NEWS RELEASE — “A GENTLE REMINDER: MISS COCO PERU’S GUIDE TO A SOMEWHAT HAPPY LIFE”

The Los Angeles LGBT Center’s
Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center
Presents
A GENTLE REMINDER:
MISS COCO PERU’S GUIDE TO A SOMEWHAT HAPPY LIFE
Written and Performed by Clinton Leupp
Directed by Michael Schiralli

Fridays & Saturdays, May 13-14 and 20-21 at 8pm

The Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center has announced the return of the legendary Miss Coco Peru. The YouTube sensation brings her latest solo show, A Gentle Reminder: Miss Coco Peru’s Guide to a Somewhat Happy Life, to the Renberg Theatre for four nights only — Fridays and Saturdays, May 13 & 14 and May 20 & 21. Curtain time for all performances is 8pm.

Ever since becoming a phenomenon on YouTube, Miss Coco Peru has been inundated with emails from people of all ages asking her the same question: “Coco, what is the secret to a happy life?” Being the giver that she is, Coco has written a new show in which, through story and song, she shares a step-by-step guide that leaves you prepared to enter the world again ready to create your very own “somewhat” happy life. Why just a “somewhat” happy life? Well, let’s face it, you wouldn’t want to be happy all the time because “happy” people make such a racket!

Storyteller/monologist Miss Coco Peru, aka Clinton Leupp, got his/her start as a downtown favorite in the New York cabaret world after he wrote, produced, directed, and starred in his first show, Miss Coco Peru in My Goddamn Cabaret, 25 years ago. A veteran of numerous feature films (trick and the cult classic Girls Will Be Girls, among numerous others), and television shows (How I Met Your Mother, Arrested Development, Twins, and more). Leupp has received worldwide acclaim for his award-winning solo shows and his remarkable series of tributes to great performers, Conversations with Coco, in which she conducts live career-retrospective interviews with such luminaries as Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Liza Minnelli, and the late Bea Arthur.

Leupp has been honored by many organizations, including the Los Angeles LGBT Center, for his long history of dedicated activism and unflagging support of the LGBT community. The Center is proud to present A Gentle Reminder, the sixth original stage show to be performed at the Renberg by one of our most beloved artists.

General admission tickets are $25 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. Free onsite parking is available.

# # #

04-01-16

Miss Coco Peru. Photo by Andrew Putschoegl.

NEWS RELEASE — CHRIS ISAACSON PRESENTS ANNOUNCES FULL SPRING SLATE

CHRIS ISAACSON PRESENTS
ANNOUNCES
FULL SLATE OF ENTERTAINMENT FOR SPRING 2016
FEATURING
RICHARD SHELTON, NATHAN LEE GRAHAM,
THELMA HOUSTON, LIZ CALLAWAY,
AND FRENCHIE DAVIS

Chris Isaacson Presents has announced a full slate of spring entertainment, beginning with acclaimed British actor/singer Richard Shelton, followed by Grammy Award-winner and Zoolander 2 star Nathan Lee Graham, Grammy Award-winner and Motown legend Thelma Houston, Tony Award-nominated actress/singer Liz Callaway, and the inimitable song stylist Frenchie Davis.

Richard Shelton is a Los Angeles-based British film, television, and theatre actor and acclaimed singer. In the UK, Shelton is best known for playing the charmingly murderous role of Dr. Adam Forsythe on ITV’s long-running drama Emmerdale and for his portrayal of Frank Sinatra in the award-winning drama Rat Pack Confidential in London’s West End. Shelton is widely acknowledged as one of the world’s leading interpreters of Frank Sinatra. He has recorded solo albums at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles and Abbey Road Studios in London. Celebrating the release of his new CD An Englishman in Love in LA, he will be appearing at Catalina Bar & Grill in Hollywood for one performance only on Thursday, March 24 at 8:30pm. Shelton will be joined by BMG artist and songwriter Carly Robyn Green. Having recorded over 100 songs for film and television, Green has been called the female Michael Bublé by AOL Music News.

Multi-talented star of stage, screen, and television Nathan Lee Graham can currently be seen in Paramount’s Zoolander 2 reprising his role of ‘Todd’ from the original cult hit, Zoolander. He has also been seen in hit films such as Sweet Home Alabama and Hitch. His television credits include Absolutely Fabulous, Scrubs, Law & Order: SVU and HBO’s The Comeback. On stage, Graham has originated roles on Broadway (The Wild Party, Priscilla Queen Of The Desert) and appeared Off-Broadway in Wig Out!, Hit the Wall, and The Hunger Artists. A consummate concert performer, he won a 2005 Grammy Award for Best Classical Album. Graham will perform his new show, You Oughta Be In Pictures, once only on Thursday, April 21 at 8:30pm at Catalina Bar & Grill.

