Doris Day News

In part two of our Broadway World Cabaret interview with these drag sisters, we learn about how their past is going to influence their future, and which Silver Screen goddess each lady obsesses over.

Gloria Swansong is a drag artist with a focus on the goddesses of the Thirties, Forties, and Fifties. Fellow drag performer Maxie Factor's focus is almost exclusively the divas of the Sixties. One is a costumer, the other is a hairstylist. It's kind of like they were destined for each other, and guess what? They were.

Karen Oberlin (Our Sinatra) is not only a delicious singer blessed with great musical sensitivity and excellent diction, but she is also a wonderfully passionate actor who can bring a wide range of emotions to every well-formed phrase. Some singers take great care to make sure the emotions land on the audience. Oberlin has a much lighter touch. She has the gift of making sure the emotions land on her and then allowing the audience to come to her. It's a wonderful thing to watch a singer stop performing and practice the much more difficult art of just being. Ms. Oberlin makes all the hard work look very simple.

BroadwayWorld in Omaha Columnist, Analisa Swerczek, sat down this week with one of Broadway's favorite leading ladies, Kelli O'Hara, to talk about life, performance, and what's next for her.

The Actors Fund has welcomed two new members to the Board of Trustees and reelected Brian Stokes Mitchell as Chairman. Two new trustees were approved at the annual meeting: Greg Berlanti, the WGA, DGA and Golden Globe-nominated writer, director and producer; and Chandra Wilson, the award-winning theater, television and film actor.

Music Theater Works presents Legends Of The 50s And 60s: Greatest Hits at North Shore Center For The Performing Arts In Skokie (9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie, IL 60076) from June 18, 2021 through June 27, 2021 as the first production of the 2021 season.

Sarasota Opera has announced the initial lineup for the 2021 summer movie series, which will open with “La Cage aux Folles” on Saturday, June 5.

Laura Bell Bundy has returned to us with the poignant album WOMEN OF TOMORROW, which keenly mixes the vintage aural soundscapes of The Andrew Sisters, Doris Day, Peggy Lee, and classic MGM movie musicals with many of the contemporary issues facing women, including equal pay, the psychological aspects of motherhood, unrealistic beauty standards, ownership over women's bodies, and more.

The San Diego Symphony announced its inaugural season of concerts at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, the new year-round outdoor venue with 360-degree views of downtown, the marina & the bay. Opening August 6-8, the season will offer more than 40 concerts between August and November 2021, including eight concerts led by Music Director Rafael Payare.

 Doris Bumpus is now starring as the legendary Billie Holiday in 42nd Street Mood's virtual production of LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR AND GRILL, written by Lanie Robertson.

Award-winning Emerging Artists Theatre will present four evenings of virtual performances on Monday nights in May. The series will feature new dance and theatre pieces that have been pre-recorded at various theatres across the country.

The latest offering in 42nd Street Moon’s 2021 Moonbeams series is a new virtual production of Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill starring Doris Bumpus as the legendary Billie Holiday. Written by Lanie Robertson and directed by Brandon Jackson with musical direction by Marcus McCauley, the play is both a celebration of Holiday as a musical icon and an exploration of her experience as a Black woman in America. Ultimately, it is a testament to the power of the human spirit to persevere in spite of incredible adversity. Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill is available to stream through May 30, 2021. For further information and to purchase tickets, visit 42ndstmoon.org/moonbeams. BroadwayWorld caught up with Ms. Bumpus earlier this week in Miami, where she was celebrating her 28th wedding anniversary. The Michigan native grew up singing in church, taking on her first solo at the tender age of five. The actor/singer/producer has her own production company, D’Sunflower Productions, and also has a pair of EP’s on iTunes, including her most recent release, “God Bless the Child,” which pays tribute to Billie Holiday. Her wide-ranging Bay Area theater credits include playing Dorothy Gale in 'The Wiz' and Effie White in 'Dreamgirls,' receiving a Pan Arts Award for Best Lead Actress for both. 42nd Street Moon audiences will remember her as Jewel in 'The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.' In conversation, Bumpus is easily chatty and ebullient, and her joy in being a working actor is palpable.

Inspired by the music of The Andrew Sisters, Doris Day, Peggy Lee, and classic MGM movie musicals, Women of Tomorrow, is vintage in sound but not in subject matter.  Like the current pop elements sprinkled throughout, this album encapsulates the experiences of today’s modern women in a poignant, thought-provoking and musical way.  

Music Theater Works will present 'Legends Of The 50s And 60s: Greatest Hits' at North Shore Center For The Performing Arts (9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie, IL 60076) from June 18, 2021 through June 27, 2021 as the first production of the 2021 season.

42nd Street Moon will announce that Doris Bumpus will be starring as the legendary Billie Holiday in the Company's virtual production of LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR AND GRILL, written by Lanie Robertson.

42nd Street Moon has announced that Doris Bumpus will be starring as the legendary Billie Holiday in the Company’s virtual production of LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR AND GRILL, written by Lanie Robertson.

Friday, June 18th: A flight attendant wakes up in the wrong hotel, in the wrong bed, with a dead man — and no idea what happened. That’s the beginning of the story of The Flight Attendant, the breakout hit HBO Max/Warner Bros. Television series from executive producer/star Kaley Cuoco.

The song highlights the power of money and is shining a giant light on the injustices women face around it.

Always an artist who puts on a great show, Karen Oberlin is also a friend to the other members of the concert and club community. Get a look at her gifts and her grace in this collection of performance videos from over the years.

Kaley Cuoco is set to star as Doris Day in a limited series based on A.E. Hotchner’s 1976 biography, “Doris Day: Her Own Story.” The project will be produced by Cuoco’s Yes, Norman Productions with Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television.