Lia Chang Photos: Maurice Hines, Jonathan Groff, Mercedes Ellington, Charles Randolph Wright at The Laurie Beechman for André De Shields’s I PUT A SPELL ON YOU

Freida Williams, André De Shields and Marléne Danielle in concert at The Laurie Beechman on October 5, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

André De Shields in I Put a Spell on You at The Laurie Beechman on October 5, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

Following a sold-out engagement of his acclaimed theatrical concert BLACK BY POPULAR DEMAND at the Laurie Beechman Theatre last May, two-time Tony Award nominated and Emmy Award winning performer André De Shields returned to the cabaret stage for his latest theatrical concert, I PUT A SPELL ON YOU on Friday, October 5, at The Laurie Beechman Theatre Downstairs at The West Bank Café in New York.

Larry Spivak, Freida Williams, André De Shields and Marléne Danielle in concert at The Laurie Beechman on October 5, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

The evening featured De Shields along with his longtime partners in crime, vocalists Freida Williams and Marléne Danielle, with accompaniment by pianist Larry Spivack, and special guest appearances by vocalist Ula Hedwig and composer Steve Margoshes.

Freida Williams, Ula Hedwig and Marléne Danielle in concert at The Laurie Beechman on October 5, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

Certainly no stranger to New York’s famed cabaret scene, De Shields reigned as King of Cabaret during the 1970s with the creation of his innovative theatrical concerts in such popular clubs as Reno Sweeney, Horn of Plenty, The Grand Finale, Les Mouches, The Club at La MaMa and many other venues around the world. The Hollywood Reporter dubbed De Shields “the most lethal pelvis since Elvis!”

Composer Steve Margoshes in concert at The Laurie Beechman on October 5, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

Maurice Hines, Jonathan Groff, Mercedes Ellington, Motown helmer Charles Randolph Wright, Mark Nadler, James Rado, Kimberly Grigsby were among the standing room audience that leapt to their feet at the end of the concert with wild applause.

Maurice Hines, André De Shields and Motown helmer Charles Randolph Wright
at The Laurie Beechman on October 5, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

James Rado, Jonathan Groff, Kimberly Grigsby and André De Shields at The Laurie Beechman on October 5, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

André De Shields in I Put a Spell on You at The Laurie Beechman on October 5, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

De Shields and Company will be performing one more show tonight at 11:00 PM. General admission tickets booked in advance are $25 plus $15 food/beverage minimum. Tickets are available at www.smarttix.com or by calling 212-868-4444. The Laurie Beechman Theatre Downstairs at The West Bank Café (407 West 42 Street) in New York.

André De Shields was recently awarded a Fox Foundation Fellowship Grant for Distinguished Achievement of $25,000 to support his work at the Victory Gardens Theatre in Chicago. De Shields will further develop his experimental methodology, The Golden Triangle and the 5W Stack/Inner Athlete System. He will deepen this unique style of Griot Performance Art that combines rigorous physical exertion, discipline and contemplation through a new, original work, Confessions of a P.I.M.P. (Positive Individual Making Progress). De Shields will also mentor artists and young people in Victory’s Poets Conservatory and school programs. De Shields’ residency at Victory Gardens will begin in the Spring, 2013.

André De Shields in I Put a Spell on You at The Laurie Beechman on October 5, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

In a career spanning more than forty years, De Shields has distinguished himself as an unparalleled actor, director, choreographer and educator. He is the recipient of the 2009 National Black Theatre Festival Living Legend Award, the 2009 AUDELCO Award for Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Musical/Male (Archbishop Supreme Tartuffe), and the 2007 Village Voice OBIE Award for Sustained Excellence of Performance. De Shields is best known for his show stopping performances in the original Broadway productions of four legendary musicals: The Full Monty, for which he received Tony, Drama Desk and Astaire Award nominations, in addition to both the Outer Critics Circle and Drama League Awards; Play On! (Tony nomination), Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Emmy Award) and The Wiz (title role). He recently performed a featured role in Chicago’s Goodman Theatre production of Camino Real and the New York Times had this to say “De Shields essentially walks off with the show, or rather slinks off with it!”

André De Shields as W.E.B. Du Bois in Charles Smith’s Knock Me A Kiss © Lia Chang

De Shields is currently in rehearsal to reprise his role as W.E.B. Du Bois in KNOCK ME A KISS (by Charles Smith) at Crossroads Theatre Company in New Brunswick, NJ. The show called “a dandy play…rollicking fun” by the New York Times, runs from October 25 through November 4.

