Boston News: March/April 2015

John Amodeo | February 28, 2015

Valerie Anastasio and Tim Harbold will continue their new show, In the Mood—A Time Capsule of Classics from 1939, featuring songs from The Wizard of Oz and such favorites as “All the Things You Are” and “Lydia, the Tattooed Lady,” 3/1 at the Longy School, Cambridge, presented by American Classics. American Classics continues with Tin Pan Opera, where Tin Pan Alley goes to the opera house with songs all about opera, including many based on opera repertoire, and about the great opera singers. Benjamin Sears and Bradford Conner will lead a cadre of cabaret, musical theater and opera singers in this clever musical mash-up, 4/24 at Follen Church, Lexington and 4/26 at the Longy School.

John O’Neil reprises his First Monday series at The Napoleon Room at the Club Café, where he features a different special guest each Monday: Kyle Hemingway Dickenson 3/9; Beverly Beckham 3/16; David Dalena 3/23, Rod Ferguson 3/30; and Donna Brescia 4/6. While he’s in a mood for reprises, O’Neil will team with old friends Jan Peters and Carol O’Shaughnessy proclaiming There We Were!, the trio having last performed together 17 years ago! This time out, they will celebrate their musical past, present and future in an evening of memories, music and mayhem, also at the Club Café 3/30 & 31.

Returning to the Boston area after his sensational run as J.M. Barrie in the musical Finding Neverland at the ART in Cambridge, Jeremy Jordan will be Breaking Character in his Boston-area solo debut, offering songs from his past and future theater, film and television career, including Newsies, Smash, and the upcoming release of The Last 5 Years, at the Carling-Sorenson Theater, Babson College, Wellesley 4/26.

Scullers Jazz Club gets back into the swing of things with the soulful jazz stylings of Roseanna Vitro providing Clarity: The Music of Clare Fischer 3/5. In a rare small venue appearance, Tony Award-winning Betty Buckley will grace the oak-paneled room featuring songs from her recently released recording Ghostlight 3/13 & 14. Cassandre McKinley will bring her soul-infused jazz vocals to the venue 3/18, accompanied by local jazz pianist Paul Broadnax. And Grammy winner Patti Austin will swing her American Songbook repertoire around the club 3/20 & 21. Jazz chanteuse Donna Byrne, who counts Tony Bennett among her legions of fans, rounds things out 4/16.

Tags: All the Things You Are, American Classics. Tin Pan Opera, American Songbook, Babson College, Benjamin Sears, Betty Buckley, Beverly Beckham, Boston, Bradford Conner, Cambridge, Carling-Sorenson Theater, Carol O’Shaughnessy, Cassandre McKinley, Clare Fischer, Club Café, David Dalena, Donna Brescia, Donna Byrne, Finding Neverland, First Monday, Follen Church, Ghostlight, Grammy Winner, Great American Songbook, J.M. Barrie, Jan Peters, Jazz chanteuse, Jeremy Jordan, John Amodeo, John O’Neil, Kyle Hemingway Dickenson, Lexington, Longy School, Lydia the Tattooed Lady, Newsies, Nightclubs, opera, opera house, Patti Austin, Paul Broadnax, Rod Ferguson, Roseanna Vitro, Scullers Jazz Club, Singers, smash, Songbook, Supper Clubs, The Last 5 Years, The Napoleon Room, The Wizard of Oz, Tim Harbold, Tin Pan Alley, Tony Award, Tony Bennett, Valerie Anastasio, Vocalists, Wellesley