Now in its fifth year, the FringeNYC Encore Series gives theatre lovers another chance to see some of the Festival's favorite shows. Beginning September 9, the FringeNYC Encore Series will present nearly 20 works in rotating repertory at three downtown venues: The Lucille Lortel Theater (121 Christopher Street between Bleecker and Hudson), The Players Theatre (115 MacDougal, between Houston & West 3rd Street) and Soho Playhouse’s Huron Club (15 Vandam Street between 6th Ave & Varick, off the #1 to Houston Street or C, E to Spring). Tickets are $18 at (866)468-7619 or www.FringeNYC-EncoreSeries.com.

Although the regular new York International Fringe Festival closes its many doors of Sunday after a mere 197 shows being produced several times each (!), a select few will be chosen for extra performances.  You can see www.fringenyc.org breathlessly awaiting those announcements and for info on how, where and when you can see any of the shows, including those reviewed by my colleagues here at NiteLifeExchange and myself.  The reviews are all over the website and here are my latest viewings.

Oh, What A Night, Ladies Night returns to Metropolitan Room on September 22nd,  hosted by Broadway performer Doreen Montalvo, currently in the Tony Award winning Broadway musical In The Heights. Joining Doreen, will be Broadway and daytime actress Ilene Kristen (ABC's "One Life To Live"), recording artist and singer/songwriter Jene Hernandez, and cabaret newcomer Kimberly Reid Dunbar.

The hit comedy musical revue Around the World in a Bad Mood returns to The Duplex (61 Christopher Street @ 7^th Avenue; www.theduplex.com). Friday nights – September 17, 24, October 1. All performances are at 7pm. The show was written by Rene Foss with original music by Michael McFrederick (who also musical directs). The cast includes Hector Coris, Rene Foss and Rachael Lee. Tickets are $15 plus a 2-drink minimum. For reservations, call (212) 712-8702 or online at www.theduplex.com.

In the last twenty years of cabaret, and even in the fifteen or twenty years previous to the beginning of this reviewer's writing career,  actresses best known for television who simply wished to storm New York with what they believe is the most perfect club act of all time, have never been a rarity. There was Cybill Shepherd at the Cookery in 1978, Phylicia Rashad in 1995 at Rainbow and Stars and a steady stream of others, all of whom had varying degrees of success which depended solely on whether or not they truly had the stuff to make it work.

Simply Magnificent!  is a show that celebrates the joy and freedom of life.  It is vaudeville madness featuring Leonid The Magnificent, the glamorous and controversial underground celebrity and Lucio Fernandez a.k.a. "The Cuban Kid" a romantic and remarkably funny character.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE NY POST ARTICLE

The ballot is getting shorter and shorter at the MetroStar Talent Challenge.  We now have our Top 5 finalists: Alison Nusbaum, Amy Beth Williams, Cindy Marchionda, Janice Hall and T. Oliver Reid.  This week their test was to sing three songs, with patter, like a little piece of a show.  One of these songs was to be a selection they had performed in the contest before, one was to be a new song and the last was a common song.  The common song each performer was to arrange and make their own, was the Beatles’ tune "All You Need Is Love." 

NYMF is proud to announce that Oscar^® and Tony Award^® nominee Baz Luhrmann will serve as the Honorary Chairman for the seventh annual season of the New York Musical Theatre Festival, September 27 – October 17. “In the crowded world of popular culture, musical theatre needs to be, and is, taking leaps and bounds into an uncharted future,” said Baz Luhrmann. “The New York Musical Theatre Festival is more than just a good idea. It is essential to the future prospects of the next generation.”

On Monday August 30, T. Oliver Reid proved his mettle by winning the exciting finale of the third annual MetroStar Talent Challenge at Metropolitan Room, beating out Cindy Marchionda (first runner-up) and Amy Beth Williams (second runner-up).  Reid, who dazzled throughout the competition with daring vocal choices, earned consistently high marks during the eight-week jury and audience-voted singers' contest.  The two other finalists were Alison Nusbaum and Janice Hall.

This latest in a series of review round-ups from deep into the NY International Fringe Festival covers three more visits.  First, the rare hit that is both sarcastic and sweet when our prayers for such a treat are answered with Pope! – yes, a comic musical about the Pope with a song called “Holy Crap!” but instead of crap, it’s the cream of the crop.   In the Schoolyard is a gentler, nostalgia-tugging tale about longtime male bonding through basketball, even decades after the high school buddies all marry and are scattered. A distinctly different kind of male bonding is at the heart of Open Heart. It is about open sexual relationships, the script taken verbatim from interviews with gay men who are very open about discussing the topic.  The Pope would not approve.  But the guy named Pope who becomes Pope in Pope! is not your run-of-the-mill Pope.