For more information, visit www.andredeshields.com.

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Other articles by Lia Chang:
Photos: Tonya Pinkins, André De Shields, S. Epatha Merkerson, Billy Porter and George C. Wolfe at 54 Below
André De Shields Returns to The Laurie Beechman Theatre with I Put A Spell on You, October 5 and 12
Black By Popular Demand’s André De Shields on Seth Rudetsky’s Sirius XM radio show “Seth Speaks” & in person at Don’t Tell Mama for Chatterbox
André De Shields in BLACK BY POPULAR DEMAND at the Laurie Beechman, 5/4, 5/11 & 5/18
Multimedia: Manu Narayan Dazzles as Richard Roma in La Jolla Playhouse’s Revival of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross
Signature Theatre’s Production of Golden Child by David Henry Hwang has been extended through December 9, 2012
David Henry Hwang to Receive the 2012 Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award at the 5th Annual Steinberg Playwright “Mimi” Awards on October 29, 2012
Photos: All-Access Pass to Disney’s Aladdin at The Muny with Thom Sesma, Francis Jue, Robin De Jesus, John Tartaglia, Jason Graae, Curtis Holbrook, Eddie Korbich, Samantha Massell and Ken Page
Performing Arts Images from the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection on Display at the Library of Congress to Celebrate APA Heritage Month
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2012 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com

Lia Chang Photos: Tonya Pinkins, André De Shields, S. Epatha Merkerson, Billy Porter and George C. Wolfe at 54 Below

Billy Porter, Tonya Pinkins and André De Shields. Photo by Lia Chang

On the last Monday in August, the joint was jumpin’ at 54 BELOW for Tonya Pinkins who performed excerpts from Hurricane Ethel, her upcoming one woman show written in collaboration with director Dennis Courtney.

The actress, who won a Tony Award for Jelly’s Last Jam, was transcendent as she channelled Ethel Waters, the legendary African-American actress and jazz-era singer who was America’s first International superstar of any race, weaving a vibrant tapestry of characters instrumental in Waters’ life, and highlighting the canon of songs in the Great American Songbook written especially for her golden pipes.

Many in the theater community turned out on this sultry summer night to join her in celebrating the iconic entertainer, including André De Shields, George Faison, David Ives, S. Epatha Merkerson, Billy Porter, Elaine Stritch, Jeanine Tesori, Charles Turner, George C. Wolfe, Colleen Zenk, and Pinkins’ son Maxx Brawer.

George C. Wolfe, Tonya Pinkins and S. Epatha Merkerson. Photo by Lia Chang

Born on October 31, 1896 in Chesterfield, PA., Ethel Waters was a pioneer as an African American artist in the entertainment field whose talents and accomplishments were peerless. She was the first black woman heard on the radio, the first black singer to perform on television, the first African American to perform in an integrated cast on Broadway, the first black woman to perform in a lead dramatic role on Broadway, and the first African American to receive equal billing on Broadway. source: http://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/musician.php?id=11192

Jeanine Tesori,Tonya Pinkins and George Faison. Photo by Lia Chang

Ms. Pinkins, accompanied by her musical director Barry Levitt on piano, Dick Sarpola on bass, and Waldren Ricks on trumpet, sang arrangements of songs that Waters made famous and utilized signature tunes as signposts to tell the story of the famed singer’s life. Her set list included “I Got Rhythm,” “You Can’t Do What My Last Man Did,” “Last of the Red Hot Mamas,” “Come Up and See Me Sometime,” “Go Back Where You Stayed Last Night,” “St. Louis Blues,” “Lil Black Boy,” “Eli Eli,” “Heatwave,” “Dinah,” “Old Man Harlem/ Harlem on My Mind,” “Moon Glow/Taking a Chance on Love,” “Honey in the Honeycomb/Happiness is a Thing Called Joe/Cabin in the Sky Medley,” “Suppertime,” “Stormy Weather,” “Handyman,” “Black and Blue,” and “A Hundred Years from Today.”

