Christian Holder to Present DREAMS AND INSPIRATION With Special Guest Donna McKechnie at Birdland Theater

BIRDLAND THEATER will present vocalist Christian Holder in his new show "Dreams and Inspiration" - featuring a special appearance by Donna McKechnie - on Monday, November 7 at 8:30 PM. The London-based performer, with trio accompaniment, will focus on some of the situations and artists that have influenced him by igniting creative sparks in his theatrical journey. The evening will celebrate composers including Cole Porter, Stephen Sondheim, Rodgers and Hart, Annie Lennox, Al Green, Duke Ellington, and more. The evening will also include a tribute to Josephine Baker, a friend of both Christian's father, artist/dancer Boscoe Holder and uncle, actor/dancer Geoffrey Holder. There is a $30 music charge. Birdland is located at 315 West 44th Street in New York.

Christian Holder enjoyed a successful 13-year career as a leading dancer with the Joffrey Ballet and has worked with most of the major choreographers of the 20th century, including Jerome Robbins and Agnes De Mille. Christian has also designed costumes for ballet companies in America and Europe, and for celebrities Ann Reinking, Phylicia Rashad, and Tina Turner. Christian's solo singing career took centerstage seven years ago in London and has consistently gained accolades and momentum.

BIRDLAND THEATER will present Christian Holder in "Dreams and Inspiration" on Monday, November 7 at 8:30 PM. There is a $30 music charge and a $20 food and beverage minimum. Birdland is located at 315 West 44th Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues) in Manhattan. For reservations, please call (212) 581-3080 or visit www.BirdlandJazz.com. In compliance with New York City rules for indoor activities, Birdland requires proof of vaccination or a verified medical exemption from all customers, staff, and performers.

UPCOMING HIGHLIGHTS AT

BIRDLAND THEATER AND BIRDLAND JAZZ CLUB

Every Monday at 9:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club

Jim Caruso's Cast Party

"Jim Caruso's Cast Party," a New York institution for almost two decades, is a wildly popular weekly open mic night/variety show that has brought a sprinkling of Broadway glitz and urbane wit to Birdland since 2004. Called "show-business heaven" by The New York Times and "the gold-standard of open mic nights" by The Wall Street Journal, "Cast Party" will take advantage of the city's post-pandemic nightlife renaissance to keep presenting a potent mix of Broadway stars, jazz swingers and cabaret legends, in addition to new faces and rising talent from every genre. The buoyant, sharp and charming Caruso guides the entire affair, while musical genius Billy Stritch (Liza Minnelli, Tony Bennett) holds court at the ivories and leads the Cast Party Symphony Orchestra (Steve Doyle on bass and Daniel Glass on drums).

$30 + $20 food/drink minimum

Every Tuesday at 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater

The Lineup with Susie Mosher

"The Lineup with Susie Mosher" is a wild, anything-goes variety show featuring entertainers from the Broadway, cabaret and comedy scenes, ranging from today's hottest headliners to the best up-and-coming stars of tomorrow. Mosher - the noted actress and singer from Broadway and beyond, called "one of those talents you need to see to believe" by Time Out New York - hosts the spontaneous extravaganza every Tuesday, and each Lineup is unique and promises to deliver an unforgettable night of quintessential New York City entertainment.

$20 + $20 food/drink minimum

Every Saturday at 5:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club

Eric Comstock & Barbara Fasano

Hailed as "the truest heir to Bobby Short" in The New York Times, pianist/singer Eric Comstock returns to Birdland with star bassist/composer Sean Smith with songs by everyone from George Gershwin to George Harrison. These two masters met on the Off-Broadway hit Our Sinatra (which Eric co-wrote) and have since worked separately and together around the world. Vocalist Barbara Fasano joins them at Birdland for a swinging Saturday supper where the music and stories are equally great. Sean Smith has been an integral part of the international jazz scene for over 25 years, and has performed with Gerry Mulligan, Phil Woods, Benny Carter, Art Farmer, Flip Phillips, Clark Terry and many others. Barbara Fasano has been praised as "a gorgeous, soulful singer who has an actor's intensity in whatever she sings" by The New York Post and "a lyrically sensitive interpreter" by The New York Times. Her latest album Busy Being Free is the recipient of the MAC Award for "Major Recording of the Year."

