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CURRENT NEWS: NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2011
* Michael is Co-writer / Arranger / Pianist for Boulder-based jazz vocalist Karen Burke's latest CD. Recording December 2011.
* Michael and Colorado University's (Boulder) Composition Master's Candidate Ryan Connell are currently writing an the original musical drama Waiting... to be premiered this Winter 2012 in Boulder, Colorado, and gearing up for festival performances in 2012 & 2013. While Michael is writing the music and lyrics, Connell is writing the incidental music and both are writing the book.
* Michael is currently writing music and lyrics for the New York City-based musical comedy What Would Esther Williams Do in a Situation Like This? Featuring a book by theatre veterans Rich Webacher, Don Werbacher and Ovi Vargas, Esther was originally produced as an 1989 & 1996 Off-Broadway play. The musicalization of Esther chronicles a day in the life of a eccentric 1945 post-war family in living in NYC. Original music, featuring the big band sounds of the 1940 - with a twist! Table reading in NYC January 2012!
FALL 2011
* Michael is Director of The Boulder Rock 'n Roll Choir and The Harmony Vocal Jazz Ensemble, both at Harmony Music House in Boulder, Colorado, where he also teaches piano, voice and songwriting. 50 members strong!
SUMMER 2011
* Michael is a street busker/musician, playing on Boulder's Pearl Street Mall. Find the red piano and you will know it's him!
* Michael is now Director of The The Boulder Rock 'n Roll Choir at Harmony Music House in Boulder, Colorado, where he also teaches piano, voice and songwriting.
MAY 2011
* Michael is Accompanist (sub) for Broadway in Boulder's spring production of Adam Guttiel's Floyd Collins. Oh, by the way, Michael moved to glorious Boulder, Colorado!
CURRENT NEWS: DECEMBER 2010/JANUARY 2011
 
* December 2010/January 2011 Michael is Music Director for TheatreZone's two winter Equity productions of The Fantasticks and No, No, Nanette in Naples, Florida. The Fantasticks runs December 2-12, 2010 and No, No Nanette runs January 6-16, 2011.
* Fall 2010 Michael is Music Director for the National Tour of In The Mood, a jazzy music revue celebrating the music of the 1940s. Leading the live on-stage String of Pearls Orchestra consisting of 12 amazing instrumentalists and 6 awesome singers/dancers, Michael is thrilled to be a part of this production and tour! Visit us on Facebook!
* Summer 2010 Michael is going to CAMP! - as a Music Director/Instructor for Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Camp in the Catskills, NY, that is. While there, he will be teaching teenage "theatre geeks" master classes in Audition Technique, Vocal Coaching and also Music Directing 13 (Jason Robert Brown) and BIG. The show's creators Richard Maltby, Jr. and David Shire will be joining us to help us rework aspects of this Broadway hit based on the film! Both shows will be SDM premieres! By the way, Stagedoor Manor is the camp where the film CAMP was filmed.
 
* May 2010 Michael is Music Director for Caldwell Theatre's Equity production of Into The Woods in Boca Raton, Florida. May 21-23, 2010. "Surely the hardest working person onstage is musical director and keyboardist Michael O’Dell, whose one-man accompaniment is superb." Click here for more of our awesome review!
CURRENT NEWS: SUMMER OF 2009
* Fall 2009 Michael will be MD/ Keyboardist on Mark Abrahams' new eclectic Off-Broadway musical 23 Coins at Spoon Theatre Company in Midtown Manhattan. 23 Coins has a soulful rock score reminiscent of Tom Waits and Benjamin Smoke. Watch this space for more info.
This is the blurb about 23 Coins from Spoon Theatre's website:
"Annie Potts is not like other girls. For example, her mother is a murderer. That is, if you were to ask the Seattle police department or her Christian-right grandmother… But we know different: Annie’s grandfather once lay twisted and suffering, stricken with Huntington’s Chorea, bedridden, unable to feed, toilet, or bathe himself, unable to speak. Only after repeated and desperate pleas for help (firmly denied him by his wife), his only daughter gave him what no one else would."
