We Speak Events

Irene Michaels To Perform As A Special Guest During The Tony Ocean Dance Party At The Taylor Street Festival Friday, August 9th, 2024 8:30 PM

Published

9 months ago

July 31, 2024

Josie Music Award winner Irene Michaels will be performing as a special guest for the Tony Ocean Dance Party on Friday, August 9^th, 2024 at 8:30 PM.

Irene Michaels, a timeless Chicago icon, has captivated audiences for decades with her diverse talents and positive energy. She defies ageism in the entertainment industry with grace, hard work, persistence, and natural talent, continuing to inspire at all ages.

Born in Chicago, Irene’s passion for entertainment began early, leading her to success as a singer, dancer, and model. At 21, she won “Miss Photo Flash,” launching a modeling career and a successful modeling agency.

A champion equestrian since childhood, Irene still rides and competes. She also made her mark in Hollywood, appearing in General Hospital and movies like Home Alone 2 and Killer Klowns From Outer Space. 

Irene transitioned into an author and lifestyle blogger with her “ionthescene” brand, exploring beauty, luxury, and entertainment. She created her own beauty line and wrote “I On Beauty,” inspiring many, especially women over 50. 

In her late 70s, Irene became a House Music Diva with the hit song “I Like Rain,” which won “Best Pop Song of the Year” at the Josie Music Awards. She signed record deals with TRAX Records and Tribeca Records, earning Grammy nomination consideration and other accolades. 

Irene’s live one-woman shows in Chicago and New York sell out. She shares her life stories and inspires audiences. Her social life is vibrant and filled with high society and celebrity events. Reflecting on her journey, Irene invites us all to pursue our passions and let inspiration guide us, just as she has throughout her remarkable life.

In 1992 Maurizio was discovered when he won the runner up prize on the popular TV show Star Search and began his professional career. It was then that he decided to change his singing style from Rock to Pop and his name to TONY OCEAN (from Frank Sinatra’s portrayal of Danny Ocean in the movie Ocean’s 11). His career took a change when he did a Dean Martin impersonation at one of his shows. The owner was so impressed that he paired him with two other artists who impersonated Frank and Sammy Davis, Jr. and a show called ‘The Pack Is Back’ was born. They appeared to sellout crowds for eight months and earned the respect of critics and music lovers while performing at Piper’s Alley, a well-known Chicago nightclub.

Tony Ocean’s upbeat style embodies a time from the past that will be popular as long as we still enjoy the music of Sinatra, Martin, Davis, Darin, Tony Bennett, Tom Jones and others whose romantic songs and lyrics have affected so many of our lives through the years.

Watch Irene Michaels Perform at the Tony Ocean Dance Party at the Taylor Street Festival on Friday, August 9^th, 2024. There is a $10 suggested donation.

The official website for the Taylor Street Festival may be found at https://oshows.com/festivals/

The official website for Irene Michaels may be found at https://www.irenemichaels.com

Up Next

Pilar Victoria Delivers Masterful Tune ‘Dancing In The Sand’

Don't Miss

Dios Negasi (Reagan Era Records) drops “Filet Mignon”

Jimmy Star

We Speak Comedy

Caitlin Cook’s Musical Bathroom Odyssey Hits the UK

Published

3 days ago

May 9, 2025

Joni Jones

What do cowboy dicks, milk pistols, and public toilet walls have in common? They all find a strange kind of poetry in The Writing on the Stall, the wildly inventive musical comedy from US performer Caitlin Cook, landing in the UK this summer. After sold-out runs Off-Broadway, at Edinburgh Fringe, and in London, the New York Times Critic’s Pick returns for a short UK tour—playing Brighton’s Komedia (31 May & 1 June) and Soho Theatre, London (4–7 June).

Set entirely in a public bathroom, The Writing on the Stall is anything but private. In this whip-smart and wickedly funny one-woman musical, Cook dives into the scrawled messages and mysterious wisdom etched on cubicle walls and turns them into something bold, bizarre, and unexpectedly moving. The songs are catchy, the jokes are razor-sharp, and the show isn’t afraid to get its hands dirty—literally.

Armed with a guitar and a knack for digging gold out of the obscene, Cook crafts a genre-defying hour that’s part stand-up, part cabaret, and all catharsis. This is confessional comedy with clever hooks, pitch-perfect melodies, and enough surprises to keep your eyebrows permanently raised. Expect satire, sincerity, and some surreal props—rumour has it a pair of slingshotted knickers makes a cameo.

Caitlin Cook isn’t your average musical comic. She’s Oxford-educated, New York-hardened, and streaming in the tens of millions. She’s also collaborated with some of comedy’s finest, directed offbeat hits, and performs as one-half of the musical duo 2/3rds of a Threesome. With this new UK run, she’s not just touring a show—she’s building a movement that blurs the lines between comedy, theatre, and performance art.

If you missed her during her Edinburgh frenzy, this is your chance to catch the musical everyone’s been whispering about in pub toilets and shouting about in five-star reviews. You might come for the laughs, but you’ll stay for the songs that (fair warning) may live rent-free in your head for months.