All stories by Rob Lester on BroadwayStars

Saturday, July 25, 2026

Cabaret Review: ETHAN MATHIAS: WAIT ‘TIL YOU SEE WHAT’S NEXT (The Green Room 42 / NYC) by Rob Lester

WAIT ‘TIL YOU HEAR HIM A gifted young singer proves he’s more than a novelty act When singers do their shows in New York City’s cabaret rooms, their audiences often include plenty of f…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 07:55AM[SHARE]
Saturday, July 11, 2026

Music Review: IF I AIN’T GOT YOU: THE BEST OF R&B (The New York Pops / New York City) by Rob Lester

LOVE NOTES WITH STRINGS ATTACHED Classic love songs soar in an evening rich with romance and style. Love was in the air at Carnegie Hall as The New York Pops and conductor Steven Reineke mar…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 03:59AM[SHARE]
Friday, July 10, 2026

Theater Review: CRAZY FOR YOU (Goodspeed Opera House / East Haddam, CT) by Rob Lester

NOTHING CRAZY ABOUT LOVING THIS SHOW This joyful revival earns every smile I admit that I am crazy for Crazy For You, and this feel-good production is quite a delight in Connecticut at the G…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 04:30AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, July 7, 2026

Cabaret Review: LAURIE ROLDAN – A SONG FOR YOU: THE MUSIC OF KAREN CARPENTER & FRIENDS! (The Green Room 42 / New York) by Rob Lester

A TRIBUTE WITH HEART Laurie Roldan honors Karen Carpenter with affection, authenticity, and grace. Singer Laurie Roldan could easily be elected president of the Karen Carpenter Appreciation …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 04:00AM[SHARE]
Friday, July 3, 2026

Concert Review: TONY DANZA AND THE STARS OF TOMORROW (The Triad Theatre / New York City) by Rob Lester

THEY’RE GONNA SHINE Young performers take center stage with heart and hope A sold-out fundraiser on Feb. 26 at The Triad offered a fast-moving night of entertainment and an emotionally mov…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 04:47PM[SHARE]

Concert Review: CHANGED FOR GOOD: A CELEBRATION OF STEPHEN SCHWARTZ (The New York Pops / Carnegie Hall) by Rob Lester

NO PLACE LIKE SCHWARTZ A star-studded birthday gala honors one of musical theater’s most enduring songwriters The New York Pops celebrated its 43rd Birthday Gala at Carnegie Hall on April …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 04:33PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, July 1, 2026

Theater Review: MELISSA MANCHESTER: FIFTY THREADS: AN ARTIST’S JOURNEY (54 Below, NY) by Rob Lester

MAN, OH MAN! MANCHESTER IS IN FINE FORM A warm, witty retrospective celebrates fifty years of songs, stories, and an artist still at the top of her game. Regulars at 54 Below may have done a…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:56AM[SHARE]
Thursday, June 25, 2026

Music Preview: ON THE TOWN in Concert (Carnegie Hall / New York City) by Rob Lester

NEW YORK, NEW YORK… AGAIN After the success of Oklahoma!, Carnegie Hall launches a five-year celebration of classic American musicals. After the sold-out success of Oklahoma! earlier this …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 05:48PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, June 17, 2026

Cabaret Review: BACK TO BARBRA (Melissa Errico / 54 Below / New York City) by Rob Lester

A SUAVE, STREISAND- CENTRIC SOIGNÉE SOIRÉE Errico eloquently echoes superstar Streisand with style Musical mega-talents cast long shadows. Any performer who builds a show around their repe…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 08:03PM[SHARE]

Theater Review: WEST SIDE STORY (Paper Mill Playhouse / Millburn, NJ) by Rob Lester

SOMEWHERE, STILL Paper Mill Playhouse proves that a classic doesn’t need fixing The powerful and poignant West Side Story has been retooled, tweaked, and tinkered with in the years since t…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 07:28PM[SHARE]
Thursday, June 11, 2026

