NEWS RELEASE ▪︎ “MY MOTHER’S ITALIAN, MY FATHER’S JEWISH & I’M IN THERAPY” BEGINS PERFORMANCES APRIL 26 at the COLONY THEATRE IN BURBANK

Steve Solomon’s

My Mother’s Italian,

My Father’s Jewish & I’m in Therapy! 

HILARIOUS ONE–MAN COMEDY STARRING

PETER J. FOGEL

BEGINS PERFORMANCES APRIL 26

AT THE

COLONY THEATRE IN BURBANK 

The international comedy hit My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish & I’m in Therapy!, featuring Peter J. Fogel, begins performances at the Colony Theatre in Burbank on Wednesday, April 26 at 8pm. The visiting production will continue through Sunday, June 25.

One part lasagna, one part kreplach, and two parts Prozac, you don’t have to be Jewish or Italian to appreciate this show. All you need to know is what it feels like to leave a family dinner with heartburn and a headache! My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish & I’m in Therapy! ran for two years in New York City and has toured internationally to more than 100 cities. SaidBroadwayWorld.com, “Amazing! Hysterical! A wonderful show! I still hurt from laughing!” Regis Philbin (Live with Regis and Kelly) said, “Hysterically funny! Non–stop laughs all the way! It’s just great!”

Written by award-winning author Steve Solomon, this hilarious solo comedy is based on his life growing up in a wacky family noted for its bi–ethnic diversity and aptitude for dysfunctional behavior, along with all the people in his life whose sole purpose was to drive him into therapy. Solomon, whose mother is from Palermo and his father is from Russia, grew up as one of two siblings in Brooklyn.

Peter J. Fogel is an award-winning comedian, actor, playwright, and published author. For more than 25 years, he has performed in the US, Canada, and Australia. His work on over 20 television series, both as a writer and an actor, includes Comic Strip Live, Comedy on the Road, Married with Children, Unhappily Ever After, Chicago Sons, and Men Behaving Badly.Other television work includes appearances on HBO, NBC, MTV, PBS, and A&E. His commercial work includes spots for Budweiser, Zima, American Express, and Wisk Detergent. He has also created comedy material for Oscar–nominated actor Chazz Palminteri (A Bronx Tale). Fogel has performed onstage at the Parker Playhouse, Coral Springs Center for the Performing Arts, Wisdom Bridge Theatre, Gordon Center for the Arts, SUNY Rockland Community College Cultural Arts Center, and the Lyric Theatre. Stage work includes Yentl, Ghosts of a Lonely Heart, and Cocoa’s Cabaret and Burlesque. From cruise ships to casinos and Vegas showrooms, Fogel has shared the stage with such comedic luminaries as Ray Romano, Jon Stewart, Robert Klein, Ed Asner, Harry Anderson, Lewis Black, and Dennis Miller. He is also an in–demand corporate trainer and business speaker and he is the best–selling author of “Reboot Your Career: 27 Ways to Reinvent Yourself in the Workplace (If You Still Have a Job!)” He is the host of Boomer Humor Radio, the number one self–indulgent help show on internet radio (www.fogelscorporatecomedy.com).

The performance schedule is Wednesday at 8pm, Thursday at 3pm and 8pm, Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 3pm and 8pm, and Sunday at 3pm through June 25. Ticket prices range from $45–$65 and may be purchased online at www.PlayhouseInfo.com or by phone at (855) 448-7469. For group sales information, call (888) 264-1788.

The Colony Theatre is located at 555 N. Third Street (between Cypress and Magnolia), in Burbank, 91502. Ample free onsite parking is available.

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 04-18-17

^{PETER J.  FOGEL}

NEWS RELEASE ▪︎ ‘DRAG-TACULAR’ FINALE: “I’VE WRITTEN A LETTER TO DADDY” IN BABY JANE DRAG ▪︎ NOW ON YOUTUBE ▪︎ CELEBRATING RYAN MURPHY’S ANTHOLOGY SERIES “FEUD” ON FX NETWORKS

Chris Isaacson Presents

“I’ve Written a Letter to Daddy”

Dance Performance in Baby Jane Drag

Finale of Drag-Tacular Live Concert Event

Available on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UTGIIMDBpE

Event Celebrating the Premiere of

Ryan Murphy’s New Anthology Series “Feud: Bette and Joan”

on FX Networks  

Capping a weeklong celebration of the premiere of Ryan Murphy’s new anthology series  Feud: Bette and Joan on FX Networks, the Drag-Tacular Live Concert Event, an evening of old Hollywood glamour, took place on Friday, March 3 at Spectra Lounge at Wolfgang Puck (in the Pacific Design Center) in West Hollywood, CA. Special guest host Tony Award-nominee Sam Harris anchored the evening which featured shimmering chanteuse Niki Haris, singer Jake Simpson, Kay-Ta Matsuno’s 10-piece band, DJ Laszlo (Adele, Christina Aguilera, Demi Levato), and special appearances byHeklina, Peaches Christ, and Bianca Del Rio in the LA debut of Whatever Happened to Bianca Del Rio?