* Michael was just cast as the lead "Henry" in the independent film comedic short Denial. Filming begins the last part of July 2009.
* Michael was just cast as "Troy" in the dramatic independent film The Path. Filming begins the first part of August 2009.
* Michael now has his own actor page on the Internet Movie Database (IMDB)! Check it out: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3507558/
* Michael is now Music Director/ Keyboardist for singer/ songwriter Angelo Whitehead and his R&B group Berta's Bleu. Check out the music; it's groovy incredible. A mix of Brand New Heavies and 4 Hero. Upcoming shows:
9PM - Wednesday, August 5th, 2009 @ Soul duo Ashford and Simpson's Sugar Bar, NYC
10PM - Thursday, August 6th, 2009 @ The Delancey Bar, NYC
8PM - Thursday, September 3rd, 2009 @ Ace of Clubs, NYC
8PM - Saturday, September 12, 2009 @ Clemente Soto Art Gallery, NYC
* Michael composed and sang the jingle for Tiger Candy Arts and their Sockett® sock puppet line.
* Michael is Musical Director/ Pianist for the amazing NYC-based singer/ actor, Jason Sofge, for his July 11th, 2009 one man show appropriately titled Fat Man Tapping: The BIGGEST Show Under One Roof. It is the story of a fat man and his magic tap shoes; a bawdy, vaudevillian romp, incorporating some of the most iconic and recognizable show tunes of all time! Come take a journey with Jason Sofge as he explores the dilemmas one faces when attempting to write the perfect one man show.
July 11th, 2009 @ 7PM @ The Laurie Beechman Theatre/ The West Bank Cafe. Address: 407 West 42nd Street @ 9th Avenue. Tickets are $12 plus a $15 food or drink minimum. Call 212.695.6909 for more info and to reserve seats! This guy is AmAzInG!! Need another reason to come? Ever see a fat man tap dance? Believe us... the show promises to be...um... "ground breaking!"
* During August 2009, Michael will be co-starring with writer/ songwriter/ actress Lillie Jayne in the 2009 official NYC International Fringe Festival entry Poppy! An Enchanted Evening with Poppy Bulova. This stylish and humorous musical cabaret, a two character show written by Jayne, Poppy Bulova tells of the return of chanteuse extraordinaire Poppy returning to her first love - the cabaret stage! With the assistance of her beloved accompanist (and ex-husband) Fagen Beauregard, Poppy performs her beloved songs and shares bawdy stories about her fully lived life on and off the stage. Poppy Bulova is sure to be a cabaret of endearing comic proportions. Songs by Jayne and arrangements by O'Dell.
Poppy Bulova will play at the CSV Cultural and Educational Center Flamboyan - 107 Suffolk Street (Rivington & Delancey Streets), NYC. SUBWAY: F to Delancey Street and J, M to Essex Street.
Here are show dates and times:
Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 @ 4PM
Monday, August 24th, 2009 @ 7:15PM
Wednesday, August 26th, 2009 @ 6PM
Thursday, August 27th, 2009 @ 8PM
Saturday, August 29th, 2009 @ 3:30PM
Poppy! An Enchanted Evening with Poppy Bulova
Snake In The Boot
"Intriguing...otherworldly...sensual...improbable...stunning...disturbed...intoxicated." These words and more have been used to describe the legendary, beloved Poppy Bulova. Decide for yourself what makes the star so indescribable as she returns to the stage with her triumphant and oblique new cabaret.
* In June, Michael recently completed filming the lead role for Tisch filmmaker Margaret Lewis' short film Sarah, Come Home. A powerful narrative about redemption filmed in 16 millimeter, the film tells the story the estranged relationship between Sarah and her ailing father. Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quPWCTw2Nfg.
