Lloyd Cooper News

The 46th Kritzerland show on Sunday, June 1 featured one of the most influential female lyricists of all time, the great Dorothy Fields. In a time when Tin Pan Alley was almost exclusively a male-dominated club, Dorothy Fields rose to the top, first writing hit after hit with Jimmy McHugh, and later becoming one of the first female lyricists on Broadway and in film. Fields created some of the cleverest and most beautiful lyrics ever written, and was a master of the craft who forged the way for so many other talented female lyricists. There was no one like Dorothy Fields.

Kritzerland at Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal presents NOBODY DOES IT LIKE ME -THE SONGS OF DOROTHY FIELDS on Sunday, June 1, 2014 - 7:00 PM.

Before Beatle-Mania, before Bieber Fever, there was the first, the original…Conrad Birdie! America's rock 'n' roll heart-throb drives the teen girls bonkers as Cabrillo Music Theatre brings back the nostalgic, Tony-winning family-friendly Broadway Musical, BYE BYE BIRDIE. BYE BYE BIRDIE opens on Friday, July 18th, 2014, playing until Sunday, July 27th, and features an added mid-week matinee on July 23rd, at the 1,800-seat Kavli Theatre at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, located at 2100 Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Thousand Oaks. BYE BYE BIRDIE takes us on a trip to the small town of Sweet Apple, Ohio, where the nation's most popular rock-and-roll singer, Conrad Birdie, arrives to give his biggest fan one last kiss to the Fan Club's President, Kim MacAfee, before going into the army - and on the Ed Sullivan Show, of course! At the same time, his manager, Albert Peterson, must deal with his frustrated secretary/girlfriend, Rose Alvarez, while handling his overbearing mother. Meanwhile, Mr. MacAfee fumes while Conrad Birdie takes over his bed, his house, his daughter, and his life! A town full of colorful characters, including crazed teenagers, a jealous boyfriend, a squeaky secretary, and a banquet-room-full of wild-eyed Shriners make for a rollicking, irreverent good time that the entire family will enjoy. BYE BYE BIRDIE features classic songs like "Put On A Happy Face," "The Telephone Hour," "Kids," and "A Lot of Livin' To Do," plus dances to rival the best of Broadway.

On the first Sunday of each month, Bruce Kimmel's Kritzerland Records' presents a supper club musical cabaret at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal in NoHo. Sunday, April 6, 2014, the group celebrated its two-year anniversary with THESE APRIL FOOLISH THINGS with not only foolish songs but ones having to do with Spring or the month of April in general.

For our 44th Kritzerland show we celebrate the most foolish day and month of the year - April Fools Day. Yes, it's all things April and all things foolish, as well as some things that aren't so foolish. And not only are we celebrating the April Fools, we're celebrating the second anniversary of Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal - in April of 2012 we were the first show in Michael Sterling's new home at The Federal, and we've been there every month since. We have a potpourri of fun planned for our April 6th show, including lots of comedy, some beautiful April-themed songs, and an amazing cast. You'll hear songs you know and songs you don't know, including the world premiere of a brand new Richard M. Sherman song, written with Kritzerland's Bruce Kimmel. And playing it will be Richard M. Sherman, our very special guest star - and as if that and our great cast wasn't enough, we have another guest star, too, the beautiful and superlative Andrea Marcovicci. So, don't be too foolish and wait too long to make your reservations - our last seven shows have been early sellouts. Come and join us to celebrate all the wonderful foolish things we've got planned and to wish Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal a happy anniversary as the best cabaret room in the city enters its third year.

The Sunday, June 2nd Kritzerland Show at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal in North Hollywood proved another highly enjoyable evening from Bruce Kimmel and Adryan Russ. The composer celebrated in this show, Noel Coward, is perhaps more renowned for his lyrics than his melodies, but what lyrics they are! Clever, witty, or cynical, they come fast and they delight the intellect.

On Sunday April 7 Kritzerland presented its monthly tribute to great composers, this time around in honor ofthe incomparable lyricists Betty Comden and Adolph Green, entitled Just in Time: The Songs of Betty Comden and Adolph Green.

Many people do not realize, with the exception of us theatre junkies, that Billy Barnes, who regretfully passed from us in September of last year, was without a doubt the keenest composer of the theatre revue. He also created special material for TV's Laugh-In and The Carol Burnett Show, among others. His ingenious theatre revues date back to the 50s with The Billy Barnes Revue of 1959 all the way up to 1983's Movie Star, which had a long run at the Westwood Playhouse, now known as the Geffen. Bruce Kimmel remembers, as he knew the man well and recorded Billy Barnes L.A. Thanks to Kimmel a whole generation of musical theatre fans got a chance to hear up close and personal some of Barnes' greatest, saucy, yet little known achievements at a special Kritzerland show Billy! on Saturday March 2 at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal.

