Klea Blackhurst : Secrets of Successful Singing Revealed! A review of MoonSchool’s first Master Class.

Klea Blackhurst (right) with
U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg Ann Wagner

On February 5th, New York’s powerhouse singer, Klea Blackhurst, swooped into MoonSchool and taught an amazing Master Class in singing and song interpretation.  Ms. Blackhurst was the perfect choice to launch the Master Class series at 42nd Street Moon.  Klea is an experienced performer of both theatre and cabaret.  Her singing style is athletic, confident, forceful, grounded and joyous [see video below!].  Throughout the three-hour session, Klea let her skills shine without ever eclipsing the performers or forgetting that she was, indeed, there to teach.  The class was accompanied by Mr. Barry Lloyd, an accomplished musician and performer.  Klea and Barry blended beautifully as teachers and mentors.

from top left clockwise: Eliza Leoni, Julia Baron, Klea Blackhurst
Chelsea Nenni, Barry Lloyd, Jonathan Shue, Buzz Halsing,
Moon Education Director Dyan McBride, and Chloe Condon

The format was fairly simple.  Seven Bay Area performers and MoonSchool students-Seth Michael Anderson, Julia Baron, Chloe Condon, Buzz Halsing, Eliza Leoni, Chelsea Nenni and Jonathan Shue were asked to prepare a musical theatre song.  After singing, they would work with Klea on whatever she deemed important.  The audience was made up of friends, singers, teachers and those interested in learning about the process of singing.

Barry fixing rhythms and arrangements!

Each singer had approximately 15 to 20 minutes with Klea and Barry.  The technique that seemed to get the most play during the class was exploring a physicality in singing that had force and confidence.  If a singer thought they were singing with full emotion or breath, Klea helped them see that there was much more power within themselves.   Singers learned that breath is not just a casual act.  It IS singing. In Klea’s words, “Breath is the umbrella and everything else is underneath.”  Barry fixed rhythms and discussed better/different arrangements or markings in the music.

Chelsea and Klea connecting!

Other techniques that were explored were “ping” singing (forward sound), articulation of consonants for energy, using one’s gestures to help sing with confidence and Klea’s theory of mind, body and spirit as the core of singing.  Her basic philosophy being any “problem” which occurs in singing is a result of an issue in either the mind (artistry, thought, objectives/tactics, lyrics), the body (physicalization, acoustics, what you can and can’t accomplish when singing a certain song) and spirit (performance magic, being in “the zone”).  

Chelea Before working with Klea and during!

Each singer had moments of brilliance.  They were all open and playful.  Klea and Barry both remarked that they were grateful to have singers who were willing to try anything they were given.  All singers were prepared, off-book and knew what they wanted to work on.  Some wanted to connect with their body, while others wanted to re-charge a piece they’d sung for a long time.  Whatever the need, Klea and Barry worked on it and then some.  How wonderful it was to have singers and teachers that reveled in the beauty and fun of music.  Our first Master Class was a success all the way around!

Klea with Buzz

MoonSchool’s next Master Class features the return of Darren Criss. The handsome and talented star of Fox TV's hit show, Glee began his career with 42nd Street Moon!

Stay tuned for all the exciting details!

Our past two blogs have discussed the two guest stars of tonight’s salon tribute to the legendary composer John Kander. Karen Ziemba and Noah Racey comprise two of the seven performers you’ll see at the Alcazar, and they both originated roles in John Kander shows.

Rob Hatzenbeller

Karen originated roles in four Kander shows, including Curtains which Noah also originated a role in. However, they aren’t the only cast members to have been in a world premiere Kander show. Rob Hatzenbeller had the wonderful fortune to be cast in the world premiere of Kander and Ebb’s The Visit.

Tell me about your character, Lenny, in The Visit?

Rob: Chita Rivera played Claire Zachanasian, the wealthiest woman in the world. [ed. Her job? The world’s oldest profession!] Lenny was part of her entourage, one of her bodyguards. He was a gum-chewing, tough-guy type, a real brute.

Chita Rivera and her "entourage"n from the Visit

Were you living in Chicago at the time? Or did they cast from elsewhere?

Rob: The Goodman [Theatre] cast from NYC and Chicago. They were anticipating a Broadway transfer. I happened to be living in Chicago at the time. It was a lengthy audition / callback process, but thankfully, I got it.

Did you get to work much with Kander & Ebb personally?

Rob: I did. Since it was a world premiere, we had an extended rehearsal period. Both John and Fred were there a good part of the time. John would sometimes play for rehearsals. It was amazing seeing them make changes - adding things, moving things.

What does it feel like to have been in the world premiere of a new Kander/Ebb musical?

Rob: It's very surreal. I have always been a huge Kander and Ebb fan. Having the opportunity to meet and work with them was a true honor and something I'll never forget.

What was your favorite moment of the show?

Rob: There were many, but Chita singing "Love and Love Alone" was stunning. The cast would watch from backstage every night.

Any fun horror stories you want to share?