On Broadway, Ms. Waters starred in As Thousands Cheer, At Home Abroad, Mamba’s Daughters, Cabin in the Sky, and Member of the Wedding. She was an indelible presence in the films Cabin in the Sky, The Member of the Wedding,The Sound and the Fury, and Pinky, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for best supporting actress in 1949, following Hattie McDaniel as the second Black woman to be nominated for an Oscar. The following year, she won the New York Drama Critics Award for best actress. Ms. Waters starred in the television show “Beaulah,” wrote her autobiography “His Eye is on the Sparrow,” with Charles Samuel, and in the late Fifties, performed and toured with evangelist Billy Graham until her death in 1977.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethel_Waters

Tonya Pinkins (Photo by Lia Chang)

In the past twelve months alone, Tonya Pinkins has given five critically acclaimed performances in roles as diverse as an aging Countess, a syphilitic Bawd, a bitter ghetto mom, a diabetic great grandmother and a faithful Latina from the Bronx. Her performance in Milk Like Sugar won the 2012 Lucille Lortel Award. On Broadway, Ms. Pinkins made her debut in the original cast of Merrily We Roll Along, appeared in Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Play On!, The Wild Party, Caroline, or Change, and Radio Golf. Television audiences are most familiar with her from “As The World Turns,” “All My Children” and “Army Wives”.

Maxx Brawer and his mom Tonya Pinkins. Photo by Lia Chang

Her performances have been nominated for the Olivier, Jefferson, Helen Hayes, NAACP, Dramaleague, What’s On Stage, Audience Choice, Soap Opera Digest, Noel and Ovation awards. She is the winner of the Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critic’s Circle, Clarence Derwent, Monarch, Black theater Alliance, Garland, L.A. Drama Critics, Audelco and Obie Awards.

OPRAH named her “One of the ten women in America who will take your breath away” and TIME OUT New York included Ms. Pinkins as One of Broadways 25 all Time Greatest Divas. www.tonyapinkins.com

Director Dennis Courtney staged a re-envisioned production of Fiddler on the Roof (currently in its 5th year running in Tel Aviv) as the official production for the 60th Anniversary of Israel, for which he won the Israeli National Theatre Award. He recently directed the off-Broadway premiere of Civil War Voices (6 MITF Awards). He has been the director/choreographer of over 150 stage productions including Peter Pan with Cathy Rigby (Los Angeles Drama Critics and DramaLogue Awards for Direction & Choreography) and Can-Can with Leslie Uggams. Mr. Courtney has conceived and staged special events and award shows, working with such performers as Bette Midler, Celine Dion, Quincy Jones, Warren Beatty, The Bacon Brothers & David Letterman. On television, Mr. Courtney directed the 5th season opener of TV’s “Perfect Strangers.”

54 BELOW is owned and operated by Tony Award winning producers Tom Viertel, Marc Routh, Richard Frankel, and Steven Baruch. 54 BELOW features up to three shows nightly and has audio and video recording capabilities. The cover charge ranges from $5-$85.

54 BELOW is located at 254 West 54th Street. Tickets and information are available at www.54Below.com.

Tonya Pinkins and Colleen Zenk. Photo by Lia Chang

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Jennifer Lim, Julyana Soelistyo, Greg Watanabe Set for Signature Theatre’s Production of David Henry Hwang’s Golden Child, October 23-December 2, 2012
Tony Award winner Tonya Pinkins Celebrates Ethel Waters at 54 Below in New York on August 27, 2012
Faith Prince and Jason Graae: The Prince & the Showboy in Concert at 54 Below, August 21-25, 2012
André De Shields Returns to The Laurie Beechman Theatre with I Put A Spell on You, October 5 and 12
Photos: All-Access Pass to Disney’s Aladdin at The Muny with Thom Sesma, Francis Jue, Robin De Jesus, John Tartaglia, Jason Graae, Curtis Holbrook, Eddie Korbich, Samantha Massell and Ken Page
Photos: Tonya Pinkins, Billy Eugene Jones, Matthew Murumba and Toccarra Cash in Reading of Camille Darby’s Lords Resistance
Reading of Camille Darby’s Lords Resistance Stars Tonya Pinkins, Billy Eugene Jones, Tocarra Cash and Matthew Murumba at The Red Room on January 18
MTC’s An Enemy of The People Starring Boyd Gaines and Richard Thomas Begin Previews at Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
Tony Award – winning Playwright Terrence McNally to be Honored at Westport Country Playhouse Annual Gala, September 24, 2012
Signature Theatre’s World Premiere of Sam Shepard’s Heartless Starring Lois Smith, Gary Cole, Jenny Bacon, Betty Gilpin, and Julianne Nicholson Extends through September 30, 2012
Sean Dugan Set for West Coast Premiere of George C. Wolfe’s Tony Award-Winning Production of The Normal Heart at A.C.T., September 13 – October 7, 2012
David Henry Hwang to Receive the 2012 Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award at the 5th Annual Steinberg Playwright “Mimi” Awards on October 29, 2012
Performing Arts Images from the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection on Display at the Library of Congress to Celebrate APA Heritage Month
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
Broadwayworld.com Photo Flash: Library of Congress’ IN REHEARSAL Exhibit
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2012 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com

