Leslee Warren: Light Dark & Stormy – Lena Horne
Leslee Warren presents an encore of her new show Light Dark & Stormy – Lena Horne, on Thursday, December 3 at 9pm, as part of Urban Stages Winter Rhythms. Honoring the iconic sepia songstress, MGM glamour girl, and internationally acclaimed nightclub sensation, Warren pays tribute to Horne’s artistry, elegance, and enduring legacy through unforgettable songs and compelling stories.
This much-anticipated follow-up to Warren’s solo cabaret debut, Me Myself & Eye: Songs of a Near-Sighted Girl, features Musical Director and Arranger Gregory Toroian on piano, Skip Ward on bass, and David Silliman on drums. Directed by Lina Koutrakos. (Photo credit: Helane Blumfield)
Light Dark & Stormy – Lena Horne premiered on September 17, 2026, at Chelsea Table + Stage. Sharon Ellman of BroadwayWorld said, “Warren absolutely has those powerful yet smooth vocals that do justice to the late, great Horne…Warren truly amazed this reviewer with her magnificent vocal portrayal of her idol…Warren, herself a musical theater talent, happens to also possess the same cool and effortless elegance as Lena Horne.”
Vocalist Leslee Warren found a new home on the cabaret stage with her solo debut, Me Myself & Eye: Songs of a Nearsighted Girl. Combining Warren’s love of music and storytelling with her blurry life experiences, seen through thick glasses, the show was nominated for a BroadwayWorld Cabaret Award, Best Show in 2022. A transplanted Midwesterner, Warren arrived in the Big Apple in pursuit of a stage career. She landed national tours of Titanic and The King and I, stock productions including Ragtime, Noises Off, It Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues, Little Shop of Horrors, Hamlet, and The Sound of Music, and a leading role in a Musicals Tonight production of Cabin in the Sky. As happens for many artists along the way, a part-time job became a full-time career and her dream was buried – but never lost. During these years, Warren joined Lathan’s Way, a vocal quartet, that helped stretch her range and hone her harmonic skills. Soon after, she found her own voice and Musical Director/Arranger Gregory Toroian, with whom she told her own story in Me Myself & Eye: Songs of a Nearsighted Girl at Don’t Tell Mama. Since her cabaret debut, she has appeared in NYC at Laurie Beechman Theatre, Pangea, The Triad, Urban Stages, and in Mt. Kisco, NY, at Jazz on Main. LesleeWarren.com, instagram: lesleewarrensinger
The award-winning Urban Stages Winter Rhythms music festival returns with “A Tribute To,” shows saluting beloved artists, genres, and more, December 2 -19. All proceeds support Urban Stages’ Outreach Program, bringing more than 1,000 free, multilingual performances, workshops, and programs to libraries across all five boroughs of New York City. For a complete schedule and tickets: https://www.urbanstages.org/winterrhythms2026
Two Shows. One Night:
This ticket link gives you access to two Winter Rhythms shows on December 3—and saves you $10! https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/urban-stages/DECEMBER-3
7:00 pm – Kati Neiheisel in “London by Night: A Tribute to Julie London”
9:00 pm – Leslee Warren in “Light, Dark & Stormy: A Tribute to Lena Horne”