BREAKING NEWS OF CABARET FROM AROUND THE WORLD!
NYC: URBAN STAGES' MABEL MADNESS MUSICAL CONTINUES, TO RAVE REVIEWS!
UPDATE! UPDATE! SHOW EXTENDED THROUGH SUNDAY, APRIL 10th!
UPDATE! UPDATE! SHOW EXTENDED THROUGH SUNDAY, APRIL 10th!
Urban Stages (Frances Hill, Founding Artistic Director; Peter Napolitano, Associate Producer) continues its 32nd season with the World Premiere of Mabel Madness, which opened on February 25th, has been garnering rave reviews. The musical tells the dramatic story about the life of the famous cabaret chanteuse, Mabel Mercer, written and performed by Tony Award Winner Trezana Beverley (For Colored Girls...). Co-directed by Frances Hill and Peter Napolitano with musical direction by Tuffus Zimbabwe, Mabel Madness began its Off-Broadway run at URBAN STAGES (259 West 30th Street, NYC - 866-811-4111) with previews on Friday, February 19th, and opened on Thursday, February 25th and running through Sunday,Mabel Madness will feature classic songs from Ms. Mercer's repertoire as well as original songs written by the award-winning team of Barry Levitt (composer) and Mr. Napolitano (lyrics).The creative team for Mabel Madness includes Christina Watanabe (Lighting Designer), Nicholas Blade Guldner (Projection Designer), Gail Cooper-Hecht (Costume Designer), Antoinette Mullins (Dramaturg) and Jill Woodward (Production Stage Manager).
Mabel Mercer is frightened! Frightened that this is her last show ... that her long-time friend/ manager is abandoning her ... that she is too old. On stage for probably the last time, this legendary performer, who influenced the likes of Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Billie Holiday, confronts the events that has led her to this moment. From a white British mother who refused to acknowledge her black daughter, to vocal mishaps that ultimately led to her signature Story Song style, Mabel reveals all as she prepares to take her final bow.
Trezana Beverley (Playwright, Actress) is the winner of the distinguished Tony Award for her performance on Broadway in For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf. She has since created a unique signature in the American Theater as a talented actor, director, singer, acting teacher and writer. Trezana is a graduate of New York University Tisch School for the Arts where she studied under Lloyd Richards, Peter Kass, Omar Shapli and Kristin Linklater, as well as the great Polish director Jerzy Grotowsky.
Among the highlights of her distinguished acting career are: Mother Courage; A Raisin In The Sun; Flyin' West; Peer Gynt; Macbeth, Medea, and King Lear (as a man). In film: Beloved (with Oprah Winfrey); Resurrection; Carolina Skeletons and Margaret and the Saturday Night Ladies. Her music and writing skills have been displayed in her one-woman shows The Spirit Moves; Constant Star and currently, Mabel Madness, the dramatic story with music about the life of the famous cabaret chanteuse Mabel Mercer. Highlights of her directing credits include: Spell #7; Native Son; For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf; In The Blood; From The Mississippi Delta, Pecong; The Trojan Woman, Salome, Yellowman, The Bluest Eye; Blue Door; Mask in The Mirror an Opera, and most recently an all-female production of Shakespeare's Othello. Trezana is currently on the guest directing drama faculty of the Juilliard School in New York City and is the founding artistic director of The Trezana Projects - a theater company that uses dance choreography to express dramatic plays Trezana is a civic minded artist who often speaks before church and youth groups Her work has been cited in American Theater Magazine and Towards A Poor Theater (Simon & Shuster).
Among other distinguished awards are: Mademoiselle Woman of The Year, The Audelco Recognition Award and The Theater World Award. She has received two Citizen's Citations for her contribution to the American Stage as a distinguished citizen of Baltimore, Md and has also been recognized by the New York Senate and the New York State Assembly for her artistic contributions to the community. Ms. Beverley is an honorary member of the New York State Assembly. Tickets are $40 and are available at http://www.urbanstages.org or by calling 1-866-811-4111.
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