Podcast appearances and mentions of beckie menzie

Singer John Mahady joins Rick Kogan to talk about his career and his Friday 7:30 and next Sunday 2 p.m. shows at Rhapsody Theater with Beckie Menzie as musical director. For more information visit rhapsodytheater.com.

Performers Tom Michael and Beckie Menzie join Rick Kogan to discuss their long collaboration as well as their “re-Imagine the Beatles” concert with Irwin Berkowitz held at Ravinia’s Martin Theater on June 30th. They addressed how the pandemic affected them, how the two started collaborating, and more!

Anita and Mel are BACK! Mel is helping her mom navigate the first few weeks of widowhood, Anita has just passed her 3rd year after her husband's death, and lives are still going on. Anita and Mel love their widow friends and guests and want to share with you some updates from a few of them. The updates in this episode are from:Lynne Rothrock (ep. 18)Beckie Menzie (ep. 19)Brittany Bussio (ep. 21)David Kelly (ep. 22)Mindi Holmgren (ep. 23)Liz Mecham (ep. 25)Hillary Childress (ep. 26)Karen Cornell (ep. 27)Treagan White (ep. 32)Hannah Legasa (ep. 35)Melissa Brackman (ep. 38)Carly Kropf (ep. 40)Jennie Taylor (ep. 41)Help us keep the podcast going!http://www.patreon.com/wwdnWant to buy us some tacos?https://www.buymeacoffee.com/widowwedonowSponsored by: Mint Mobile: Mobile phone plans with great service and coverage starting at $15/mont https://trymintmobile.com/wwdnBarkBox: Get one month free with subscription http://www.barkbox.com/wwdnBetterHelp.com. Save 10% off the first month of online therapy done securely, online with our unique link: https://trybetterhelp.com/wwdnOmbre: For 50% off your microbiome test kit, use our link: https://tryombre.com/WWDNKeen: Keen provides access to vetted psychics, mediums, and other spiritual advisors for an affordable cost. To get ten minutes for just $1.99, use our unique link: http://www.trykeen.com/wwdn

Anita and Mel welcome special guest Beckie Menzie from Chicago. Beckie keeps it real, honest, and good-natured while talking candidly about her experience with widowhood and life.

For over 4 decades, Rich Daniels and his orchestra have been featured together with a long and distinguished list of music greats including Ray Charles, Mel Torme, Burt Bacharach, Dionne Warwick, The Four Topps, Smokey Robinson, Frankie Laine and many more. Daniels has been touring recently with the Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration and has been engaged with the hit TV series “Empire” for the past four years. Daniels joined the conversation on November 2nd to talk about his career and upcoming Auditorium show on November 17th for ELLA & LENA: The Ladies and Their Music, a centennial concert celebration of Ella Fitzgerald and Lena Horne. Chicago vocalist and producer Joan Curto will be joined by many of Chicago’s top artists including E. Faye Butler, Beckie Menzie, Tammy McCann, Paul Marinaro, Tom Michael and Sophie Grimm with Daniels’ 17-piece orchestra featuring songs from the Great American Songbook. Season 2 Episode 29. Originally published November 9, 2017.

Booth One welcomes the amazing Rachel Rockwell to our studios amidst her action-packed schedule. Her beautiful production of Shakespeare in Love has just opened at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, and she has about a million other irons in the fire. As a choreographer, Rachel was nominated for Joseph Jefferson Awards for The King & I (2007) and A Chorus Line (2011). As a director, she received Jeff Award nominations for Miss Saigon (2009); The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee—Best Musical (2009); Ragtime (2010) and 42nd Street (2011). For her acclaimed Drury Lane Oakbrook Theatre production of Ragtime (11 Jeff nominations and seven awards), she received the Joseph Jefferson Award as Best Director of a musical. As Director, Jeff Award nominations (2012) for Best Director and Best Musical: The Sound of Music and Sweeney Todd at Drury Lane Oakbrook Theatre; and Best Play: Enron at Timeline Theatre Company. In 2013, her production of Oliver! received a Jeff nomination for Best Musical. In 2014, she received Jeff Award nominations (Director, Choreography and Best Musical) for the revival of Brigadoon at The Goodman Theatre and Les Miserables at Drury Lane Oakbrook. Her production of Brigadoon was named Best Musical and she was named Best Choreographer for that production. She won the Jeff Award for Best Choreography for her production of Billy Eliot in 2015. In 2016, she won the Jeff Award as Best Director for her production of Ride The Cyclone at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre.[22] She has directed notable Children's Theatre productions at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. At CST, she also choreographed productions of The Merry Wives of Windsor, Romeo and Juliet, and Measure For Measure. Since the mid-nineties, Rockwell has directed and choreographed dozens of productions for such theaters as: Steppenwolf, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Drury Lane Theatre Oakbrook, Marriott Theatre Lincolnshire, Paramount Theatre, Noble Fool Theatricals, Fox Valley Repertory, Apple Tree, The Little Theatre on the Square, SIU Summer Theatre and McCleod Summer Playhouse. Rachel is also working on writing and developing new musicals. Look out world!!! Booth One has a couple of ideas we may be passing by her desk. Rachel is the third musical genius to come on our show who hails from Indiana. Beckie Menzie and Danni Smith, both past guests and friends of the show, cultivated their talents in the Hoosier State. We're wondering what's in the water over there!? Rachel credits her success to a long line of mentors and teachers, including Buzz Miller, who danced Bob Fosse's brilliant choreography in the seminal "Steam Heat" on Broadway and in the film of The Pajama Game. Rachel was Dance Captain in Mamma Mia on Broadway and the National Tour, and she gives us some backstage insight about what a difficult and important job this is. She choreographs in her car(!) and counter-clockwise in her living room to avoid the coffee table. So yeah, kind of a genius. Deb Acker, the production stage manager at Chicago Shakespeare, says Rachel is the most prepared director she's ever worked with. Rachel tells us why she prepares so thoroughly. Gary and Rachel talk the 2017 Tony Award nominations and Rachel particularly recommends Come From Away. Martha Lavey,  a mentor to us all and a huge force in the Chicago theater community, is our Kiss of Death segment this week. There are no words. But these journalists come close: Hedy Weiss for the Chicago Sun Times Chris Jone for the Chicago Tribune New York Times        