* Michael also recently finished filming NYU director Agnelo Gomes' Holy Cat! in which he played the lead character Gary. Michael also provided the film score for this funny short. Also that same week, Michael also scored the short film At Your Service for NYU director Paola Finn.
NEWS:
Feb. 12 - 22
Hoover Theatre
1635 Park Avenue, San Jose
Directed by Mike Ward
Music By Jeff Plaumbaum. Book and Lyrics by R.C. Staab
Music Direction by Michael O'Dell
After an unwitting sip from the fountain of Youth, two Florida retirees suddenly become young and gorgeous... with grown grandchildren, elderly neighbors and decades of shared history. Follow these unlikely heroes on a comic journey through fresh temptations, unexpected opportunities and hard choices - plus interference from a lovestruck sprite. It's a refreshing take on what it means to be young, old, or both.
Michael also helped produce the demo. Click here to listen.
On February 9, 2009, Michael and FOY cast members Sarah Aili and Isaac Benelli were featured on a segment for San Francisco's KGO 7's weekday afternoon show, The View From the Bay. Click here to see the three of them perform "Lighter Than Air."
NEWS:
Michael will be spending January and February in San Francisco working on helping create a new musical titled FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH. With book and lyrics by R.C. Staab, music by Jeff Pflaumbaum, and direction by Mike Ward, Michael will serve as Music Director/ Arranger/ Keyboardist on the production. This is a very promising new musical with its sights on Off-Broadway.
Michael is currently dishing up some weekly jazz piano and vocals at Alta Voce Italian Restaurant in Booklyn, NY. Click here for more 411.
NEWS:
 The Diva From Down Under Show stars Aussie superstar diva extraordinaire Louise Van Veenendaal and her freakishly fabulous sidekicks, Adrian Li Donn and Kate Pistone. With arranger, composer Michael O'Dell [blankcanvasmusic.com] on Piano, this cabaret show is hilarious deeply moving and overall a real fun time.
Move over Santa! Put that Dradle away! The Diva is reining in a somewhat seasonal spectacular that's sure to warm you more than over spiked egg nog!
After last months smash hit show the diva is back with a BRAND SPANKING NEW OUTRAGEOUS SHOW! Topped with Aussie Flair! Packed full of fun, crazy antics and a ridiculously giant present. MAHHHHHHHHH!! Aussie Aussie Aussie Ho! Ho! Ho!
All new show great new tunes including some never heard before scandalous and hilarious renditions of your old seasonal favs! including the most amusing seasonal dance moves and shenanigans!
ONLY 2 NIGHTS these tickets are reserving fast so email your name and date to divabookings@gmail.com NOW.
TUES DEC 2ND 2008 @ 9PM & FRI DEC 19TH 2008 @ 8PM
DONT TELL MAMA
343 W46TH ST
NYC
$10 Christmas special + 2 drink min (cash only)
NEWS:
Michael will once again serve as Music Director/ Pianist for Louise Van's THE DIVA FROM DOWN UNDER gigs at NYC's famous cabarets, Don't Tell Mama's and The Duplex. These gigs feature Michael's new power ballad Since You've Been Gone; which the audiences LOVE!!!! And the band is amazing! Stay tuned for a listen of the new song....coming soon!
NEWS:
Michael serves as MD/pianist for recent graduates from The Tisch School's graduate musical writing program, Rob Broadhurst and Brent Black's new musical theatre review THE BROADEST AND THE BLACKEST : The Songs of Rob Broadhurst and Brent Black featuring I'LL BE DAMNED & THINGS THAT TALK @ The Space Location: 300 W. 43rd Street, NYC ~ October 9th @ 8PM & 10th at 8:00PM & 11PM.
Cast Includes: Sol Baird, Brandon Anderson, Nick Gelona, Niko Tsakalakos, Karis Danish, David Ingber, Jason "Sweet Tooth" Williams, Bryn Taylor, Liz Power, Sasha Weiss, David Andrew Anderson, and J. Sebastian Fabal!
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