Neil Berg's 100 YEARS OF BROADWAY Plays 1 Night Only 4/23

Neil Berg's widely acclaimed 100 Years of Broadway, a musical revue of Broadway's most celebrated shows, features a dazzling cast of five Broadway stars accompanied by an all-star New York band. It is coming to Wadsworth Theatre on Thursday, April 23 at 8 pm. 100 Years of Broadway is produced by Adam Friedson and presented in Los Angeles by RICHMARK Entertainment and Left Field Productions.

Tickets for 100 Years of Broadway, priced at $32.50, $42.50 and $52.50, are available at through Ticketmaster - online at ticketmaster.com, by phone at Ticketmaster at 213-365-3500, and all Ticketmaster outlets. For groups of 15+ call 323-463-4367. The Wadsworth Theatre is on the Veterans Administration grounds at 11301 Wilshire Blvd. 100 Years of Broadway will also be performed at the Orange County Performing Arts Center on Tuesday, April 21 at 8 pm.

According to San Francisco's KABC radio theater critic, Jerry Friedman, "This revue features some of the best songs from the best Broadway shows, all sung by some of the most talented performers working today singing many of the hit songs that they have sung on Broadway."

100 Years of Broadway recreates the greatest moments from the finest shows of the century featuring the actual stars of shows such as The Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables, CATS, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Jekyll & Hyde. These amazing performers light up the stage with songs from the hit shows in which they starred. Neil Berg presents brilliantly revived arrangements of Broadway classics as well as thrilling numbers from Broadway's newest hit shows.

Past productions of this popular show have featured Betty Buckley, Liz Callaway, Ben Vereen, and Alex Santoriello among others. Along with musical director and pianist Neil Berg, the Wadsworth Theatre production will feature Rob Evan (Title roles in Jekyll & Hyde, Jean Valjean, Les Misérables), Rita Harvey (Christine Daae, The Phantom of the Opera), Carter Calvert (Grizabella, Cats), Danny Zolli (Jesus, Jesus Christ Superstar), and Erick Buckley (Jean Valjean, Les Misérables). *Cast is subject to change based upon possible Broadway and touring developments.

Producer Adam Friedson said, "The broad appeal of our show comes from the unique blend of qualities possessed by composer, creator, bandleader and pianist Neil Berg. It's like an evening sitting around the piano at Neil's home with five of the finest Broadway stars singing the biggest hit songs from Broadway musicals; songs they've made popular."

Friedson continued, "Neil has great respect for these performers - and for the audience, he is great at sharing his extensive knowledge of Broadway musicals, his passion for the songs, the artists, and the stories he tells from the great American Songbook.

Berg himself said, "My mother was quite in my sights as I put this together. I wanted to put a show together that the everyone would adore -- people like my mother. I'm going for the most popular moments in Broadway history. I encourage spontaneity by the performers. They have a place to start and a place to end, but they choose what they want to do in between. They can do what we have set, or they can do whatever strikes them in the moment."

Additional Praise for Neil Berg's 100 Years of Broadway:

"Broadway tunes leave audience with an enchanted evening. Neil Berg is a powerful, kinetic pianist with a load of chops. He also writes music for Broadway and Off-Broadway shows. What (makes) Berg's production was the quality of the performers and the arrangements. The singers were excellent. Berg creates a well-balanced blend of the sublime and the lighthearted."
- Buffalo News

"The Great White Way stretched all the way to Bass Performance Hall Wednesday night via Neil Berg's Neil Berg's 100 Years of Broadway - a breezy, sprawling revue that romped gleefully through the American musical theater's greatest hits. Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Leonard Bernstein, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Frank Loesser and (reflecting recent trends on Broadway) Billy Joel and Frankie Valli among many others, all got the nod. The three men and two women carrying the vocal load boasted impressive musical stage credentials, and the all lived up to their bios."
- Punch Shaw, Ft. Worth Star-Telegram