Event Coverage: BUBBLING BROWN SUGAR 50TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT (Amas Musical Theatre 58th Anniversary Gala Event) by Rob Lester

BUBBLING OVER WITH NOSTALGIA Amas celebrates a milestone with a joyful reminder of the music that put the company on the map Amas Musical Theatre sure knows how to throw a party. Held in a p…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 11:00PM[SHARE]
Thursday, May 28, 2026

Cabaret Review: 54 SINGS THE SECOND BARBRA STREISAND ALBUM (54 Below / New York) by Rob Lester

SECOND HELPINGS OF STREISAND A talented roster of singers at 54 Below revisit an early Streisand classic with style, affection, and plenty of bonus treats “My new album is called The Secon…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 07:27PM[SHARE]

Music with an "M": Melissa, Meltem, Mark, Mark, Marcus by Rob Lester

Here are some singers of note whose first names happen to start with the letter "M" as in "Music." Ladies first: Melissa Errico and Meltem Ege, then three gentlemen: two West Coasters named …

SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 01:57PM[SHARE]
Saturday, May 23, 2026

Highly Recommended Show: HOT COMBINATION: BRYCE EDWARDS, MIKE DAVIS & BAND (Sunday, June 7 at Birdland) by Rob Lester

OLD SONGS GET NEW LIFE FROM TALENTED YOUNG GUYS WHO ARE OLD SOULS  Zip and zing with musical fizz and sparkle Hooray! They’re back!! Bryce Edwards—the mercurial, merry multi-talented, m…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 10:43PM[SHARE]
Monday, May 18, 2026

Off-Broadway Review: THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD (AMT Theater) by Rob Lester

WHO KILLED EDWIN DROOD? WELL, IT’S UP TO THE AUDIENCE The musical whodunit is done with panache by the reliable J2 Musical Theater Company The unpleasant fact about life is that everybody …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:00AM[SHARE]
Friday, May 8, 2026

Off-Broadway Review: BIKE SHOP: THE MUSICAL (Theater for the New City) by Rob Lester

PUT THIS IN YOUR WHEELHOUSE A show that takes its audience on a ride, and shifts gears from drama to comedy and back The oft-heard practical advice to authors hoping that their stories, nove…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:51AM[SHARE]
Thursday, May 7, 2026

Theater Review: CARNIVAL! (J2 Spotlight Musical Theater Company / AMT Theater, NYC) by Rob Lester

UNDER THE BIG TOP, A SMALL GEM ENDURES A tender revival of a vintage musical finds its strength in sincerity, not spectacle Poignancy, Pep, Pizzazz, and Puppets. If the age of 65 equals beco…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 09:27PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Off-Broadway Review: THREE WOMEN (Frog & Peach Theatre Company at Theater for the New City) by Rob Lester

THREE LOVES, ONE ROAD A gritty, intriguing country-western musical with more implied than explained COMPOSER-LYRICIST/GUITARIST/PROTAGONISTA musician with three younger ladies to romance,two…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 01:49PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, April 21, 2026

Off-Broadway Review: A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM (Theater 2020) by Rob Lester

COMEDY TONIGHT— AND PLENTY OF IT A zippy, low-budget romp that lands big laughs When in ancient Rome,do as the ancient Romans—and moderns—would do:enjoy the kind of humor that never fe…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 07:19AM[SHARE]
Monday, April 20, 2026

Theater Preview: CREATIVE STAGE COLLECTIVE – MUSICAL MAD LIBS! (Symphony Space, NYC) by Rob Lester

MIX, MATCH, AND MAKE IT UP An intergenerational troupe turns audience ideas into live musical theater Here’s a special recipe for success and entertainment. It’s all in the mixing and bl…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 10:16PM[SHARE]
Saturday, April 18, 2026

Off-Broadway Review: MILK AND HONEY (J2 Spotlight Theatre Company at AMT, NYC) by Rob Lester

MIDDLE-AGED PEOPLE IN THE MIDDLE EAST, IN THE MIDDLE OF ADVENTURES Jerry Herman's early musical still charms Through the magic of musical theatre, we're vicariously taking a guided tour thro…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:45AM[SHARE]
Thursday, April 16, 2026

Talkin' Broadway Sound Advice: April Birthdays - 4/16/26 by Rob Lester

Albums from Liz Callaway, Marilyn Maye, Claybourne Elder, Nellie McKay and more.