Rob: Unfortunately, our big 'horror' story - really was a horror story. We'd only been in rehearsal for a week when 9/11 happened. Our stage manager called each of us Tuesday morning to tell us not to come in. We had just had two days off and a number of the New York cast members had flown back to NYC.

No one could reach them.

It was such a frightening time. It was very hard to move forward particularly with a show with such dark subject matter. However, our terrific director, Frank Galati, reminded us of the value of theatre and of our work... and that people were going to need to be entertained. So, we banded together and continued doing what we do.

Kerry Butler and David Bertka in the Opposite of Sex

On top of being a reunion with the work of Kander, this is also a reunion for you and Karen, what is it like working with her?

Rob: Karen is lovely. I was brought in to understudy The Opposite of Sex at the Magic a few years ago. I ultimately went on, playing Karen's love interest. As you can imagine stepping into a show is pretty daunting, but she was so warm and generous, she made it easy. And talk about a powerhouse performer! Moon audiences are in for a treat.

Anything you’d like to add?

Rob: I'm so glad that Moon is celebrating the work of John Kander. Thursday's audience is going to hear some amazing music!

For tickets to And All That Jazz, click here or call (415) 255-8207

Noah Racey, A Contemporary Song and Dance Man

Today's guest Blogger is Joe Mader.  Joe has written on theater and film for a variety of publications, including Salon.com, the San Francisco Weekly, the San Francisco Examiner, and the Hollywood Reporter. He served as managing director and producer for a Worcester, Massachusetts theater company for two years.  For 42nd Street Moon, he previously stage managed Peddling Rainbows, Girl Crazy, and Very Warm For May, the company's last three annual fundraising galas, and our first entries in Moon’s Salon Series:  Nice Work If You Can Get It: An Ira Gershwin Salon and I Feel a Song Coming On: A Dorothy Fields Salon.

Noah Racey as Charley Wykeham

I first saw Noah Racey perform in 2004 when he played the title role in the Goodspeed Opera House’s production of the terrific musical farce (with songs by Frank Loesser) Where’s Charley?


The astonishing thing about Racey was that, as the plot and the show got crazier and crazier, as Charley had to slip in out of that damn dress with increasing haste, as the lies being upheld became more and more preposterous and hilarious, Racey’s Charley became more and more delighted with it all.

And the truly great thing was that Racey did too.

Racey is a consummate performer who delights in giving an audience pleasure. He is also one of the best dancers on Broadway.

In Curtains, opposite his And All That Jazz co-star, Karen Ziemba, Racey was the third or fourth lead, but when he danced, you couldn’t take your eyes off him.

He moves with an unbelievable ease and fluidity. Like having just seen a Gene Kelly movie (yes, I said it), you can’t help but try out a few steps in the foyer or the sidewalk or the parking lot after seeing Racey perform. (That’s when, of course, you realize just how much hard work goes into that seeming ease.)

Check out some of Noah's moves with the New York Tap Ensemble (of which he is the Founding Artistic Director)

I am crushed to have missed both him and Ziemba in Never Gonna Dance, which by most accounts was two hours or so of bliss, and I was unable to get to New York to see him in the recent off-Broadway production of Earnest in Love, also reported to be incredibly charming.

Noah and Karen Ziemba in Never Gonna Dance

I did see him steal the show in the latest incarnation of the Broadway by the Year franchise that played at Broadway by the Bay. The joy and skill he brings to performing is infectious. An increasing number of people are learning that Noah Racey is reason enough to see a show, any show.

Karen and Noah in rehearsal for On Broadway!

Once again paired with Ziemba -- also one of the best dancers on Broadway -- performing the songs of Kander for this 42nd Street Moon show, I am thrilled to be working with them as stage manager. Moon audiences are in for a treat.

And All That Jazz: A John Kander Salon
Starring Karen Ziemba and Noah Racey

At the Alcazar Theatre, 650 Geary Street
One Night Only!
January 27th, 7 PM

More information, click here.

For tickets call (415) 255-8207, or click here.

It Couldn't Please Me More, Karen Ziemba starring in And All That Jazz: A John Kander Salon

The first time I saw Karen Ziemba perform, I was 18 and in the process of devouring everything Sondheim.  A friend had lent me a VHS of Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall – for those of you too young to remember VHS, they were an archaic form of DVDs.

Performance after performance, they were all delicious!

And though the list of luminaries was long – Madeline Kahn, Glenn Close, Liza Minnelli, Patti LuPone, etc. – it was, without a doubt, KZ’s seduction of a clown (Bill Irwin) in a hysterically sensual rendition of “Sooner or Later,” that stopped the show for me.   See for yourself!

How could I not fall in love? (Strictly platonically of course.)

It would take nine years before I saw KZ on stage.  It was at the Magic Theatre, here in San Francisco.  She played Lucia in the World Premiere of Douglas Cohen’s musical adaptation of The Opposite of Sex.  Though the show had its problems, Karen was fantastic and won the Bay Area Theatre Critics’ Circle Award.

