Steve Schalchlin Will Celebrate 30 Years Of 'The Bonus Round' in Concert

Award-winning songwriter and playwright Steve Schalchlin will return to the New York stage on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, with a new concert event, Living in the Bonus Round.

Presented as part of Urban Stages' Winter Rhythms 2025, the evening is a high-energy musical memoir celebrating a milestone that was medically impossible to predict: Schalchlin's 30th year of survival following a terminal AIDS diagnosis in the mid-1990s.

Known for pioneering the "musical diary" format with his seminal Off-Broadway score The Last Session, Schalchlin's new show explores the concept of "The Bonus Round"—the unexpected, vibrant life that happens after the worst has passed.

"In 1995, I was writing songs to say goodbye," says Schalchlin. "But then the medication changed, and the goodbye turned into a second act. This concert isn't just about surviving; it's about the relentless, messy, beautiful joy of living three decades past your expiration date."

In a profound moment for the HIV/AIDS community, the evening will feature a special appearance by Dr. Bruce Dorsey, the renowned chemist who created Crixivan—the protease inhibitor often credited with ushering in the "Lazarus Effect." The concert will mark a rare public intersection between the scientist who created the life-saving drug and the artist who documented its impact in real-time.

Schalchlin will be joined by a dynamic ensemble, featuring Gavin Gold on guitar and Bill Goffi on bass and vocals. The evening features a stellar vocal lineup including Blake Lee Zolfo, Brian Krinsky, and Alicia Irving.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Steve Schalchlin is a composer, lyricist, and performer best known for The Last Session, which he wrote during the height of the AIDS epidemic.2 The musical received nominations for the Drama League and Outer Critics Circle Awards, and won the L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Score and the GLAAD Media Award for Best L.A. Theatre Production. His follow-up, The Big Voice: God or Merman?, written with partner Jim Brochu, won the L.A. Ovation Award for Best Musical and a second L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Score. He is also a two-time recipient of the PFLAG-LA Oscar Wilde Award.

ABOUT WINTER RHYTHMS 2025

This event is part of Urban Stages' Winter Rhythms 2025, running from December 3 to December 14.4 Urban Stages is thrilled to present the 17th annual Winter Rhythms music festival.5 Every December, Winter Rhythms connects the Off-Broadway theater community to legendary and up-and-coming music artists through an eclectic mix of shows.6 This year, over 150 artists will cross our stage in 21 shows, performing cabaret, musical theatre, jazz, classical, the Great American Songbook, pop, rock, and more.

All proceeds will fund Urban Stages' Outreach Program, which tours free educational, multilingual art workshops, plays, and events to libraries across all five boroughs of New York City. In our 2024–25 season, Outreach held over 1,000 events, reaching tens of thousands of New Yorkers, especially those in areas with limited access to arts funding.