Gary and Roscoe are pleased and excited to welcome cabaret artist Beckie Menzie to Booth One this week. Beckie is an award-winning performer, teacher, song writer, musical director and vocal coach, a staple of the Windy City music scene, and nationally recognized as one of the country's finest cabaret entertainers. Along with her musical partner Tom Michael, they have been called, "Sizzling...immensely appealing...one of the most compelling duos in cabaret today!" Beckie is from Pierceton, IN, but a Chicago girl through and through. She learned piano at an early age and fell in love with music and the performing arts while hanging around the Wagon Wheel Theatre in Warsaw, IN. She has performed at some of the nation's top clubs, theaters, concert halls, outdoor venues, and cabaret rooms. She most recently appeared at Carnegie Hall and the Auditorium Theatre. We play a few song excerpts throughout the podcast to give you a taste of her talent, style and singular musical gifts. Beckie and the boys chat about cabaret performers Michael Feinstein, Barbara Cook, Karen Mason, Sally Mayes, Julie Wilson, Bette Midler, Bernadette Peters, Marilyn Maye and Barbra Streisand. (Just to drop a few names!) We discuss Laura Benanti's latest show at the Cafe Carlyle in New York and the stellar reviews she received. Gary gives a shout out to the Therapy Players, Chicago's premier all-psychotherapist comedy improvisation troupe! Seems they're holding auditions looking for a few new recruits. If you or someone you love is mental health professional, check them out at www.therapyplayers.com. In addition to performing steadily with Tom, Beckie is also a vocal coach and teacher, has recently become engaged, and sings with Laura Freeman & Marianne Murphy Orland in a group called Girls Like Us. They'll be performing their new show Barbra, Bette and Bernadette at Chicago's famed Davenport's nightclub on November 19 & 20. Go here for more info and tickets. Beckie's various musical ventures are part of her BeMe Music empire. If you like The Golden Girls like we do, you'll LOVE the new action figures from Funko. Retirees Dorothy, Blanche, Rose and Sophia are posable vinyl figures 3.75 inches tall and ready for action! The four-figure set costs $25 and is only available from participating Target stores and New York Comic Con. Run, don't walk, to your nearest Target for holiday shopping magic. There's nothing like a country and western song title to bring a smile - and an occasional grimace - to your face. Gary cycles through the Best of the Worst Country-Western Song Titles of all time. Here's one - She Got the Gold Mine and I Got the Shaft. Beckie tells us about the country song she once wrote and one that she intends to. Roscoe inquires whether anyone can be taught how to sing, in an apparent attempt to jump start a cabaret career of his own. Beckie responds as only a true vocal/performance coach can. Don't worry, folks. Roscoe and I are probably not leaving the Booth One podcast for vocalist fame and fortune anytime soon! Chat Pack, anyone? We play a few rounds of our favorite conversational party game with Beckie. Kiss of Death: Jean Shepard, Female Country Voice with Muscle and Ambition. A mainstay of the Grand Ole Opry for more than 60 years, Ms. Shepard blazed the Country Music trail for other female singers like Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline and Tammy Wynette. She brought a freewheeling, cheeky style to the eternal themes of heartache, cheating and marital discord, planting the flag for independent women. In the early 1950's, Ms. Shepard had hits with "The Root of All Evil (Is a Man)", "Many Happy Hangovers to You" and "Twice the Lovin' (in Half the Time)". She was small but her voice was powerful, pure and penetrating. She was also an expert yodeler. Ms. Shepard was an ardent champion of traditional country music throughout her lifetime. She was 82. Read Obit.            

HMDWL 82! Tonight we love neti pots and nasal irrigation, factory tours on TV, conversation hearts, and the Target Wine Cube. HMDWL Chicago Listener Meet!  Tuesday, February 5th 7pm Hamburger Mary’s 5400 N. Clark St Chicago, IL 60640 Come see Sara sing! Friday, February 8th 8pm Cheri Coons in It’s About Time with Beckie Menzie with […]

HMDWL 81! Tonight we love a few guilty pleasure TV shows, people splitting their pants, and the movie Once. HMDWL Chicago Listener Meet! Tuesday, February 5th 7pm Hamburger Mary’s 5400 N. Clark St Chicago, IL 60640 Come see Sara sing! Friday, February 8th 8pm Cheri Coons in It’s About Time with Beckie Menzie with guest […]