Yip Harburg News

Two prolific writers who put the a?oeGreata?? in a?oeThe Great American Songbooka?? were celebrated and explored in the same week at Manhattan's 92nd Street Y. In different presentations, there were embraces of the legacies of lyricist E.Y. (a?oeYipa??) Harburg and composer/lyricist Cole Porter.

Theater for the New City's Emerging Playwrights Program will be beneficiary of the theater's 17th Annual Love 'n Courage benefit Monday, February 24, 2020 at The Players, 16 Gramercy Park South. The evening honors James Rado, the Tony and Grammy Award winning, actor, playwright, composer and co-author of the musical 'Hair.'

When James Rado, Gerome Ragney and Galt MacDermot''s musical Hair debuted in 1967 and transferred to Broadway a year later, they made history.

The Kleban Foundation celebrates the 30th anniversary of the annual Kleban Prize for Musical Theatre with the announcement of the 2020 prize winners.

BJ RYAN'S MAGNOLIA ROOM a?" Fairfield County's newest intimate cabaret venue a?" will present, direct from a successful NYC run, JOSEPHINE SANGES (2019 MAC Award winner, 2018 La Mott Friedman Award winner, and recipient of the 2017 Mabel Mercer Foundation's Margaret Whiting Award) in her critically acclaimed Harold Arlen tribute show, COME RAIN OR COME SHINE for one night only Friday, January 31 at 8:00 pm. John Cook will serve as Music Director with Jeff Harnar as Director.

'The Maria Callas of American musical theater,' as Opera News has called her, referencing both her crystalline voice and dramatic, expressive intensity, Melissa Errico is an actress, singer and author. First known for her starring roles on Broadway, her latest album, Sondheim Sublime, was called by The Wall Street Journal 'The best all-Sondheim album ever recorded.' Nothing in her work has been more constant than her association with Michel Legrand. Having starred in his sole Broadway show, 'Amour', she went on to collaborate with him on the iconic album 'Legrand Affair'. After his death in 2019, she was asked to write his eulogy by The New York Times - where she is a frequent contributor- and was then invited to become the sole American performer to participate in the extraordinary two-day memorial to Legrand held in April at Paris' Le Grand Rex Theatre, work that led one critic to announce that, 'Errico is, and will continue to be, the premier interpreter of the musical legacy of Michel Legrand.' This fall 2019, Ghostlight Records reissues her symphonic album, which Legrand arranged & conducted, as 'Legrand Affair Deluxe Edition.'

'The Wizard of Oz: A Jazz Musical for All Ages,' presented by Harlem Repertory Theater (HRT) and Yip Harburg Lyrics Foundation, has been extended through June 20, 2020 due to continuing and steady audience interest. The production has played since October 8, 2016 at Tato Laviera Theatre, 240 East 123rd Street (near 2nd Ave.), Manhattan, and has previously been extended seven times.

'The Wizard of Oz: A Jazz Musical for All Ages,' presented by Harlem Repertory Theater and Yip Harburg Lyrics Foundation, has been extended through June 20, 2020 due to continuing and steady audience interest. The production has played since October 8, 2016 at Tato Laviera Theatre, 240 East 123rd Street (near 2nd Ave.), Manhattan, and has previously been extended seven times.

Lyrics & Lyricists opens its new season with a salute to Yip Harburg, who appeared on the 92nd Street Y stage for L&L's first show in December 1970. Harburg was a master lyricist, poet, and book writer who worked with more than 40 composers in writing over 600 songs, including such classics as 'April in Paris,' 'Old Devil Moon,' 'Lydia, the Tattooed Lady,' 'Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?,' 'Paper Moon,' and, of course, 'Over the Rainbow.' Mikaela Bennett, Clifton Duncan, Desi Oakley, Megan Sikora and Nick Spangler bring Harburg's story to life-from his Lower East Side childhood to being blacklisted by HUAC. Matt Kunkel's direction, with musical direction by Paul Masse and a script by Jon Marans, weaves together Harburg's comedic and political sides.

