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George Gershwin: Bidin' My Time (2020)
Character: Narrator
This program is set among excerpts of letters and archival interviews with George Gershwin and his brother and lyricist Ira Gershwin, his longtime musical collaborator Kay Swift, and the legendary pianist Oscar Levant. The words of Todd Duncan and Anne Brown, the original Porgy and Bess, provide an intimate perspective on the creation of Gershwin’s “folk opera” and the invaluable contributions of its performers. Peppered among hits like “Embraceable You” and “Love Is Here To Stay” are pieces of essays written by George Gershwin in which he pondered and pontificated on the meaning of “jazz” and the definition of “music” itself. Asserting his constant effort to eschew genres, Gershwin wrote: “From any sound critical standpoint, labels mean nothing at all. Good music is good music, even if you call it ‘oysters.’”
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Tom Jones & Harvey Schmidt: Simple Little Things (2020)
Character: Narrator
60 years ago, on May 3, 1960, at the tiny Sullivan Street Playhouse in Greenwich Village, The Fantasticks opened on the sparsest of budgets and ran uninterrupted for nearly 42 years, closing on January 13, 2002 after a record 17,162 performances. Its elegance and simplicity endured four decades of the chaotic world going “Round and Round” while its creators continued their evolution into several uptown successes. Including 110 In the Shade and I Do! I Do!, the jewel box of creativity that is the Jones and Schmidt collaboration is perhaps the most steadfast of its kind.
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Rodgers, Rodgers & Guettel: Statues and Stories (2020)
Character: Narrator
The groundbreaking works of Richard Rodgers, most famously in his collaborations with Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II, gave us the foundation of the modern musical form. But Rodgers also left a family lineage that has enriched the craft in abundant fashion. In a loose song cycle format, this program will weave his work with the charming and witty creations of daughter Mary Rodgers (Once Upon a Mattress) and the complex and extraordinary palette of grandson Adam Guettel (The Light in the Piazza, Floyd Collins), as we look toward the progression of musicals over the decades and into the future.
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Jule Styne and His Many Lyricists: Distant Melody (2020)
Character: Narrator
It is said that Jule Styne published over 1,500 songs in his lifetime, a staggering number that spans decades and includes dozens of collaborators. Beginning with Sammy Cahn in the 1940s, his lyricists would include names like Betty Comden, Adolph Green, Leo Robin, Bob Merrill, and Stephen Sondheim. Styne wrote some of our most famous songs and classic Broadway hits, with a multitude of lesser-known work along the way. The lasting power of star vehicles like Gypsy and Funny Girl has remained throughout every sea change of cultural mood and sentiment.
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The Theme From...: Songs Written for Film (2020)
Character: Narrator
As a celebration of our performers, and the necessary medium of film to tell these stories at this moment in time, this special program presents some of the best songs specifically written for film ever since the genre first achieved the technology to capture sound. A diverse concert of hits like “Moon River” and “The Man That Got Away” mixed in with other songs from decades of film history offers a look at the effect of these songs on an audience and how, even in a non-musical film, music is key to unlocking the emotional journey of storytelling.
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Fun Home: 10th Anniversary Reunion Concert (2024)
Character: Alison
Ten years ago, Fun Home entered our lives with its world premiere at The Public Theater and began its journey of touching and inspiring the lives of millions. After a critically acclaimed and sold-out run at The Public, Fun Home transferred to Broadway winning five Tony Awards including Best Musical, before going onto productions worldwide. Join Jeanine Tesori, Lisa Kron, Chris Fenwick, and Sam Gold as they reunite with original company members as well as some new faces to present a special concert of the Tony Award-winning production with proceeds benefiting the nonprofit organization, Outright International.
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Song Sung Blue (2025)
Character: Bridget
Based on a true story, two down-on-their-luck musicians form a joyous Neil Diamond tribute band, proving it's never too late to find love and follow your dreams.
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The God Committee (2021)
Character: Attorney
Medicine, money and morality clash when a hospital's Heart Transplant Selection Committee has only minutes to decide which of three patients on the transplant list will receive a heart that has suddenly become available.
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Glitter & Doom (2024)
Character: Lonely Firework
Serious musician Doom and free-spirited circus kid Glitter start a budding summer relationship filled with camping trips, late-night conversations, and plenty of song and dance. Their relationship is put to the test as they deal with trying to make it in the music biz, their mothers, and finding what feeds each of their souls and dreams.
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Alma & the Wolf (2025)
Character: N/A
After a violent animal attack, paranoia spreads through Spiral Creek. But when Deputy Ren Accord gets too close, his son vanishes, and reality begins to fracture.
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tick, tick... BOOM! (2021)
Character: "Sunday" Legend #6
On the brink of turning 30, a promising theater composer navigates love, friendship and the pressure to create something great before time runs out.
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Hick (2012)
Character: Sherri
A pistol-packing teen meets an unstable rebel and a cocaine-snorting drifter as she hitchhikes her way out West.
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Brittany Runs a Marathon (2019)
Character: Tesla
Hilarious and outgoing, Brittany Forgler, is everybody’s best friend ― except her own. Her partying, underemployment and toxic relationships are catching up with her. She receives a startling wake-up call when a visit to the doctor reveals how unhealthy she is. Motivated to lose weight, but too broke for a gym and too proud to ask for help, Brit is at a loss, until her neighbor pushes her to run one sweaty block. Soon, she sets an almost unthinkable goal: the New York City Marathon.
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