$30 + $20 food/drink minimum

October 10 (Monday) 7:00 PM - Birdland Jazz Club

Victoria Shaw, Jim Brickman, and Peter Cincotti - "Three Friends, One Piano"

This special musical evening with three great musical talents stars Victoria Shaw, Jim Brickman, and Peter Cincotti, in "Three Friends, One Piano." Shaw, the chart-topping songwriter; Jim Brickman, the Grammy-nominated pianist; and Cincotti, the acclaimed vocalist and musician, will create an evening of "musical chairs" as they play their hits and tell the stories behind them. Victoria Shaw's songs have been staples on the charts since the early '90s. Victoria's #1 compositions include Garth Brooks's "The River" and "She's Every Woman," Ricky Martin's "So'lo Quiero Amarte," and Jim Brickman's "Sending You a Little Christmas." Jim Brickman is the best-selling solo pianist of our time, earning 21 #1 albums, 32 Top 20 radio hits, and two Grammy nominations. His star-studded vocal collaborations have crossed genres to feature luminaries like Martina McBride, Michael Bolton, Donny Osmond, Kenny Rogers, Olivia Newton-John, Johnny Mathis, and Kenny Loggins, among many others. Peter Cincotti was called "one of the most promising singer-pianists of the next generation by The New York Times. A born and bred New Yorker, Cincotti's debut album reached #1 on the Billboard jazz charts, making the eighteen-year-old musician the youngest artist ever to do so. Peter's albums have been produced by legends such as Phil Ramone and sixteen-time Grammy winner David Foster, blending genres from pop to jazz, and leading him to perform in some of the world's most prestigious venues.

$40 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

October 17 (Monday) 7:00 PM - Birdland Jazz Club

Julie Halston -"Declassified!"

The brilliant Tony Award-winning comedic actress returns to Birdland after two-and-a-half years of global pandemic Zoom meetings and green screens. With her new show, Ms. Halston will assess the state of the world, the state of her life and the state of her hair. Julie Halston was awarded the Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award in 2021 for her advocacy on behalf of The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation. Her extensive Broadway and Off-Broadway credits include Tootsie, You Can't Take It with You, Hairspray, Anything Goes, Gypsy, Twentieth Century, Fairycakes, and many more. She is a co-founding member of Charles Busch's legendary theatre company, Theatre-in-Limbo, and has garnered several Drama Desk nominations for her performances with the company including The Divine Sister, Red Scare on Sunset, and The Lady in Question. TV credits include the recurring role of Sharon on HBO's "Gossip Girl," "The Good Fight," "Almost Family," and "Divorce." She also reprised her popular character of Bitsy Von Muffling on HBO's "And Just Like That." She can be seen in the upcoming independent features The Sixth Reel, Intermedium, Simchas and Sorrows, and Dirty Rhetoric.

$40 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

October 24 (Monday) 7:00 PM - Birdland Jazz Club

Steve Ross - "Autumn Serenades"

Vocalist and pianist Steve Ross - widely heralded as "The Crown Prince of New York Cabaret" - in a special new show "Autumn Serenades." Ross will sing a few mellow seasonal ballads, including "September in the Rain," "Autumn Leaves," "September Song," and "When October Goes." He will also perform his usual assortment of sparkling up-tempo numbers from the international songbook by Irving Berlin ("Let Yourself Go"), the Gershwins ("How Long Has This Been Going On?") and a selection by his favorite composer, Cole Porter ("From This Moment On," Kiss Me, Kate Medley). Also heard will be Noël Coward ("That Is the End of the News"), Flanders & Swann ("Have Some Madeira, M'Dear") and Michel Legrand (Umbrellas of Cherbourg medley). Ross has been a fixture of the cabaret community in Manhattan for over forty years. In 1981 he re-opened the legendary Oak Room at Manhattan's famed Hotel Algonquin where he held forth for over 15 years. He has appeared on Broadway in Noël Coward's Present Laughter and off-Broadway in his Fred Astaire tribute I Won't Dance. Internationally, he has performed in London, Paris, Tokyo, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Melbourne and Sydney as well as cabarets and theatres across America and on the high seas.

$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

October 31 (Monday) 7:00 PM - Birdland Jazz Club

Carole J. Bufford - "Bad Moon Rising Halloween Special"

Carole J. Bufford returns to Birdland with a brand-new show celebrating all things All Hallow's Eve. Expect deliciously unsavory characters, ne'er-do-wells lurking behind every corner, evil and witchy women, and all manner of creepy things that go bump in the night! With songs like "Every Breath You Take," "Bad Moon Rising," "I Want To Be Evil," "Witchy Woman," "Cruella de Ville," "St. James Infirmary," "Send Me to the 'Lectric Chair," and more, Carole will take your favorite tunes and give enticing twists so you lean in and hear them as if it's the first time. Bufford has become one of the most sought-after performers on the American vintage pop and cabaret scene. Her shows include "Speak Easy" (featuring the Grammy Award-winning Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks), "Come Together," and "You Don't Own Me." She currently tours with her solo shows as well as with symphonies across the country. Carole is also the recipient of BroadwayWorld's Vocalist of the Year and the recent Gold Medal winner of the American Traditions Vocal Competition.

