NEWS RELEASE ▪︎ CHRIS ISAACSON PRESENTS SPRING 2017 SLATE OF ENTERTAINMENT

CHRIS ISAACSON PRESENTS

ANNOUNCES

FULL SLATE OF ENTERTAINMENT FOR SPRING 2017

FEATURING 

HEART & SOUL: 

MUSIC OF WHITNEY HOUSTON, DIONNE WARWICK & DIANA ROSS

STARRING 

SHARON CATHERINE BROWN, NATALIE WACHEN,

 AND TRENYCE COBBINS;

TRIXIE MATTEL IN AGES 3 & UP; 

SHOSHANA BEAN 

(WITH SPECIAL GUEST RUMER WILLIS); 

NIKI HARIS; AND DONNA McKECHNIE

Chris Isaacson Presents has announced a full slate of spring entertainment, beginning with Heart & Soul: Music of Whitney Houston, Dionne Warwick & Diana Ross starring Sharon Catherine Brown, Natalie Wachen, and Trenyce Cobbins; and continuing with Trixie Mattel in Ages 3 & Up; Shoshana Bean with special guest Rumer Willis; Niki Haris with special guest Donna De Lory; and Donna McKechnie with special guests Greg Safel and Jeffrey Scott Parsons (previously announced).

Be seduced by three sultry starlets of today — Sharon Catherine Brown, Natalie Wachen, and  American Idol finalist and Grammy Award-nominee Trenyce Cobbins as they capture the awesome Heart & Soul of three musical legends – Whitney Houston, Dionne Warwick, and Diana Ross. The show features stunning musical arrangements and a larger-than-life montage of rare photos and videos that showcase the lives of these iconic stars. Darrell Alston is music director, Kay-Ta Matsuno is associate music director, and Davy Nathan is the musical arranger. [Martinis Above Fourth in San Diego on Tuesday, April 11, at 8pm and on Saturday, April 15, at 8:30pm Catalina Bar & Grill in Hollywood.] 

Life in plastic isn’t always fantastic. Don’t believe it? Buckle up as RuPaul’s Drag Race favorite Trixie Mattel spins the last straw into comedy gold with her razor–sharp wit and unmatched style in Ages 3 & Up. From the mundane to the once-in-a-lifetime, Trixie’s point of view breaks the mold. See the world through her iconic, doll–like eyes. [Catalina Bar & Grill on Wednesday, April 12, at 8:30pm.]

Actress and recording artist Shoshana Bean  is a veteran of the Broadway stage having made her debut  in  the  original  cast  of Hairspray and starring as the very first replacement for Elphaba in Wicked. Most recently she appeared as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl and in the pre-Broadway production of the new musical Beaches.  She  has  sold  out  solo concerts around the globe, lent her voice to countless films and television shows, and her music has been featured in television shows on NBC, MTV, Oxygen, Bravo, and Showtime. Special guest Rumer Willis recently starred as Roxie Hart in Chicago on Broadway. Previously, she released her cover of Britney Spears’ “Toxic,” and she was the Season 20 winner of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. [Catalina Bar & Grill on Friday, April 14, at 8:30pm.]

Recording artist and chanteuse extraordinaire Niki Haris is set to perform a Mother’s Day concert at Catalina Bar & Grill in Hollywood. Daughter of Grammy Award nominated jazz pianist Gene Haris, Niki has performed on the world’s biggest stages from Carnegie Hall to Wembley Stadium, Lincoln Center to the Staples Center and everywhere in between. Known for her jazz, gospel, and pop vocals she has performed with jazz greats from Stanley Turrentine, Red Holloway, and Ray Charles to pop superstars from Sheryl Crow to Whitney Houston — and most famously as the big voice behind Madonna. Special guest recording artist Donna De Lory has released multiple critically-acclaimed CDs, including Bliss, In the Glow, The Lover and The Beloved, Sky is Open, Sanctuary, Remixes, and most recently, The Unchanging. The show’s music director is Karen Hammack, and the band will feature Rob McDonald on bass, LJ Hollifield on drums, and more to be announced.  [Catalina Bar & Grill on Sunday, May 14, at 7:30pm.]