The one thing that I really missed in The Opposite of Sex, was her dancing.  There wasn’t much.

And if you’re a fan, you know that Karen was originally trained as a dancer, taking her first class at age six.  She later studied at the University of Akron, and joined The Ohio Ballet during her sophomore year.

Her first major job in NYC was in the 50th Anniversary celebration of Radio City Music Hall, she was backed by the Rockettes.  This wouldn’t be her only time dancing with the Rockettes, check out this video of her singing Alan Menken’s “I Wanna Be a Rockette,” backed by the famed troupe.

With all this dance experience, it was only natural that her first Broadway show would be A Chorus Line, where she went on to play Diana Morales the night that the show became the longest running musical in history.

She went on to win the Drama Desk Award for Kander and Ebb’s hit revue, And The World Goes 'Round,  a personal favorite and always on my i-Pod playlist. This would be the first of many Kander and Ebb shows; the team would later write Steel Pier for KZ (and earn her her first Tony Nomination).  She would also appear in a workshop of their musical adaptation of Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth and finally Curtains, for which she received her fourth Tony Nomination.

Curtains                                                                            Steel Pier

What about the middle two Tony nominations?  Well, her second nomination and subsequent WIN was for Contact and her third nomination was for the Jerome Kern revue Never Gonna Dance.

Though not from the show here is KZ singing Kern's “Put Me to the Test” with Scott Wise.

OK, I’ll stop gushing now, I hope I’ve made you even half as excited as I am that Karen will be joining us for And All That Jazz: A John Kander Salon, January 27th at the Alcazar Theatre.  There are still great seats available, click here, or call us at (415)255-8207.

A Glee - ful experience with Babes in Arms.

Glee. Let’s face it, it’s become a phenomenon.

Whether you like it, love it, or hate it, it looks like it’s going to be around for a while.  Personally, I love it.

I love the storylines. I love the song choices. I love the characters. I love that it’s making household names out of Broadway stars.   I love what it’s doing for Musical Theatre.

Glee is introducing legions of children and young adults (and some older adults, too!) to classic Broadway shows.  Shows from West Side Story to Wicked, from The King and I to, yes… Babes in Arms, have all had their spot to shine on Glee.

Here is Mark Salling (Noah “Puck” Puckerman) performing “The Lady is a Tramp.”

This jazzy version of “Tramp” is not the only connection between Glee and 42nd Street Moon, nor between Glee and Babes in Arms.

In 1999, 42nd Street Moon produced a concert version of Babes in Arms at The New Conservatory Theater.  The young man who played Beauregard Calhoun was a 12 year old aspiring actor by the name of Darren Criss.  Here is his bio:

Darren and Marsha Merchant
from Do I Hear a Waltz?

Darren Criss (Beauregarde) is currently attending ACT (the American Conservatory Theater) for his 3rd year.  Darren is happy to be back at 42nd Street Moon, having appeared in Fanny and Do I Hear a Waltz? He has also been a part of ACT’s production of A Christmas Carol, along with other productions such as A Mid-Summer Night’s Dream, and The Voyzee Inheritance.  Darren is in the seventh grade at Stuart Hall for Boys, and he enjoys music, writing, reading, drama, and art.  He plays the violin and also enjoys the piano and guitar.  When he grows up, he hopes to become a successful actor. 

Now here is Darren Criss and Chris Colfer singing “Baby It’s Cold Outside” on last week’s episode of Glee, where Darren has become a regular cast member. (Incidentally, Darren also sang "Where or When" for his audition for Glee.)

I was so proud when I found out that the newest cast member of this show got his start right here at 42nd Street Moon. We were Darren’s first professional acting job, but he isn’t the only one.

42nd Street Moon has a long history of helping young actors start their performing careers.



Isaiah Boyd



Gabriel Stephens



Our current production of Babes in Arms has a bevy of young talent. Our youngest cast member, Gabriel Stephens is only 16, Isaiah Boyd -- who has been garnering a lot of attention for his dancing abilities -- is only 18, and Annie Donahey is a tried and true Moonie at 17.  Annie, who recently was awarded the National Youth Theatre Award for Outstanding Actress, also made her professional stage debut with Moon, seven years ago.



This past summer a number of our brightest and most talented young ensemble members moved to New York to further their careers: Andrew Willis-Woodward, Sarah Kathleen Farrell, Giana De Geiso, Jimmy Robertson, Robbie Cowan are just some of the phenomenal talent 42nd Street Moon has helped nurture.  We look forward to seeing their name in lights on 42nd Street soon!



Annie Donahey



This is also why you should come and see all the shows at Moon!  You never know who you’ll be able to say “oh my, I saw him in his first show ever… he was just 10 years old then,” or “She was so fantastic when I saw her do…”

And if you want to catch Annie or Gabriel in Babes in Arms, click here for tickets.

If you want to help 42nd Street Moon give more of these young, aspiring actors a chance, consider making a contribution to our end of year campaign by clicking here.

Until then, see you at the theatre!