Grammy Award-winning legend Thelma Houston returns to Catalina Bar & Grill after two sold-out shows in October 2015. Houston began her career singing for Capitol Records with The Art Reynolds Singers and then as a solo artist. Her debut album “Sunshower” for ABC/Dunhill, was released in 1969 and spawned four hit singles. Her rise to fame with Motown Records is chronicled in My Motown: Music, Memories, and More as Houston takes her audience on a musical and inspirational journey that tells the story of her illustrious and fascinating career. She shares intimate stories and behind-the-scenes adventures against a tapestry of 23 classic Motown hits including “Heatwave,” “I Second That Emotion,” “Nowhere to Run,” “I Wish,” “Do You Know Where You’re Going To,” “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing,” her number one international hit “Don’t Leave Me This Way,” and more. Friday, April 29 and Saturday, April 30 — both shows at 8:30pm.

On Monday, May 9 at 8:30pm, Tony Award-nominee and Emmy Award-winner Liz Callaway will perform at Catalina Bar & Grill celebrating the West Coast release of her latest CD, “The Essential Liz Callaway.” Callaway made her Broadway debut in Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along (1981) and she performed in the Lincoln Center concert production of Follies with the New York Philharmonic. Other stage credits include Baby (Tony Award nomination), The Three Musketeers, The Spitfire Grill, Sunday in the Park with George, Evita, Cats, Miss Saigon, and The Look of Love. Callaway’s highly anticipated compilation album includes her definitive recordings of “Meadowlark,” “The Story Goes On,” the Oscar-nominated “Journey To The Past” and five brand new tracks spanning her three-decade career. Callaway will also be appearing for one performance only at Martini’s Above Fourth in San Diego on Tuesday, May 10 at 8pm.

Frenchie Davis is known for her powerhouse vocals and commanding stage presence. She was first noticed when she auditioned for Fox TV’s American Idol and her success on the show launched her rise to fame quickly. Davis was in the Broadway cast of Rent for four years and then toured the West Coast playing Effie White in Dreamgirls and later toured with Ruben Studdard in the 30th Anniversary revival of Ain’t Misbehavin’. She was also one of the top finalists on NBC’s The Voice. Davis will release her long awaited CD debut, produced by Chris Willis, this year. With musical direction by Nick Petrillo, The Frenchie Experience will be an evening of pop and soul cabaret featuring innovative and soulful arrangements of songs spanning every decade. One performance only on Tuesday, May 17 at 8:30pm at Catalina Bar & Grill.

Tickets for all shows are on sale now and may be purchased online at www.ChrisIsaacsonPresents.com or www.ticketweb.com or by phone (LA shows) at (866) 468-3399. To purchase by phone for Liz Callaway at Martini’s Above Fourth in San Diego, call (619) 400-4500.

# # #

03-17-16

NEWS RELEASE — CONSTANCE JEWELL LOPEZ WILL STAR IN “SISTER ACT” AT MUSICAL THEATRE WEST

CONSTANCE JEWELL LOPEZ
SET TO STAR IN SISTER ACT
AT MUSICAL THEATRE WEST
APRIL 8—24

Critically acclaimed actress and singer Constance Jewell Lopez has been set to star in the leading role of Deloris Van Cartier in the Musical Theatre West production of Sister Act, running April 8—24 at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center on the campus of CSU Long Beach. Opening is set for Saturday, April 9 at 8pm.

Constance Jewell Lopez was born in Memphis, Tennessee and raised in the San Francisco Bay area. She started out as a vocalist in cabarets and soon joined forces with rapper Lyrics Born and traveled with him nationally as a vocalist for 15 years. She also performed as a backup singer for Huey Lewis and the News. Her first show as a professional actress was in a production of Oklahoma! at Woodminster Amphitheater in Oakland, CA. Constance was then cast in American Girls Revue in Los Angeles and performed in the show for two years. Following that, she became a company member at the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum in Topanga. Most recently, her performances as Sofia in The Color Purple at Celebration Theatre and as Effie in Dreamgirls with DOMA Theatre Company garnered both popular and critical acclaim. On television, she has appeared on Melissa & Joey, The Office, and in a national AT&T commercial.

Based on the 1992 film comedy of the same name, the Broadway production of Sister Act ran for 562 performances and was nominated for five Tony Awards. The Musical Theatre West production will be directed by two-time Ovation Award-winner Michael Matthews, with musical direction by David Lamoureux. Tickets for Sister Act may be purchased online at www.musical.org or by phone at (562) 856-1999, ext. 4.

For more on Constance Jewell Lopez, visit www.constancejewelllopez.com.

# # #

03-08-16

^{Constance Jewell Lopez. Photo by Neil Reinhold.}