Lillias White, a native New Yorker, made her Broadway debut in Barnum. She recently starred in Hadestown on Broadway and appeared in CATS, Carrie, Dreamgirls, Once On This Island, How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, Chicago and Fela! (Tony Award nomination). In Cy Coleman's and Ira Gasman's The Life, she won the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award for her portrayal of a world-weary, no-nonsense hooker named Sonya. Lillias, was in the world premiere of Half Time at the Papermill Playhouse, has performed also at the Public Theater in the production of William Finn's Romance In Hard Times (Obie Award), Dinah Was at the Gramercy Theatre, the world premiere of Crowns at the Second Stage (Audelco Award), and Texas In Paris at The York Theatre Company.

Lillias White’s concert appearances include her critically acclaimed cabaret show at Feinstein’s 54 Below, titled The Lillias White Effect (Bistro Award) and for The Actors Fund in Funny Girl, Hair and the 25th anniversary concert of Dreamgirls. She was Bloody Mary in the PBS Great Performances broadcast of South Pacific. Lillias has toured internationally with her one-woman show, From Brooklyn To Broadway, and she is graced the stages at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Sydney Australia Opera House, the Singapore Opera House, and the Palm Beach Pops.

Lillias’ television appearances include a regular role on Sesame Street for which she won an Emmy Award, a current Netflix role in The Get Down, Gotham, Person of Interest, Law and Order SVU, Law and Order, and NYPD Blue. Her film credits include the lead muse in Disney's Hercules, Anastasia, How the Grinch Stole Christmas with Jim Carrey, Game Six with Michael Keaton, Pieces of April with Katie Holmes, Nasty Baby with Kristin Wigg and Then She found Me. Lillias holds an Honorary PhD in fine arts from The City University of New York. 

The American dream came true for Catalina Popescu in October of 1986 when she and her husband Bob created a supper club devoted to serving an experience of superb eats and the shared magic of live performance. That grand experience began at the door where every night her mother Maria would greet each guest as family and share in their love of music. Housed in Hollywood and decked out in a timeless charm, the club offers a cozy ambience under sparkling stage lights garnished with its signature concoction — Jazz. The first artist to grace the stage was the masterful flutist and saxophonist Buddy Collette, and ever since then, over the past 36 years, the Catalina Jazz Club has hosted the most illustrious legends of all time — from the powerful puffers of Dizzy Gillespie to the electrified fingers of McCoy Tyner, the bubbly belt of Dee Dee Bridgewater and Lynda Carter, the flirtatious saxophone of Joshua Redman, the slick strumming of Kenny Burrell, the insane drum clinic of Steve Gadd, the romance of Steve Tyrell, and the masterclass of Mike Stern.

For Catalina, Jazz is our way of life. It breathes pain. It knows love. It dreams hope. It bleeds courage. Whether we’re showcasing Broadway, Soul, R&B, or stand-up comedy, the lesson learned from all the greats who have serenaded our spirits is how to connect to one another. And that’s why the Catalina Jazz Club will always have a table ready for you.

The Catalina Jazz Club has been honored by A.S.M.A.C., California Jazz Foundation, Los Angeles Jazz Society, and a City of Los Angeles Certificate of Appreciation on their 25th Anniversary, which was awarded by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the LA City Council which included then City Council member and current Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.