André De Shields Returns to The Laurie Beechman Theatre with I Put A Spell on You, October 5 and 12

André De Shields Photo by Lia Chang

Following an SRO engagement of his acclaimed theatrical concert BLACK BY POPULAR DEMAND at the Laurie Beechman Theatre last May, two-time Tony Award nominated and Emmy Award winning performer André De Shields returns to the cabaret stage! His latest theatrical concert, I PUT A SPELL ON YOU will be performed for two shows only, Friday evenings October 5 and 12 at The Laurie Beechman Theatre Downstairs at The West Bank Café (407 West 42 Street). Showtime is 11:00 PM. General admission tickets booked in advance are $25 plus $15 food/beverage minimum. Tickets are available at www.smarttix.com or by calling 212-868-4444.

Certainly no stranger to New York’s famed cabaret scene, De Shields reigned as King of Cabaret during the 1970s with the creation of his innovative theatrical concerts in such popular clubs as Reno Sweeney, Horn of Plenty, The Grand Finale, Les Mouches, The Club at La MaMa and many other venues around the world. The Hollywood Reporter dubbed De Shields “the most lethal pelvis since Elvis!”

I PUT A SPELL ON YOU will feature De Shields along with his longtime partners in crime, vocalists Freida Williams and Marléne Danielle, with accompaniment by pianist Larry Spivack, and special guest appearance by composer Steve Margoshes.

In a career spanning more than forty years, André De Shields has distinguished himself as an unparalleled actor, director, choreographer and educator. He is the recipient of the 2009 National Black Theatre Festival Living Legend Award, the 2009 AUDELCO Award for Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Musical/Male (Archbishop Supreme Tartuffe), and the 2007 Village Voice OBIE Award for Sustained Excellence of Performance. De Shields is best known for his show stopping performances in the original Broadway productions of four legendary musicals: The Full Monty, for which he received Tony, Drama Desk and Astaire Award nominations, in addition to both the Outer Critics Circle and Drama League Awards; Play On! (Tony nomination), Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Emmy Award) and The Wiz (title role). He recently performed a featured role in Chicago’s Goodman Theatre production of Camino Real and the New York Times had this to say “De Shields essentially walks off with the show, or rather slinks off with it!” For more information go to www.andredeshields.com

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Black By Popular Demand’s André De Shields on Seth Rudetsky’s Sirius XM radio show “Seth Speaks” & in person at Don’t Tell Mama for Chatterbox
André De Shields in BLACK BY POPULAR DEMAND at the Laurie Beechman, 5/4, 5/11 & 5/18
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2012 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com

Tony Award winner Tonya Pinkins Celebrates Ethel Waters at 54 Below in New York on August 27, 2012

Tonight, I’m going to my new favorite cabaret club, the swellegant 54 Below in New York, to see Tony award-winner Tonya Pinkins, where she’ll be performing signature anthems celebrating the life and music of Ethel Waters, at 9:30pm.

Tonya Pinkins

Ms. Pinkins’ late summer concert will feature excerpts from her upcoming one woman show about Ethel Waters, a legendary artist who was America’s first International superstar of any race, written in collaboration with Dennis Courtney entitled HURRICANE ETHEL. This is her first concert performance since her celebrated Jazz at Lincoln Center appearance in 2005 when she performed her acclaimed Harold Arlen Concert.

Best known for her celebrated roles in Caroline, or Change and Jelly’s Last Jam, Ms. Pinkins made her Broadway debut in the original cast of Merrily We Roll Along. Broadway audiences have also delighted in her performances in Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Play On!, The Wild Party and Radio Golf, while television audiences know her from “As The World Turns,” “All My Children” and “Army Wives”. Her performance in Milk Like Sugar won the 2012 Lucille Lortel Award, and she has been nominated for the Olivier, Jefferson, Helen Hayes, NAACP, Dramaleague, What’s On Stage, Audience Choice, Soap Opera Digest, Noel and Ovation Awards. She is the winner of the Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Clarence Derwent, Monarch, Black Theatre Alliance, Garland, L.A. Drama Critics, AUDELCO and Obie Awards.

