Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College opens its 2009-2010 Season on Sunday, September 13, 2009 at 3pm with Irving Berlin's I Love A Piano. This enchanting new musical revue spans over seven decades of American history as seen through the insightful and earnest eyes of Irving Berlin, a man whom Jerome Kern described by saying "Irving Berlin has no place in American music...He IS American music!"
Using 64 of Berlin's enduring and popular favorites, I Love A Piano captures the spirit of America from the ragtime era of the early 20th century through the swinging elegance of the 1920's and 30's. From the songs that inspired a nation through the Great Depression to the innocent optimism of the 1950's, I Love A Piano embarks on an enduring journey through musical heaven. Timeless classics, such as "Puttin' On The Ritz," "There's No Business Like Show Business," "Change Partners," "How Deep Is The Ocean," "God Bless America," and "White Christmas," do more than identify the music of a generation, they define the music of our country. The tour will be presented by
Eva Price of
Maximum Entertainment, Off-Broadway Booking, and Lawrence Toppall.
This fall marks the start of the show's third touring season. Under the direction and choreography of
Ray Roderick (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang National Tour), who co-created the show with Michael Berkely, the magic of each song brings new life to the material for a contemporary audience. This revitalized production brings today's audiences into the lavish musical world of
Irving Berlin while holding true to its nostalgic nature. After opening at the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts, the tour will hit dozens more stops across the United States including Wichita, Kansas; Durham, North Carolina; Clearwater, Florida; Savannah, Georgia; and Cupertino, California.
The talented cast of eight triple-threat singer/dancer/actors includes Jackey Good, Crystal Kellogg, Ryan Lammer, George Papas,
Haley Swindal, Ashley Wallace, Jason Weitkamp, and Joshua Woodie.
The Los Angeles Times raved: "When asked where
Irving Berlin ranked in American music, fellow giant
Jerome Kern famously said, '
Irving Berlin has no place in American music. He is American music.' The enduring truth of Kern's assessment underpins the showbiz panache of 'I Love A Piano,' ...as invigorating a song-catalog revue as any since Ain't Misbehavin'."
Variety reviewed it by saying: "
Ray Roderick may love a piano, but his heart truly belongs to
Irving Berlin. Roderick directed and choreographed this tribute revue and co-wrote it with Michael Berkeley. His affection for Berlin's songs has resulted in an energetic, animated presentation of nearly 60 of Berlin's tunes, ranging from 1911's "Alexander's Ragtime Band" to selections from 1950's "Call Me Madam."
The Boston Globe called it "A spectrum of brilliant Berlin... It captures both the astonishing range of Berlin's musical styles and the cleverness of his simple rhymes, which makes it easy to understand why the songwriter remains a national treasure."
Ray Roderick (Director/Choreographer/Co-Writer) is proud to bring I Love A Piano and the brilliant music and lyrics of
Irving Berlin to audiences around the country. Ray recently directed Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and adapted the script for tours in the US and UK. He was associate director for A Christmas Carol at
Madison Square Garden and Susan's Stroman's Broadway revival of The Music Man for which he subsequently directed the successful 3 year North American Tour. Off-Broadway: director/co-writer The Prince and the Pauper; The Ark, Lamour the Merrier and The Story Goes On. Regional (including): director Singin' in the Rain, 42nd Street at Goodspeed, co-writer/director/choreographer Heaven Help Us!, A Christmas Survival Guide, I Love New York, The Last 5 years, The Taffetas and I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change! (Denver's longest running show); founding artistic director Tri-Arts; co-owner Miracle or 2 Productions (Miracleor2.com) creating Are We There Yet?, Coming to America and soon to come The Bikinis! Ray is Creative Director for Tennis' US Open and director of Arthur Ashe Kids Day for CBS. He created the English adaptation and directed Chun Yi, The Legend of Kung Fu now in its 5th year in Beijing and playing in the west end at London Coliseum; along with productions in Russia, Japan and international touring. He directed Believe, the award winning SHAMU show for SeaWorld in San Diego. Ray resides in New York, is married to Broadway actress
Karyn Quackenbush and is the proud father of SUNY Purchase student and lighting designer Jamie Roderick.
Stephen Purdy (Music Director) Broadway and National Tours: Tarzan, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,
Glory Days, Peter Pan (
Cathy Rigby) and The Full Monty. Off Broadway: The Fantasticks (Original at Sullivan Street), Frankenstein (
Hunter Foster) and cast album, York Theatre,
Playwrights Horizons. International: Grease (Paris) A Chorus Line (European tour) Grease (European Tour), 42nd Street (European Tour) My Fair Lady (Hong Kong). Regional: North Shore,
Helen Hayes, Kansas City Starlight,
Burt Reynolds. Education: The University of Mississippi and The Juilliard School. A former Wall Street stockbroker, Stephen now spends as much time as possible not worrying about other people's money.
J BRANSON (Scenic Designer) For over eighteen years, J Branson has been a Chicago-based designer, working regionally in the US. National-tour credits include The Music Man, Beauty and the Beast and Brigadoon. Past regional work includes Hairspray, High School Musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Smokey Joe's Café, Jekyll and Hyde, Chess, The Wizard of Oz (for which he received Chicago's After Dark award), Children of Eden, Rags, Assassins, Guys and Dolls and The Pajama Game. Original productions include Etc. and Barak to Obama (Second City Chicago), Shockwave (Disneyworld), Jungle Man, Stardust, A Room With a View, The Conversation and A Tale of Two Cities. J has an array of industrial design credits and has been honored with one After Dark Award and three National Addy Awards.
Eva Price/
Maximum Entertainment PRODUCTIONS (Producer/General Manager).