Tony Award-winning star of A Chorus Line Donna McKechnie is regarded internationally as one of Broadway’s foremost dancing and singing leading ladies. Her Broadway shows include How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Sondheim—A Musical Tribute On the Town, Promises, Promises, Company, and State Fair. Donna has starred in numerous productions in London’s West End including Promises, Promises, Company, No Way to Treat a Lady, Can-Can, and Follies. She starred in Bob Fosse’s last production, the 1987 National Tour of Sweet Charity. Most recently she appeared in Michael John LaChiusa’s The Wild Party in London. Special guests will include Greg Safel making his LA cabaret debut in celebration of his new CD Visible (LML Music), and local favorite Jeffrey Scott Parsons, a musical theatre star working on the boards across the United States and internationally. Some of his many credits include West Side Story, White Christmas, Cabaret, Dames at Sea, 42^nd Street, Glory Days, and Forever Plaid. [Sunday, May 28, at 7:30pm at Catalina Bar & Grill in Hollywood and Thursday, June 1, at 8pm at Martinis Above Fourth in San Diego.]

Chris Isaacson Presents (CIP) has created, produced, and promoted over 700 events since the company’s founding in 2004. From small clubs to major theatres CIP has presented some of the most influential stars of this generation. CIP’s summer event in 2016 — Broadway Under the Stars: Celebrating the 35^th Anniversary of “Dreamgirls” — was a complete sellout at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre in Hollywood. The evening starred original Dreamgirls Sheryl Lee Ralph, Loretta Devine, and Jennifer Holliday. Most recently, CIP coordinated and produced an elaborate kick-off event at the Pacific Design Center celebrating the premiere of Ryan Murphy’s FEUD: Bette and Joan (FX Networks). The Drag-Tacular Live Concert Event featured Tony Award-winner Sam Harris as host. Niki Haris and Bianca Del Rio were only two of the many stars in the show, which played to a standing room only crowd. For information about upcoming CIP events, including Broadway Under the Stars at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre, visit www.ChrislsaacsonPresents.com.

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. Phone reservations for shows at Martinis Above Fourth may be made at (619) 400-4500.

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04-04-17

^{SHOSHANA BEAN, TRIXIE MATTEL, NIKI HARIS}

^{PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHRIS ISAACSON PRESENTS.}

Announcing: ‘Sparkle! An All-Star Holiday Concert’ on Friday 12/13 at Acme Theatre will Benefit The Actors Fund

★★ SPARKLE! AN ALL-STAR HOLIDAY CONCERT ★★

ARRIVES IN LOS ANGELES ON DECEMBER 13 AT ACME THEATRE IN HOLLYWOOD

PROCEEDS BENEFIT THE ACTORS FUND

Star-studded holiday benefit SPARKLE! An All-Star Holiday Concert comes to Los Angeles for the first time with an exclusive and intimate performance at the Acme Theatre in Hollywood for one night only on Friday, December 13 at 7:30pm. Proceeds will benefit the programs and services of The Actors Fund.

After four sold-out years in Palm Springs, CA and an additional two years in New York City, SPARKLE! comes to Los Angeles. For this special holiday event, producer and host Scott Nevins has gathered an all-star cast of performers from the worlds of Broadway, television, film, and the music industry to help sing in the season.