Ms. Pinkins is the author of GET OVER YOURSELF: How to drop the drama and claim the life you deserve. (Hyperion Books) and is the creator of “The Actorpreneur Attitude,” giving workshops lectures & life coaching to businesses & individuals across the globe. A single mother of four, she is an activist for women’s and children’s rights and has won legal battles in several states on the trial and appellate level as a self-represented litigant. She is also an accomplished painter and art teacher, and has taught at every level of education, from pre-K through graduate school.

54 Below in New York. Photo by Lia Chang

54 Below is located at 254 West 54th Street in New York. There is a $30-$40 cover plus a $25 food/drink minimum. The concert is at 9:30pm, doors open at 9pm. For more information, call 646-476-3551.

Faith Prince and Jason Graae onstage after their show at 54 Below in New York on August 24, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

My first visit to 54 Below was last Thursday to see Faith Prince and Jason Graae in their show, The Prince and the Showboy. The charming and funny pair received glowing reviews during their one week run in New York. I first met Jason when he was performing in the Off-Broadway hit Forever Plaid, and reconnected with him over the summer in St. Louis where he was performing as Omar, in Disney’s Aladdin at The Muny.

Faith and Jason have been fast friends since their college days at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, and their closeness and mutual admiration for one another was evident on the intimate stage, even from my seat at the bar (There isn’t a bad seat in the house).

Both masters of their craft with impeccable comedic timing, the Broadway vets were accompanied by their musical director, Alex Rybeck on the keys. I had so much fun, that I returned with another friend for the late night show on Friday. We were seated in front of the stage, and were treated to an even richer experience. Thank you Faith and Jason for the laughter, the tears and the gift of your performances.

Francis Jue, Jason Graae and Eddie Korbich in Disney’s Aladdin at The Muny on JUly 8, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

Other articles on The Prince and The Showboy:
nytimes.com: Two Vestiges of Vaudeville
Broadway.com: Music Mix: 54 Below’s Faith Prince and Jason Graae Talk Liza, The Book of Mormon and Once On This Island
theatermania.com: Faith Prince & Jason Graae: The Prince & The Showboy

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Faith Prince and Jason Graae: The Prince & the Showboy in Concert at 54 Below, August 21-25, 2012
Photos: All-Access Pass to Disney’s Aladdin at The Muny with Thom Sesma, Francis Jue, Robin De Jesus, John Tartaglia, Jason Graae, Curtis Holbrook, Eddie Korbich, Samantha Massell and Ken Page
Photos: Tonya Pinkins, Billy Eugene Jones, Matthew Murumba and Toccarra Cash in Reading of Camille Darby’s Lords Resistance
Reading of Camille Darby’s Lords Resistance Stars Tonya Pinkins, Billy Eugene Jones, Tocarra Cash and Matthew Murumba at The Red Room on January 18
David Henry Hwang to Receive the 2012 Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award at the 5th Annual Steinberg Playwright “Mimi” Awards on October 29, 2012
10 minutes with Sullivan & Son’s Jodi Long, Award Winning Actor and Filmmaker
West Coast Premiere of David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish at Berkeley Rep stars Michelle Krusiec and Alex Moggridge, August 24-October 7, 2012
New York Foundation for the Arts presents ‘An Evening with David Henry Hwang’ at Barnes & Noble on July 26, 2012
Performing Arts Images from the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection on Display at the Library of Congress to Celebrate APA Heritage Month
Photos: David Henry Hwang, Oskar Eustis, BD Wong, Brian d’Arcy James, Francis Jue, Jennifer Lim and Leigh Silverman at WNYC’s The Greene Space
Multimedia: Screen Actors Guild Foundation’s Conversations with Derek Ting, Linus Roache and Michael Park of $upercapitalist
Tony Award – winning Playwright Terrence McNally to be Honored at Westport Country Playhouse Annual Gala, September 24, 2012
Richard Thomas and Boyd Gaines to star in An Enemy of the People at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre during Manhattan Theatre Club’s 2012-2013 Season
Lily Mariye’s Model Minority, Jayshree Janu Kharpade’s Fire in Our Hearts, Eliaichi Kimaro’s A Lot Like You, Vincent Sandoval’s Señorita, and Liang Cheng’s My Spiritual Medicine among AAIFF’12 Award Winners
Janet Yang to receive 2012 Asian American Media Award at AAIFF’12 Opening Night Presentation of Shanghai Calling
George Takei, Lea Salonga, Telly Leung and Paolo Montalban star in the World Premiere of Allegiance – A New American Musical at The Old Globe, September 7 – October 21, 2012
Three Year Swim Club, Encounter, TEA, Christmas in Hanoi and Chess set for East West Players 47th Anniversary Season
Performing Arts Images from the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection on Display at the Library of Congress to Celebrate APA Heritage Month
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
Photos: BD Wong, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Brandon Victor Dixon, Tom Viola at “Passing It On: An Evening of Mentorship to Benefit Rosie’s Theater Kids”
Photos: Highlights of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan (3pm) with Andre Bishop, Mary Beth Hurt, Jennifer Lim, Angela Lin, Philip Kan Gotanda, Thom Sesma, Sab Shimono, Richard Thomas, Jay O. Sanders, and more
Photos: Highlights of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan (8pm) with Oskar Eustis, Patti LuPone, Lisa Emery, Ann Harada, Paolo Montalban, Thom Sesma, Sab Shimono, Henry Stram, Richard Thomas, John Weidman and more
Photos: In Rehearsal with Director Bartlett Sher and the cast of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan
Photos: In Rehearsal with BD Wong at Dixon Place for Live Concert Recording of Herringbone
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2012 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com

