BROADWAY AND BEYOND to Bring Timeless Classics to UCPAC

The summer of 2017 brings a nostalgic show with some very famous musical talents to Rahway's Union County Performing Arts Center. Songbird LLC will present Broadway and Beyond on the venue's Hamilton Stage on June 10 at 8:00 PM.

By way of Broadway, this show features songs from Hair, Dream Girls, Les Miserables, Tommy, Little Shop of Horrors, Westside Story, Wicked, Man of La Mancha and more. "Beyond" encompasses film compositions from such movies as Superman, Live and Let Die, Grease, Arthur, and last but not least, Dirty Dancing, which one of our featured performers has a very special relationship with.

The featured performers in this show are: former Rockette and on and off Broadway singer and dancer, Lisa Sherman; singer and Academy and Golden Globe winning composer, Franke Previte; and winner of Down Beat Magazine's Vocalist of the Year award, Kristin Cochran.

Lisa Sherman is the creator of this memorable night of music, having 15 years of show business under her belt. Aside from her experience listed above, Sherman has also modeled ("Members Only" sportswear and "Maidenform" lingerie) and appeared on television in both commercials and her own exercise program sponsored by Nike. Most recently, Sherman has performed at the Count Basie, Strand, Apollo, and Algonquin Theatres, putting on her one-woman production called "Songbird." Starting in the fall of 2017, Sherman will be starring in a new production entitled "Calling All Divas," backed by one of the renowned Jersey Boys producers, Jim Orphanides. The production is written by Franke Previte and Tony award winner Mark Medoff (Children of a lesser God).

Franke Previte, special guest, is the main composer of the songs "(I've had) The Time of My Life" and "Hungry Eyes," both featured in the 1987 film Dirty Dancing. The former song was Grammy nominated and won both an Academy and a Golden Globe award. Previte was also chosen, alongside Cyndi Lauper, Desmond Child, Barry Mann, Diane Warren and more, to represent America in Moscow's "song writer's summit," Music Speaks Louder Than Words, as a top American song writer. Previous to this, Previte sang with the group Franke and the Knockouts in the 1980s, which turned out three top 20 songs on Billboard's Top 100 ("Sweetheart" peaking at number 9).

Aside from winning Vocalist of the Year, co-star Kristin Cochran has worked with many big names, including South Side Johnny, Bobby Kimball Toto, Gary US Bonds and many on and off Broadway performers.

There are two options for tickets to Broadway and Beyond. $55 VIP tickets, which include access to a post-show reception, are located in the first three rows closest to the stage and in boxes A and B. Non-VIP seating is $35 and located throughout the rest of the theater. Tickets can be purchased online at ucpac.org, over the phone by calling (732) 499-8226 or in person at the Main Stage box office (1601 Irving Street, Rahway, NJ). Box office hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 AM to 5 PM, with extended hours of 11 AM to 8 PM on Thursdays. ADA seating is also $35 and available by calling the box office. The Union County Performing Arts Center's Hamilton Stage, the venue at which the performance will take place, is located in downtown Rahway at 360 Hamilton Street and is easily accessible to major roads and public transportation.

Pictured: Franke Previte and Lisa Sherman at NYCFab50

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