Broadway Greats in MENAGE at Merkin Hall on Sep. 20

By: BWW News Desk Sep. 25, 2004

Broadway greats Cris Groenendaal (Phantom of the Opera, Sweeney Todd, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum), Marni Nixon (Nine, Follies, The Dead, Cabaret, The Voice of Hollywood), and Sarah Rice (Sweeney Todd, The Fantasticks, The Music Man) share the spotlight in MÉNAGE, an evening of songs celebrating life, love, and the slings and arrows of the outrageousness of relationships.

Presented by Broadway Concerts Direct and featuring Sue Anderson on piano, the one-night-only concert runs September 20, 2004 at 8 p.m. at the Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center, located at 129 West 67th Street in New York City.

The eclectic concert showcases works by a variety of composers including Stephen Sondheim, Jerome Kern, Ivor Novello, Noel Coward, Rick Besoyan, and Jones and Schmidt, ranging from Brahms to Berlin, Mozart through Kurt Weill - and more. The glittering repertoire, performed by three of the most exquisite and riveting voices on the Broadway stage today, ranges from witty to wistful, sassy to sublime.

Cris Groenendaal has appeared on Broadway in Sweeney Todd, Phantom of the Opera, Passion, Sunday in the Park With George, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and he originated the role of Father in the national tour of Ragtime. His solo Broadway/Cabaret show has been featured with major symphony orchestras throughout the United States. He has also performed at Carnegie Hall, with the Boston Pops, the Israel Philharmonic, and other prominent orchestras. He has produced two solo albums, Always and A Christmas Wish, with his wife, conductor/pianist Sue Anderson.

Marni Nixon has enjoyed an illustrious career as a soprano, actress, and educator, performing in opera, with chamber and symphony orchestras, as an oratorio soloist, and appearing on Grammy-nominated classical music recordings. Broadway roles include Aunt Kate in the Tony Award-winning James Joyce's The Dead, Fraulein Schneider in Cabaret, and Heidi Schiller in the 2001 revival of Stephen Sondheim's Follies. A much sought-after adjudicator of vocal competitions and The Metropolitan Opera auditions, she presents master classes and coaches both classical and musical theater singers privately throughout the United States. Ms. Nixon is the singing voice of Deborah Kerr, Natalie Wood, and Audrey Hepburn in the classic films The King and I, An Affair to Remember, West Side Story, and My Fair Lady. She recently toured with her one-woman show, Marni Nixon: The Voice of Hollywood, and has penned an autobiography scheduled for publication in spring 2005.

Sarah Rice originated the role of Johanna in the Broadway production of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd, and earned a Theatre World Award for her performance. Her Off-Broadway credits include The Fantasticks (Luisa), The Waves (Susan), and Swan Song (Elizabeth). As a leading soprano and dramatic actress, she has appeared in numerous operas, operettas, and musicals throughout the world, including Daughter of the Regiment, Rigoletto, Pirates of Penzance, The Student Prince, Naughty Marietta, Show Boat, Phantom of the Opera, Desert Song, Candide, The Music Man, and many others.

Sue Anderson has enjoyed a full and varied career, ranging from Broadway productions to films to recordings. As a conductor and musical director, she has worked with the Broadway and national touring companies of Pirates of Penzance, Me and My Girl, and Cats. An accomplished pianist, Anderson performed as the featured on-stage pianist in the Broadway musical Jerry's Girls. With her husband, she has conducted the orchestra or accompanied him on piano for Pops concerts at Carnegie Hall and throughout the United States. Anderson performs regularly at Carnegie Hall with the all-state choirs produced by Field Studies International. She has been the musical director for The First All Children's Theater, the improvisational comedy group The Broadway Local, National Public Radio's political satire group Soundbites, and the premiere of Martin Guerre at Hartford Stage, and has toured numerous times with the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera. As a private vocal coach and music teacher, Anderson coached Rex Harrison for the revival of My Fair Lady and taught Peter O'Toole to play the piano.

MÉNAGE runs September 20, 2004 at 8 p.m. at the Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center, located at 129 West 67th Street in New York City. Tickets, priced at $30 for general admission and $20 for seniors, can be purchased by visiting the Merkin Concert Hall box office, via phone at (212) 501-3330, or online at http://www.kaufman-center.org . For more information, please visit http://www.BwayDirect.com.

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