Show Tune Room. Lane is Associate Producer for No Strings USA, a not-for-profit producer of educational and informational puppet films for children in the developing world. Recent NYC performing credits include readings  of Apathy: the Gen-X Musical, How To Marry a Divorced Man, Hell's Belles, The Red Spot Rebellion  and The Legend of Sunshine.  Favorite credits include: Puppeteer, The Plant that Ate Dirty Socks; Huck, Big River; Jimmy, Millie; Horton, Seussical, and Simon Stimson, Our Town. Lane holds a BA from Siena Heights University.
www.michaelkirklane.com


FRED LANDAU's work from the musical ACROSS STATE LINES got him a Finalist slot in the 2010 Fred Ebb Award competition for theater writing. He wrote book for THE LAST STARFIGHTER (songs by Skip Kennon, debuted at Storm Theatre; NYMF); also book/score for THE HAPPIEST OF TIMES (Triangle Theater, workshops BMI, ASCAP, Circle Rep). He was a speaker at Seattle’s Village Theatre on the Movies to Musicals trend.  His YouTube parody work was excerpted on Jeanne Moos reports on CNN (American Morning, AC360, Situation Room).  Fred graduated from Harvard Law School & has a masters from NYU Law School. Current musical projects include VIVA MAX!, co-author of a musical (with collaborators Julie Miller and Skip Kennon) based on Jim Lehrer's novel, about a Mexican General re-taking the Alamo in the politically charged 1960’s; and THEATER CHATTER, an irreverent musical kidding the Riedel-Haskins Theater Talk series.  His book “21st century Oldies” is available on Amazon, and actually hit the overall Amazon top 100 for humor-parody twice in fall 2013.  His tribute to the new Sondheim Theatre (“Losing My Sign”) was included in the NYU Patell and Waterman History of New York course materials.  Economics Prof. David Albrecht, who reports on economics in pop culture, named Fred’s AIG spoofs #2 and #9 in the professor’s Top Ten Bailout Parodies rundown.


TERRY PRIDEAUX (Stage Manager) is excited to be working with the talented 
cast & crew of I Never Miss a Larry Kramer Musical (A Parody Chat with Bette Midler)
Terry’s recent credits include: John Chattertons Short Play Lab, Mid Winter Madness 
2013, Honestly Abe, Testo Genius, Dante the Motion Picture, The Ninth Circus of Hell, 
Turtle Love Song, Naseah’s Street, The Party Continued, The Giving Spirit, Avoid 
Direct Sunlight, and Iphigenia in Tauris. Terry has toured nationally with Disney, 
& Ringling Brothers & Barnum & Bailey Circus. He is a graduate of The Art Institutes 
of Seattle & NYC with an Associates Degree in Visual Communications (2001) and 
Web Design (2009). He is also a published photographer.