jackbenny to Headline Birdland Theater
By: Julie Musbach
Twin brothers Jack and Benny Lipson, aka the critically acclaimed jackbenny, are set to perform at Birdland Theater in New York City on Tuesday, July 16, at 7pm.
It's National See-a-Show Day! spotlights the musical and lyrical prowess of Jack and Benny Lipson, aka jackbenny, Los Angeles-native twin composers, songsters, and multi-instrumentalists who inject the craft of musical theatre into a spectrum of sonic worlds. Heralded as "a testament to their generation," their progressive and fresh harmonic language informed by jazz and classical roots complements their savvy lyrics that tackle queer identity, consensual conduct, healthcare bureaucracy, and myriad other contemporary social/cultural phenomena. In a comedic and colorful exhibition of provocative originals with a healthy heaping of sibling shtick, the Lipsons guide audiences on a candid tour through the delicate, well-curated millennial mind. After years of studying, performing, and writing a wide range of music separately, Jack and Benny united to birth the award-winning project jackbenny, who shared their debut show in 2016 with musician-comedian Reggie Watts. They've since played their "sensational, clever, and astute" originals in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, San Diego, Sheridan, Wyoming where they presented their 'musicalette' Miranda, Please! at the Wyoming Theater Festival - even in Falam, Myanmar. Jack and Benny have supported such luminaries as Idina Menzel, Josh Groban, Herbie Hancock, and Barry Manilow, and they serve as house band for both For Good: a monthly night of showtunes to save the world and Jonnie Reinhart's A Queer Cabaret, where they've collaborated with artists including Darren Criss and Michael Arden. The Lipsons are developing Brainstorm, a three-character song cycle of their material.Photo by Cliff Lipson
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