SOURCE: TalkinBroadway at 03:15PM[SHARE]

Cabaret Review: MARILYN MAYE (54 Below, NY) by Rob Lester

THE QUEEN OF CABARET STILL REIGNS A birthday-month run proves that Marilyn Maye at 98 remains unstoppable Memo to fans of solo singers who've been living in a cave for more than half a centu…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 04:27AM[SHARE]
Sunday, April 12, 2026

Concert Review: STANDARD TIME WITH MICHAEL FEINSTEIN"ON THE TOWN (Carnegie Hall, Zankel Hall) by Rob Lester

THE SONGBOOK LIVES ON Feinstein's Carnegie Hall "On the Town" concert celebrates classic songs and those who wrote and performed them with style, wit, and swing Like a party that keeps going…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:25AM[SHARE]
Sunday, April 5, 2026

Cabaret Review: DONNA McKECHNIE " A MUSICAL MEMOIR (Laurie Beechman Theatre, NYC) by Rob Lester

A LEGEND STILL IN MOTION A radiant, nostalgic evening with a Broadway icon who continues to charm and connect Gracious, graceful, gratifying, glowing, glamorous. Some cabaret shows are every…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 03:51AM[SHARE]
Friday, March 27, 2026

Cabaret Review: JULIE BENKO: EUPHONIC GUMBO (Birdland in NYC and West Coast Tour) by Rob Lester

LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL WITH A TWIST Julie Benko's Mardi Gras"flavored cabaret delights with energy and polish: a tasty Gumbo On a Monday night at Birdland Jazz Club, with a twinkle in her e…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 09:30PM[SHARE]
Thursday, March 19, 2026

Cabaret Review: "THE WIZARD AND I" ALBUM RELEASE CONCERT (Liz Callaway Sings Schwartz [& Sondheim] at 54 Below) by Rob Lester

TWO STEVES WITH LOVE, TWO TRIBUTES, ONE SUPREMELY SATISFYING WEEK From Schwartz to Sondheim, Callaway revisits rich collaborations with warmth, wit, and deeply felt interpretation Once upon …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 12:13PM[SHARE]

Off-Broadway Review: ABOUT TIME (Marjorie R. Dean Little Theater) by Rob Lester

GETTING OLDER NEVER SOUNDED SO GOOD A richly satisfying Maltby and Shire revue finds warmth, wit, and wisdom in growing older Lynne Wintersteller, Sally Wilfert, Allyson Kaye Daniel While it…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:59AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, March 18, 2026

Cabaret Review: LORNA LUFT (In Residence at The Laurie Beechman Theatre) by Rob Lester

LORNA LUFT LETS LOOSE LUSTILY AND WITH LOVE A veteran performer pushes through rough patches with grit, gratitude, and plenty of show-biz heart There's plenty of energy and goodwill going ba…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 05:05PM[SHARE]
Saturday, March 7, 2026

Cabaret Review: BILLY JOEL SONGBOOK (Tony DeSare at Birdland Theater) by Rob Lester

PIANO MAN BY PROXY Tony DeSare salutes Billy Joel with polish, power, and plenty of affection Special thanks go to Billy Joel for changing the career path of the terrifically talented Tony D…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 08:06PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, March 3, 2026

Cabaret Review: JOHN PIZZARELLI TRIO (Album Release "Dear Mr. Bennett" at Birdland) by Rob Lester

A BENNETT SONGBOOK WITH PIZZARELLI SWING The singer-guitarist and his trio offer solid entertainment and a nostalgic stroll through a legend's songbook There may not be many things you can c…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 10:23PM[SHARE]

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