On Sunday, February 3, 2013 at the North Hollywood Church of Religious Science some of Hollywood and Broadway's finest gathered to honor and remember Paul Ainsley, who passed away on January 20, 2013. The afternoon was not a memorial as much as it was a celebration - a roast - a closing night party. It was an event that would have had partying right next to all his friends. Scroll below for photos from the event!

To quote one of Steven Schwartz' most famous songs, it seems like Kritzerland monthy concerts are getting pretty darn 'Popular'. On Monday, February 4, an off night for Kritzerland - Bruce Kimmel wisely did not wish to compete with Super Bowl Sunday on the 3rd - Kritzerland Records presented a jubilant evening of Schwartz music, some tunes lesser known than others, with a stupendous cast including guest stars Karen Morrow and Adrian Zmed at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal. Other singers included: Kim Huber, Lisa Livesay, Dennis Kyle, Dan Callaway, Chelsea Emma Franko, Jenna Rosen and Sarah and Sami Staitman. Trouper Franko stepped in as a replacement soloist at the eleventh hour. This was perhaps one the most enjoyable Kritzerland evenings, not only because of Schwartz' delightful music, but every single performer gave 150% to the material. It rocked!

Kritzerland at Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal presents The Stephen Schwartz Album tonight, February 4, 2013, at 8:00 pm. Kritzerland is performing today this month to allow you and The Federal to enjoy Super Bowl Sunday.

Kritzerland at Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal presents The Stephen Schwartz Album on Monday, February 4, 2013, at 8:00 pm. Kritzerland is performing on Monday this month to allow you and The Federal to enjoy Super Bowl Sunday.

Kritzerland at Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal presents 'The Songs of Jerry Bock & Sheldon Harnick' tonight, January 6, 2012, at 7:00 pm.

Kritzerland at Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal presents 'The Songs of Jerry Bock & Sheldon Harnick' on Sunday, January 6, 2012, at 7:00 pm.

How can Kritzerland make a Christmas show unusual and different? Well, you can either be exceedingly solemn and point the show in the 'Silent Night' direction, or pull out all the stops and run with the comedy. Kritzerland shows have one thing in common: they are never a drag. Bruce Kimmel sees to that whether Guy Haines is a guest or not. Solemn music? No, not in Kritzerland's nature! Fun, yes, always, as Kimmel's personality and anecdotes are full of the demon and amusingly interesting trivia about Broadway show tunes and Hollywood movie music. On Sunday December 2, at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal, Kimmel and his fine singers: Dan Callaway, Damon Kirsche, Emma Degerstedt, Lisa Livesay, Jane Noseworthy, and Jenna Rosen with very special guest star Bill Hayes, a 40 year veteran of Days of Our Lives, were on hand to present and celebrate Broadway, film and rock/pop holiday cheer. Lloyd Cooper served as musical director/accompanist extraordinaire throughout the 90-minute set that made up Kritzerland Records' Christmas with a Little Bit of Hannukah and a Lot of Cheer.

And what 'A Grand Night for Singing' it turned out to be! Not opening on the usual note, Bruce Kimmel presented a video of his YouTube web series Outside the Box, Season 2, episode 1 guest starring Hal Linden, who was present in the audience. Hilarity is at the core here as Linden gets a phone call asking him to appear as Father Marren in The Exorcist the Musical, a true horror - no, not horrible - horror musical. The second scene is the actual shooting of his scene with Regan spewing green vomit to the music of one ridiculously funny original tune. Fun stuff which may be viewed on YouTube!

Kritzerland at Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal presents Mostly Rodgers & Hammerstein (with a little Hart and a little Sondheim) The Songs of Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II, Lorenz Hart & Stephen Sondheim. Hosted by Bruce Kimmel, the concert is set for tonight, November 4, 2012 at 7:00 pm.

Kritzerland at Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal presents Mostly Rodgers & Hammerstein (with a little Hart and a little Sondheim) The Songs of Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II, Lorenz Hart & Stephen Sondheim. Hosted by Bruce Kimmel, the concert is set for Sunday, November 4, 2012 at 7:00 pm.

Rubicon Theatre Company, Ventura County's premier professional theatre company, received eight Ovation nominations at L.A. Stage Alliance's announcement ceremony at the Renberg Theatre in Los Angeles on Tuesday evening. Check out photos of the nominees below!

Cabrillo's impressive reproduction of the 1989 Broadway version of Meet Me in St. Loui is so charmingly rendered, that one puts the movie, Judy Garland and company on a back burner... at least for 2 hours.