Andrew Rannells (Tony Award® nominee for The Book of Mormon/NBC’s The New Normal/HBO’s Girls) leads the impressive list of stars who are scheduled to perform. Also ready to dazzle the crowd are Sharon McNight (Starmites), Ginifer King (Gypsy/Steel Magnolias), Stacey Oristano (NBC’s Friday Night Lights/ABC Family’s Bunheads), Milena Govich (Cabaret/Law & Order), Max von Essen (Evita/Les Misérables), Shoshana Bean (Hairspray, Wicked), Matt Zarley (The Who’s Tommy/Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat), Erin Quill (Avenue Q), Constantine Rousouli (Ghost/ Wicked), Julie Garnye (Les Misérables/Chicago), Emerson Collins (Sordid Lives The Series/Bravo’s The People’s Couch), Blake McIver (Bravo’s The People’s Couch), Lexi Lawson (Rent/In the Heights), and Billboard Top 20 recording artist Kelly King. The show will also feature a special reading of T’was The Night Before Christmas by the legendary Lainie Kazan. Scott Nevins hosts, with Jesse Vargas serving as music director and arranger. The evening is made possible by generous support from presenting sponsors Jim Burba and Bob Hayes.

The Actors Fund is a national human services organization that helps everyone— performers and those behind the scenes — that works in performing arts and entertainment, assisting more than 13,500 people in person each year, and hundreds of thousands more online. Serving professionals in film, theatre, television, music, opera, radio and dance, The Fund’s programs include social services and emergency financial assistance, health care and insurance counseling, housing, and employment and training services. With offices in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, The Actors Fund has — for 131 years — been a safety net for those in need, crisis or transition.

Ticket prices for SPARKLE! An All-Star Holiday Concert range from $35 — $100 (VIP package including priority seating and post-show meet and greet). To purchase online, go to http://bit.ly/SparkleLA2013. The Acme Theatre in Hollywood is located at 135 N. La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles, 90036.

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11-21-13

Announcing: Broadway Dreams Foundation Presents ‘Circle of Dreams’ at UCLA’s Freud Playhouse on Sat 6/22 at 7:30pm

THE BROADWAY DREAMS FOUNDATION
PRESENTS “CIRCLE OF DREAMS”
AT FREUD PLAYHOUSE ON UCLA CAMPUS
SATURDAY, JUNE 22 AT 7:30PM

ACCLAIMED DIRECTOR STAFFORD ARIMA DIRECTS
WITH CHOREOGRAPHY BY EMMY AWARD-NOMINATED SPENCER LIFF

The Broadway Dreams Foundation will present Circle of Dreams, a unique Broadway concert open to the public, at UCLA’s Freud Playhouse on Saturday, June 22 at 7:30pm. This culmination of a week-long Summer Performing Arts Intensive will be directed by Olivier Award-nominated Stafford Arima (bare, Altar Boyz, Ragtime), choreographed by Emmy Award-nominee Spencer Liff (So You Think You Can Dance, Smash), and will feature veteran Broadway performers alongside a talented roster of LA area BDF students.

Broadway favorites Shoshana Bean (Wicked), Craig D’Amico (Annie Get Your Gun), Quentin Earl Darrington (Ragtime), Andrew Palmermo (Wicked), Nicole Parker (MadTV, Wicked), and Ryann Redmond (Bring It On: The Musical) are scheduled to perform, and the evening will feature selections from Side Show, The Who’s Tommy, Moulin Rouge, The Music Man, the 2013 Tony Award-winning revival of Pippin, among others.

Ticket prices for Circle of Dreams range from $20—$55 and are available online at http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0B004ACB9278691B, or by calling the UCLA Central Ticketing Office at (310) 825-2101 (M-F, 10am-4pm).

The Broadway Dreams Foundation is the country’s premier performing arts education program dedicated to ongoing engagement, inspiration, and access regardless of a student’s ability to pay. With a faculty of Broadway stars, directors and agents committed to giving back to the theatrical community, BDF provides invaluable training to anyone who aspires for a career in the performing arts. The unique program offers students highly personalized and supportive mentorship, an exciting and collaborative learning environment and ongoing networking to build confidence and life skills. The Broadway Dreams Foundation provides a life changing experience. For more information on The Broadway Dreams Foundation, please visit www.mybroadwaydreams.com or call 347-927-4233.

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06-17-13