Black By Popular Demand’s André De Shields on Seth Rudetsky’s Sirius XM radio show “Seth Speaks” & in person at Don’t Tell Mama for Chatterbox on May 3

André De Shields and Seth Rudetsky (Photo by Merle Frimark)

Two-time Tony Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning Broadway favorite André De Shields visits Seth Rudetsky on “Seth Speaks” on Sirius XM radio this week. Tune in May 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 at 11AM ET and May 5 at 11PM ET to hear De Shields shooting the breeze with Seth and singing “Big Black Man” from the hit Broadway musical The Full Monty. “Seth Speaks” airs on Sirius XM Stars channel 107.

De Shields is bringing his theatrical concert, BLACK BY POPULAR DEMAND to the Laurie Beechman Theatre for 3 shows only, Friday nights, May 4, 11 and 18 at 11:00 PM. General admission tickets booked in advance are $25 plus $15 food/beverage minimum; $35 at the door (based on availability) plus $15 food/beverage minimum. Tickets are available at www.smarttix.com or by calling 212-868-4444.

De Shields will also spend even more time with Seth on Thursday, May 3 for “Chatterbox,” 6:00 PM at Don’t Tell Mama, 343 West 46 Street in New York.

Certainly no stranger to New York’s famed cabaret scene, De Shields reigned as King of Cabaret during the 1970s with the creation of his innovative theatrical concerts in such popular clubs as Reno Sweeney, Horn of Plenty, The Grand Finale, Les Mouches, The Club at La MaMa and many other venues around the world. The Hollywood Reporter dubbed De Shields “the most lethal pelvis since Elvis!”

Enthusiastically referred to as “a pleasure delivery machine” by journalist Patrick Pacheco, BLACK BY POPULAR DEMAND will feature De Shields along with his longtime partners in crime, vocalists Freida Williams and Marléne Danielle, with accompaniment by pianist Larry Spivack.

In a career spanning more than forty years, André De Shields has distinguished himself as an unparalleled actor, director, choreographer and educator. He is the recipient of the 2009 National Black Theatre Festival Living Legend Award, the 2009 AUDELCO Award for Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Musical/Male (Archbishop Supreme Tartuffe), and the 2007 Village Voice OBIE Award for Sustained Excellence of Performance. De Shields is best known for his show stopping performances in the original Broadway productions of four legendary musicals: The Full Monty, for which he received Tony, Drama Desk and Astaire Award nominations, in addition to both the Outer Critics Circle and Drama League Awards; Play On! (Tony nomination), Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Emmy Award) and The Wiz (title role). He has just concluded a featured role in Chicago’s Goodman Theatre production of Camino Real and the New York Times had this to say “De Shields essentially walks off with the show, or rather slinks off with it!”

For more information go to www.andredeshields.com

André De Shields in BLACK BY POPULAR DEMAND at the Laurie Beechman, 5/4, 5/11 & 5/18
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

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Lia Chang. Photo by Brianne Michelle Photography

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. In 2010, the Library of Congress established The Lia Chang APA Theater Portfolio in the Asian Pacific American Performing Arts Collection housed in the Library of Congress Asian Division’s Asian Pacific American Islander Collection.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2011 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at lia@liachangphotography.com.