"100 Years of Broadway is two and a half hours of fun! Whenever Neil Berg is putting on his 100 years of Broadway within a two-hour radius - I'm there! Neil puts on these hit-filled concerts featuring a bevy of Broadway performers singing some of the theater's most well known tunes. It brought down the house, and it doesn't get much better than that."
- Robert Diamond, Broadwayworld.com

Neil Berg is the composer/lyricist of the hit off-Broadway musical The Prince and the Pauper, which ran for two years at the Lamb's Theater in New York City. The New York Times described it as "...soaring on the wings of theatrical fun." Berg is currently writing the music for the Broadway bound musical Grumpy Old Men, based on the hit film. Two of Berg's new musicals have been selected for the prestigious New York Musical Theater Festival: The Man Who Would Be King, a musical realization of Rudyard Kipling's novella, and Tim and Scrooge, the sequel to A Christmas Carol.

Steven Blanchard appeared in Beauty and the Beast, Camelot, The Three Musketeers, and A Christmas Carol. His National Tours include Ken Hill's Phantom of the Opera, Camelot, West Side Story, Hans Christian Andersen, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Off Broadway he appeared in Johnny Guitar, Frankenstein, Moby Dick, and An Oak Tree. His television appearances include "Ed," "Third Watch," "Law and Order," "Police Story," "Sunset Beat," "Another World," "The Guiding Light," "One Life to Live," and "Rapmaster Ronnie" for HBO. Steve can be heard on original recordings of Johnny Guitar, Sundown, Frankenstein, and his debut CD, Northbound Train. Up next is a national tour of Little House on the Prairie starring opposite Melissa Gilbert.

Carter Calvert. Ms. Calvert's New York credits include starring in the original Broadway production cast album, and touring productions of It Ain't Nothin' But The Blues. She toured Europe in Smokey Joe's Café, played Grizabella in the national tour of Cats, and appeared as the title role in Always, Patsy Cline.

Rob Evan was a member of the original Broadway cast of Jekyll & Hyde, and then went on to play the title roles for three years and over 600 performances. He sang "This Is the Moment" at numerous occasions including the 2001 Inaugural Gala for President George W. Bush, the Millennium Independence Day US Naval Revue aboard the USS JFK for President Clinton, the Millennium World Forum Conference with guest speaker Mikhail Gorbachev, the 1998 Goodwill Games, and the New York City Mayor's Inaugural Gala. Rob also starred on Broadway in Disney's Tarzan as Kerchak, Little Shop of Horrors, Dance of the Vampires, and as Jean Valjean in Les Misérables, a role that he also played in the National Tour. In concert, Rob has appeared in the current touring production of The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, which originated at the Kennedy Center in 2004.

Rita Harvey starred recently as Hodel in the hit Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof with Rosie O'Donnell and Harvey Fierstein. She made her Broadway debut performing the lead role of Christine Daae in The Phantom of the Opera, after two years performing the role with the second national tour. She starred off-Broadway as Lady Edith in the hit musical The Prince and the Pauper. Rita has performed as featured soloist around the world with such stars as Robert Evan, Betty Buckley, Ben Vereen, Craig Schulman, Lillias White and Michael Crawford.

Danny Zolli Best known for his monumental number of performances as Jesus, Judas, and Annas in more than 15 productions of Jesus Christ Superstar throughout the world, Danny's unique and stirring performance of the aria "Gethsemane" is debated among Jesus Christ Superstar fans as one of the best. Danny has just completed and will soon be releasing his second solo album entitled "Sometimes Simple is Best". Most recently, Danny starred as Jesus in the 20th Anniversary concert of Jesus Christ Superstar.

Theatre: Wadsworth Theatre, on the Veterans Administration grounds
11301 Wilshire Boulevard, Brentwood, CA

Date: Thursday, April 23 at 8 pm

Tickets: Prices - $32, $42, $52
Phone - Ticketmaster at 213-365-3500
In Person - all Ticketmaster Outlets
In Person Day of Performance - Wadsworth Theatre Box Office,
11301 Wilshire Boulevard, Bldg 226, Los Angeles, CA.
Groups (of 15+) - 323-463-4367.
Online - www.ticketmaster.com

More Info: www.RICHMARKENT.com

 

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