General Director and CEO Deborah Sandler today announced that an innovative new work celebrating the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and a cabaret-style favorite that returns by popular demand comprise the 2020 Explorations series. The series leads audiences on a delightful journey of musical discovery through eclectic works performed in Lyric Opera's Michael and Ginger Frost Production Arts Building in the Crossroads District.

92Y announces Lyrics & Lyricists 2020, the new season of the country's preeminent American Songbook series. L&L features artists from theater and beyonda?"including Andy Einhorn, Matt Kunkel, David Loud, Paul Masse, and Stephen Schwartza?"presenting original revues with award-winning Broadway and cabaret performers.

Tony and Drama Desk nominees Kate Baldwin (Hello Dolly, Big Fish, Giant, Finnian's Rainbow) and Bob Stillman (Grey Gardens, Dirty Blonde, Saturn Returns, Hello Again) team up on November 20 for a special recital in the Fabbri Chamber Concerts series, in the magnificent library of the historic Fabbri Mansion (now the House of the Redeemer) on the Upper East Side (7 East 95th Street between Fifth and Madison Avenues).

The reviews are in! What did the critics have to say? Don your ruby slipper! Paper Mill Playhouse's New Jersey premiere of Chasing Rainbows: The Road to Oz is now on stage featuring a book by Marc Acito, musical adaptation & additional music by David Libby and conceived by and additional lyrics by Tina Marie Casamento.

Mirage Theatre Company has commissioned New Dramatists playwright Melisa Tien to create 'Broken Dolls,' an original theater work about the trafficking of women. As part of its New Blood readings series, Theater for the New City, 155 First Ave., will present a staged reading of the play, adapted and directed by June Prager, Mirage Theatre Company's Artistic Director, on October 21, 2019 at 7:00 PM.

To stage the beloved cultural icon that is THE WIZARD OF OZ offers any theatre company a herculean challenge: one which requires stretching the imagination to the limits to create a universe where reality is redefined and fantasy is fulfilled. In short, it demands stunning stagecraft and brilliant artistic vision. And it is just that kind of theatrical magic which Maine State Music Theatre's new production co- directed by Marc Robin and Curt Dale Clark boldly and beautifully realizes.

This Christmas prepare to relive all the angelic joy of 'Heaven Sent' as it comes back to New York stages. Written by Bambi Everson ('Neither Here Nor There', and others), this charming play follows the trials and tribulations of an innocent young angel-in-training assigned the task of improving the life of a surly malcontent. Raucous and irreverent, whilst at its center

Harlem Repertory Theatre's The Wizard f Oz, a 'Jazz Musical for All Ages' is FREE for patrons attending the noon show on Monday, July 8.

This Christmas prepare to relive all the angelic joy of 'Heaven Sent' as it comes back to New York stages. Written by Bambi Everson ('Neither Here Nor There', and others), this charming play follows the trials and tribulations of an innocent young angel-in-training assigned the task of improving the life of a surly malcontent. Raucous and irreverent, whilst at its center sweet and even uplifting, the show was first performed at the Broadway Comedy Club under the original title 'OMG!'. As it transitions to The Producer's Club it will take on its new title, just in time for an early December run.

'The Wizard of Oz: A Jazz Musical for All Ages,' presented by Harlem Repertory Theater (HRT) and Yip Harburg Foundation, has been extended through January 11, 2020 due to continuing and steady audience interest. The production has played since October 8, 2016 at Tato Laviera Theatre, 240 East 123rd Street (near 2nd Ave.), Manhattan, and has previously been extended seven times.

When describing vocalist and arranger Paul Jost, two words come to mind … “passionate” and “storyteller”. To Paul, each lyric offers a story, a message, and a vehicle to convey his own interpretation and message. While Paul is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and arranger, it's his vocal style that makes him standout. With his reputation as a vocalist growing, Paul has been filling rooms on the New York club scene as well as captivating audiences on festival stages both in the US and Europe.