$30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

October 31 (Monday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater

Stacy Sullivan and Todd Murray

"I'm Glad There Is You: The Musical Romance of Frank Sinatra and Peggy Lee"

Join award-winning and acclaimed singers Stacy Sullivan and Todd Murray for a thrilling new show packed full of Frank Sinatra and Peggy Lee hits. Over 40 hit songs from The Great American Songbook are represented in "I'm Glad There Is You-The Musical Romance of Frank Sinatra and Peggy Lee," all woven around anecdotes and insider history from their remarkable music careers and devoted friendship that spanned almost 60 years. Todd Murray has performed his solo shows across the nation to rave reviews with numerous awards and nominations. Known for his mellifluous and honest interpretations of lyrics and melody, The Los Angeles Times called him "a prepossessing performer with a beautiful baritone." Murray's recordings Croon, Stardust and Swing, and When I Sing Low, feature the spectrum from jazz to standards to pop. Stacy Sullivan is an award-winning recording artist, film, television and stage actress. Her work has been described by The New York Times as "thrilling," "audacious," and "compelling." Sullivan captures that rare combination of vulnerability and worldliness." Sullivan has costarred onstage with Tony Award winners George Rose and Robert Morse, and onscreen alongside Tyne Daly, Kellie Martin, and Kelly McGillis.

November 7 (Monday) 7:00 PM - Birdland Jazz Club

Jeff Harnar -"A Collective Cy: Jeff Harnar Sings Cy Coleman"

Jeff Harnar salutes Emmy, Grammy, Tony-winning songwriter Cy Coleman in his award-winning, critically acclaimed show "A Collective Cy." Expect to hear familiar standards like "The Best Is Yet to Come," "Witchcraft," "Hey, Look Me Over," "When in Rome," as well as surprises from Coleman's six-decade career that included Broadway hits like Sweet Charity. Alex Rybeck conducts The Rhythm of Life Quartet and the show is directed by Sara Louise Lazarus. Harnar is an award-winning cabaret, concert and recording artist. His Carnegie Hall appearances include both the Cole Porter and Noel Coward Centennial Galas. Jeff's televised PBS concerts include "The 1959 Broadway Songbook" with music director Alex Rybeck and "American Songbook: Stephen Sondheim" co-starring KT Sullivan. Most recently Jeff has toured his own critically acclaimed Sondheim show "I Know Things Now" with music director Jon Weber and directed by Sondra Lee. The studio album featuring 20 musicians was released by PS Classics in June. Jeff has won multiple MAC, Bistro and BroadwayWorld Cabaret Awards and The Noël Coward Foundation Cabaret Award.

$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

November 18-20 (Friday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Theater

Wendy Moten - "Sings Richard Whiting (And Other Classics That Should Never Be Forgotten)"

"The Voice" performer Wendy Moten will perform the songs of Richard Whiting, with hits including "He's Funny That Way," "My Ideal," "Miss Brown to You," and "Too Marvelous For Words." Ms. Moten will also perform the Janis Ian classic "At Seventeen," Paul Simon's "Still Crazy After All These Years," and one of her most popular songs from "The Voice," "Over the Rainbow." Moten is an exceptional singer, a pure musical spirit, and a bridge from Memphis to Nashville to the rest of the world. Respected in the music industry for years, the wider public discovered her through her remarkable run on NBC's "The Voice" in 2021. She turned all four judges' chairs on her blind audition and ended up in second place overall - unprecedented for an artist in her fifties. A native of Memphis, Moten sang R&B on a major label in the '90s then moved to Nashville to become an in-demand harmony singer. She spent 15 years as vocal support voice for Julio Iglesias. And she has toured with Martina McBride, Tim McGRaw & Faith Hill, and Vince Gill. She's performed as a soloist on the Grand Ole Opry and was a featured artist in the Country Music Hall of Fame. In 2019 she joined the Grammy-winning Nashville western swing band The Time Jumpers.

$50 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

November 28 (Monday) 7:00 PM - Birdland Jazz Club

Maddie Baillio

Maddie Baillio's musical story is scored by an eclectic array of songs, all re-imagined and orchestrated by Broadway music director, Brian Nash. From the original classic orchestration of "Over the Rainbow" to Billie Eilish's "My Future," Maddie strives to surprise the listener at every turn, all in the service of lyric-driven storytelling. Maddie Baillio most recently starred in the Amazon film Cinderella opposite Camila Cabello, Billy Porter and Idina Menzel. Maddie burst onto the scene as Tracy Turnblad in NBC's "Hairspray LIVE!" after beating out over 1,000 aspirants for the role. She also starred in the Netflix film Dumplin' opposite Jennifer Aniston. As a vocalist, Maddie has performed at such venues as The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, and Lincoln Center.

$40 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum