NSO Pops: Sondheim at 80 Plays Kennedy Center Concert Hall Through 5/8

On May 6-8, 2010, the National Symphony Orchestra Pops will present NSO Pops: Sondheim at 80, a concert celebrating the 80th birthday of 16-time Tony Award®-winning composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim. Led by Principal Pops Conductor Marvin Hamlisch, the concert will feature performances by Tony Award®-nominee Liz Callaway, Tony Award®-winner Michael Cerveris, Tony Award®-nominee Brian D'Arcy James, Maria Friedman, and Patricia Noonan. The concerts will take place on Thursday, May 6 at 7 p.m.; Friday, May 7 at 8 p.m.; and Saturday May 8 at 8 p.m. in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall.

NSO Pops: Sondheim at 80 will include many of the songwriter's best-loved tunes from some of his greatest Broadway productions such as Sweeney Todd, A Little Night Music, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Follies, and many more.

Award-winning actress, singer and recording artist Liz Callaway made her Broadway debut in George Furth and Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along. She received a Tony Award® nomination for her performance in Baby, and for five years, sang "Memory" as Grizabella in Cats. She has also starred in the original casts of Miss Saigon, The Three Musketeers, and The Look of Love. Off-Broadway credits include The Spitfire Grill (Drama Desk nomination), No Way to Treat a Lady, Marry Me a Little, Godspell, and Brownstone. Other New York appearances include the 2004 benefit concert of Hair, Follies in Concert at Lincoln Center, A Stephen Sondheim Evening, and Fiorello! at New York City Center's Encores!

Michael Cerveris received the 2004 Tony Award® for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of John Wilkes Booth in John Weidman and Stephen Sondheim's Assassins. Other Broadway credits include Lovemusik (Tony® and Drama Desk nomination), the 2006 revival of Sweeney Todd (Tony® and Drama Desk nomination), The Who's Tommy (Tony® nomination), Hedda Gabler, Passion, and Titanic. Mr. Cerveris most recently appeared in the 2009 original Broadway production of In the Next Room. He appeared in the Kennedy Center production of Passion during the Kennedy Center's 2002 Sondheim Celebration.

Brian D'Arcy James received a Tony® nomination and a Drama Desk Award for his portrayal of the title role in Shrek The Musical. Other Broadway credits include Sweet Smell of Success (Tony® and Drama Desk nomination), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Titanic, Carousel, The Apple Tree, and, most recently, Time Stands Still. He has received Drama Desk nominations for his work in productions of Port Authority, The Good Thief, and The Wild Party.

British stage actress Maria Friedman won the 2006 Theatre World Award for her performance as Marian Halcombe in the original Broadway production of Charlotte Jones, David Zippel, and Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Woman in White. With three Olivier Awards and seven nominations, her stage credits include her one-woman show Maria Friedman: By Special Arrangement (Olivier Award) and the London productions of Passion (Olivier Award), Sunday in the Park with George (Olivier nomination), Lady In The Dark (Olivier nomination), Ragtime, and Chicago. Her 2006 American debut CD, Now and Then, featured a special guest performance by Stephen Sondheim.

Stage actress Patricia Noonan most recently appeared in Girl Crazy at City Center Encores! Ms. Noonan's other New York stage credits include Signs of Life, Hurricane, and Cabaret Girl. Her regional theater credits include Candide (Boston College), Carousel (Barrington Stage), Little House on the Prairie (The Guthrie Theater), How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (White Plains Performing Arts Center), and Ragtime (White Plains Performing Arts Center).

Marvin Hamlisch, now in his tenth season as Principal Pops Conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra, is the first person to hold that position with the NSO. Each season includes six different three-performance programs, as well as special single concerts. Under Hamlisch's leadership, the National Symphony Orchestra Pops season is marked by a wide variety of musical forms - jazz, Broadway musicals, oldies, and more - and a distinctive mixture of major artists and emerging talents.

Upcoming NSO Pops performances include: Michael Cavanaugh in Concert: The Music of Billy Joel and More on April 17, 2010 and Classical Mystery Tour, featuring the music of The Beatles, June 24-26, 2010.

TICKET INFORMATION

Performances for NSO Pops: Sondheim at 80 will take place on Thursday, May 6 at 7 p.m.; Friday, May 7 at 8 p.m.; and Saturday May 8 at 8 p.m. Tickets starting at $20 are available for purchase at the Kennedy Center box office or by calling Instant Charge at (202) 467-4600. Patrons living outside the Washington metropolitan area may dial toll-free at (800) 444-1324 or visit us online at www.kennedy-center.org.