Maximum Entertainment is a producing, developing, and general management company in NYC founded by
Avram Freedberg, MaryBeth Dale, and
Eva Price. Credits include, Broadway:
Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas, The Addams Family (Spring '10),
Carrie Fisher's
Wishful Drinking (Fall '09). Off Broadway and National Tour: The Great American Trailer Park Musical , The J.A.P Show: Jewish American Princesses of Comedy, Los Big Names (Drama Desk nomination), Private Jokes Public Places, Joy, and Tomie dePaola's Strega Nona The Musical.
Lawrence S. Toppall (Producer) owns MAZEL MUSICALS, INC., the New York and Florida
Production Company specializing in touring, producing and presenting Jewish themed theatrical and concert presentations. The company has produced, co-produced or presented On Second Avenue, The Golden Land, Yiddle With a Fiddle, Those Were The Days, The Sheik of Avenue B, Catskills on Broadway,
Tovah Feldshuh in Tovah! Cross Over, Bubbe Meises, The Rothschilds, Bagels & Yox with Joel Gray, Shlemel The First, That's Life,Entirely Sophie, the
Sophie Tucker musical and Buttons in Boca starring
Red Buttons, The Israel Pops Orchestra with
Theodore Bikel and Mamaloshen with
Mandy Patinkin. Mr. Toppall co-produced The Sunshine Boys with
Frank Gorshin,
Freddie Roman's highly successful Mishegass 1 and Mishegass 2, The Florida Follies, the
Sammy Cahn musical, Words and Music, starring
Bruce Adler, Hot, Hip and Heimish, Bingo - the Musical, I May Be Black ... "but god knows I'm Jewish" and
Dudu Fisher in Jerusalem of Gold. The company also co-produced the long running So. Florida hit, Menopause The Musical. Constantly on the lookout for investment opportunities, Mazel Musicals has raised funds for the New York productions of Urinetown, The Producers, Hairspray, Little Shop of Horrors, Man of La Mancha, Stomp, Modern Orthodox, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Jewtopia and the Tony award-winning Broadway hit, Jersey Boys. Broadway producing credits include The Gathering, starring
Hal Linden, the Tony-nominated Say Goodnight, Gracie, starring
Frank Gorshin and the sensational dance musical, Burn The Floor. Mr. Toppall is a Tony Award voter and member of The Broadway League.
OFF BROADWAY BOOKING (Producer/Booking Agent) The Off Broadway theatre scene has revamped its image over the past several years from inexpensive and experimental theatre to a vibrant and exciting form of commercial entertainment that has attracted Broadway producers and notable celebrities. Off Broadway Booking is dedicated to the promotion and awareness of Off Broadway as a brand of excellence in theater to audiences outside of New York City. Off Broadway Booking creates an economically viable model of success for each touring production and successfully fills the void of quality commercial theater that can tour at an affordable rate. By doing this, Off Broadway Booking opens up the touring markets to small and mid-size theaters that otherwise cannot afford commercial productions, while still providing quality Broadway level programming to the larger markets across the country. Whether you are looking for a single night engagement or a headliner for your series, Off Broadway Booking is ready to meet all your creative and financial needs by bringing you the very best in theatrical entertainment.
www.iloveapianothemusical.com
I Love A Piano is part of Brooklyn Center's 2009-2010 Theater Subscription Series, which also includes
Barter Theatre's production of Of Mice and Men and the Tony® Award-winning musical Hairspray. Theater Series subscriptions are priced at $75. Multibuy packages (any three or more performances from Brooklyn Center's 2009-2010 season) save up to 15% off individual ticket prices. Discounts are available for seniors, students, Brooklyn College faculty/staff/alumni, and groups of 15 or more.
About Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts
Founded in 1954, the mission of Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts is to present outstanding performing arts and arts education programs, reflective of Brooklyn's diverse communities, at affordable prices. Brooklyn Center's presentations explore both the classical traditions and the boldest contemporary performances, embracing the world culture that defines Brooklyn. Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts welcomes over 70,000 people to the 2,400 seat
Walt Whitman Theatre each season, and boasts one of the largest arts education programs in the borough, serving schoolchildren from over 225 schools annually with its SchoolTime series.
I Love A Piano at Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts
Walt Whitman Theatre on the campus of Brooklyn College
(one block from the junction of Flatbush & Nostrand Avenues)
Sunday, September 13, 2009 at 3pm; Tickets: $25
Online orders: BrooklynCenterOnline.org
Box Office: (718) 951-4500, Tuesday - Saturday, 1PM - 6PM
Groups of 15 or more: (718) 951-4600, ext. 22
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/BrooklynCenterforthePerformingArts
Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts' programs are made possible in part with public funding from the City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts. Funding for Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts' 2009-2010 season is provided by: Target; JP Morgan Chase; Independence Community Foundation; Con Edison; National Grid; TD Bank; Macy's; The Harkness Foundation for Dance; Air Jamaica; the Carnegie Corporation of New York; and the Lila Acheson Wallace Theater Fund, established in the New York Community Trust by founders of The Reader's Digest Association. Additional support provided by Courier-Life Publications, The Brooklyn Eagle, The Brooklyn Paper, and WBGO.
Marriott New York LaGuardia Airport is the official hotel of Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts 2009-2010 season. Backstage catering graciously provided by Bettina Harris of The Corn Bread Diner and by Applebee's.
Brooklyn Center gratefully acknowledges generous support from the Members of the Brooklyn Delegation to the New York State Assembly and Speaker Sheldon Silver; Members of the Brooklyn Delegation to the New York State Senate and Majority Leader Malcolm Smith; Members of the Brooklyn Delegation to the New York City Council and Speaker
Christine C. Quinn; Cultural Affairs Committee Chairman Domenic M. Recchia, Jr. and Commissioner of Cultural Affairs
Kate Levin.
