Rex Reed's THE MAN THAT GOT AWAY to Make West Coast Debut at the JCCSF, LASU

Following five sold-out performances in New York City as part of the 92nd Street Y's Lyrics & Lyricists series, and a tour throughout Texas, Rex Reed's THE MAN THAT GOT AWAY: Ira Without George, makes its West Coast debut at Kanbar Hall at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco (JCCSF).  This musical tribute to the great American lyricist Ira Gershwin stars Rex Reed, Linda Purl and Gregory Harrison.  It will be presented on Friday and Saturday, April 13 and 14 at 8 pm & Sunday, April 15 at 2 pm.   

Created by internationally renowned critic/author/lecturer Rex Reed, the production highlights the life of Ira Gershwin, George's older brother.  Mr. Reed's masterful and often hilarious narration follows Ira from childhood through his first song-writing projects, the tragic death of his younger brother, and the following decades of phenomenal output of lyrics.  "Ira Without George: The Lyrics of Ira Gershwin" focuses on the songs he wrote without his brother, including collaborations with major composers such as Harold Arlen, Kurt Weill, Vernon Duke, Harry Warren, and Jerome Kern.
   
Joining Rex Reed for the celebration are), Gregory Harrison (Broadway and National Tours of Chicago and star of TV's "Trapper John M.D."), Tony nominated actress Sally Mayes (Seen on TV in "Sex And The City" and on Broadway in She Loves Me and Closer Than Ever), Linda Purl ("The Office"), Kurt Reichenbach ("L.A. Law").  They will be backed by a three-piece jazz combo led by 7-time Emmy Award winner, Mike Renzi.
 
The star-studded cast sing 27 numbers from the pantheon of timeless Gershwin hits such as  the classic standards "I Can't Get Started," "My Ship," "Long Ago and Far Away," "The Man That Got Away," and many more.
 
 By the time Ira Gershwin died at 86 in 1983, he had written the lyrics to more than 700 songs.  The New York Times called Ira and E.Y. Harburg, his Lower East Side schoolmate and competitive collaborator, "adventurous human rhyming machines," who "pored over dictionaries to develop styles of light verse" and "were as competitive in their way as today's rappers."  The critic also called this production ""One of the season's most satisfying programs."         

Tickets ($60 - $75) for THE MAN THAT GOT AWAY are available through the JCCSF Box Office at 415/292-1233 or online at www.jccsf.org/arts.  The JCCSF is located at 3200 California Street at Presidio in San Francisco.

The show will also play in Baton Rouge, LA at Louisiana State University at Friday, April 20 at 7:30pm and in Bayside, NY at The Queensborough Performing Arts Center Sunday April 22 at 3pm.

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