Broadway Composer Cy Coleman to be honored, November 15

For over five decades Broadway composer extraordinaire Cy Coleman has brought musical magic to the worlds of theater, television and film. In recognition of his amazing achievements as composer, lyricist, writer, arranger, musical director, producer and director, The Johnny Mercer Foundation will honor him with a special award at their second annual gala Monday, November 15 at The Rainbow Room at RockefellerCenter. 

The legendary Margaret Whiting, President of the foundation, and her husband, Jack Wrangler, Creative Director of the foundation, are organizing a star-studded salute to the man of whom critic Clive Barnes said "Cy Coleman is a permanent gem in Broadway's musical crown". The evening will feature special performances by the incomparable Tony Bennett, Broadway veterans Chita Rivera, Jerry Orbach, Glenn Close and other stars of stage and screen.

For the gala, Wrangler will turn the already gleaming Rainbow Room in to a dazzling gold and white fantasyland to serve as the perfect backdrop for Broadway's and Hollywood's most glittering stars. The highlights of the evening include: a Spring fashion show by couture designer Donald Deal, whose elegant creations are worn by stars and socialites alike. Deal will set the show to a Johnny Mercer score; sneak peeks at upcoming Broadway musicals performed by their composers including Adam Guettel (The Light in the Piazza) and Charles Strouse performing a selection from Marty.

The recipient of two Grammy awards, two Tony awards, three Emmy awards and multiple Tony and Oscar nominations, Cy Coleman began his career performing with the Cy Coleman Trio in Dear Barbarians. The following year, he provided music and lyrics for John Murray Anderson's Almanac, an original musical review that featured Harry Belafonte and Celia Lipton Farris in their Broadway debuts. America's favorite redhead Lucille Ball made her Broadway debut in Wildcat with music by Coleman. In 1966, Sweet Charity debuted to stunning success and led to lifelong relationships between Cy and his leading ladies, Gwen Verdon (1966) and Shirley MacLaine. Hit show after hit followed -- I Love My Wife, On the Twentieth Century, Barnum, Little Me, Welcome to the Club, City of Angels, The Will Roger's Follies, The Life, Fosse and Barbara Cook's Broadway. 

Coleman's association with Shirley MacLaine resulted in several critically acclaimed television specials. In 1974, he conceived and wrote (with Robert Wells) her TV special,

If My Friends Could See Me Now which brought Coleman a pair of Emmy awards; and in

 

1976, the musical Gypsy in my Soul, producing Emmys for both Coleman and Ms. MacLaine.

Coleman has also garnered critical acclaim scoring the music for such films as Father Goose, Power, Garbo Talks, Family Business and Sweet Charity, for which he won an Oscar nomination. In 1992, he won two Grammy awards for his score and for producing the original cast album for The Will Rogers Follies, a long term chart topper. 

 

Like this year's honoree Cy Coleman, Johnny Mercer's career spanned over five decades, creating great American songs with our country's greatest composers including Richard Whiting, Harry Warren, Hoagi Carmichael, Harold Arlen, Arthur Schwartz, Jerome Kern, Duke Ellington, David Raskin, Henry Mancini, Johnny Mandel, John Williams, Marvin Hamlisch and Andre Previn. 

Mercer wrote songs for 90 motion pictures, winning four Academy Awards and 18 nominations. He wrote six Broadway shows including St. Louis Woman and Li'l Abner. As the founder and president of Capitol Records he discovered and nurtured the talents of such artists as Margaret Whiting, Joe Stafford, Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole. Little wonder that it is almost impossible to get through an entire day without hearing one Johnny Mercer song on records, tapes or CDs, on the radio or television, in movie houses, theaters, or cabarets worldwide. 

 

The Johnny Mercer Foundation was created by his widow Ginger Mercer to reflect Johnny's generosity throughout his remarkable career. The foundation's most passionate mission is to preserve and celebrate Our Great American Songbook. To that end, the foundation supports a variety of activities "Accentuating the Positive" and recently initiated a series of dynamic new educational programs designed to introduce the songs of Porter, Berlin, Gershwin, Ellington and our great songwriters to elementary school children in New York public schools. 

In conjunction with The Sundance Institute, the foundation sponsors an intensive weeklong series of master classes for young musicians and actors. This year Charles Strouse, Melissa Manchester, Jimmy Web, Don Rebic, Whiting and Wrangler shared their expertise through one-on-one seminars, master classes, panels and performance, focusing on the interpretation and personalization of Our Great American Songbook. 

 

In addition to helping to train young musicians and encouraging promising songwriters, The Johnny Mercer Foundation has a special program in conjunction with The Braille Institute to teach the blind to read music. In an effort to keep Broadway healthy and humming, each year the foundation sponsors a free flu shot program for all in the theater community -- stagehands to stars, designers to directors. 

The second annual Johnny Mercer Foundation Award Gala takes place November 15, 2004. Cocktails at 6:30 p.m. Dinner and awards tribute at 8:00 p.m. Entertainment and fashion show at 9:15 p.m. Dancing to follow.

 

Priority VIP tables are $10,000 and $12,000. $25,000. Individual tickets are $750 per person. For priority table consideration and ticket purchase, please call 212-835-2299.

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