The finale featured 24 male and female dancers in Blanche and Baby Jane drag performing to a remixed version of the iconic “I’ve Written a Letter to Daddy” (music by Frank De Vol; lyrics by Bob Merrill) sung by Bette Davis and featuring Shelley Segal, remixed by DJ Laszlo, and choreographed by Penny Wildman under the direction of Christopher G. Ciccone (Madonna’s The Girlie Show). Video is now available on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UTGIIMDBpE.

The Drag-Tacular Live Concert Event, coordinated and produced by Chris Isaacson Presents along with associate producers Ronn Goswick and Matthew Herrmann, was attended by an overflow crowd that also enjoyed hors d’oeuvres created by Wolfgang Puck, an open bar featuring lewd libations, and opportunities to travel back to 1962 with Bette and Joan for Instagram-able photo opportunities.

Ryan Murphy’s Feud: Bette and Joan, produced by Fox 21 Television Studios, will air its finale on Sunday, April 23, at 10pm on FX.       

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04-18-17

^{LEAD DANCER: WALKER REDICK. PHOTO BY TONY DiMAIO.}

NEWS RELEASE ▪︎ ALEXANDRA BILLINGS, STAR OF AMAZON PRIME’S HIT SERIES “TRANSPARENT,” BRINGS HER THEATRICAL CABARET “S/HE & ME” TO THE LOS ANGELES LGBT CENTER’S RENBERG THEATRE ▪︎ MAY 25–JUNE 11

The Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Presents

Alexandra Billings

S/HE & ME

A Theatrical Cabaret

Written by Alexandra Billings
Conceived and Directed by Joanne Gordon

May 25 – June 11 at The Renberg Theatre

The Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center has announced a limited engagement of S/He & Me: A Theatrical Cabaret, written and performed by Alexandra Billings, star of Amazon Prime’s hit show Transparent. Written by Ms. Billings and conceived and directed by Joanne Gordon, the show will open on Thursday, May 25 at 8pm and run through June 11 only.

S/He & Me chronicles the unvarnished, complex, desperate, and often hilariously wacky story of Billings’ life, centering on the transition from the young Scott to the show-stopping Alexandra. She carries the story forward through story and plenty of songs. Said BroadwayWorld.com, “Billings is nothing short of miraculous, a great actress, a great singer … S/He & Me has it all — drama, song and dance, and terrific direction and performances.” The show also stars Joey Ruggiero, Jeff Paul, Valerie Stanford, and Kayla Kearney playing friends and family members who helped shape Billings’ story.

Alexandra Billings has been acting since 1968 and has performed in hundreds of plays and musicals across the U.S. She’s played everyone from Mama Rose in Gypsy to Mrs. Lynde in A Doll’s House, with nearly every role being a first for a transgender actress. She has appeared in numerous television series and will star in the upcoming feature film Valley of Bones. She received her MFA from Cal State Long Beach where she is now an associate professor of theatre.  Billings’ activism stretches across the continent and has been honored with awards by many organizations. Her life story, From Schoolboy to Showgirl: The Alexandra Billings Story, was shown on PBS and nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Documentary.

For a complete biography, visit http://www.alexandrabillings.com/.

S/He & Me is set to open on Thursday, May 25 at 8pm. The regular running schedule will be Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 7pm through June 11. There will be a special added matinee performance on Sunday, June 11 at 3pm. General admission tickets are $30 and may be purchased online at www.lalgbtcenter.org/theatre or by phone at (323) 860-7300. Net proceeds from all ticket sales will support the full range of free and low-cost programs and services offered by the Los Angeles LGBT Center.

The Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Renberg Theatre is located at 1125 N. McCadden Place (one block east of Highland, just north of Santa Monica Boulevard), in Hollywood, 90038. During construction of the Center’s new facility, free parking is limited. Please allow extra time to find parking, or choose public transportation or a ride service such as Lyft.

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 04-17-17

^{Alexandra Billings}