92 Street Y to 'Come Together' for Gala

On Monday, May 19 at 8:00 PM, the 92nd Street Y celebrates the music of The Beatles in "Come Together," the cultural center's annual Gala Benefit.   The 92nd Street Y, a place where all kinds of people and programming "Come Together" to create both community and culture, pays tribute to the tremendous musical, cultural and creative legacy of the Beatles, recognizing not only their immense musical talent and considerable charm but also their deep commitment to change and innovation, which were key elements in the lasting impact they have had on popular culture.  The all-star cast features:

Richie Havens, an icon of the 1960s music scene, has been recording and performing for four decades.  He scored a huge hit with his version of "Here Comes the Sun" on his 1970 record, Alarm Clock; he performs that song as well as "Strawberry Fields Forever" at the Y.

Melissa Manchester is a New York-born, Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, a graduate of the High School for Performing Arts and an alumna of the Y's summer musical theater program for teens (in which she played the Duchess in "Alice in Wonderland").  At the Gala, she performs new arrangements of "Blackbird" and "Eleanor Rigby" that she has written specifically for this performance.  Manchester, who launched her career as a backup singer for Bette Midler and years later co-starred with Midler in For The Boys, is probably best known for her hits "Midnight Blue" and "Don't Cry Out Loud."  More recently, she starred in Andrew Lloyd Weber's Song And Dance and Music Of The Night, and had a recurring role in the hit television series Blossom.

The Fab Faux is the critically acclaimed Beatles tribute band known for its painstaking recreations of the Beatles' songs, especially later works that were recorded, but never actually performed in concert.  The band brings together five top New York musicians: Will Lee (David Letterman show), Jimmy Vivino (Conan O'Brien show), Rich Pagano (Rosanne Cash, Ray Davies), Jack Petruzzelli (Joan Osborne, Rufus Wainwright), and Frank Agnello, (Phoebe Snow, Marshall Crenshaw).  The Fab Faux marked the 43rd Anniversary of The Beatles' performance on The Ed Sullivan Show with a February 2007 appearance on "The Late Show with David Letterman".

Carol Woods is a veteran of Broadway (Chicago, One Mo' Time, Stephen Sondheim's Follies, Smokey Joe's Café, Neil Simon's The Goodbye Girl), film, television, cabaret and the concert stage.  She brings an encore performance of her soulful version of "Let It Be" to this Beatles celebration at the Y.   Woods's take on the song appeared in Julie Taymor's 2007 film "Across the Universe," and her stunning performance was a highlight of the 2008 Grammy Awards show.

Peter (Asher) and Gordon (Waller) are often referred to as the "British Invasion's Everly Brothers." They perform their classic hit "World Without Love" and talk about how it came to be that so many of their early songs were written by Paul McCartney. (Peter Asher went on to be a director of the Beatles' Apple Records).  

The Backwards, a Slovakian Beatles tribute band, launched its career in 1996, seven years after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the subsequent repeal of the official ban on the Beatles' music in Slovakia (it was considered a decadent Western influence).  Although the members of the Backwards speak very little English, they have the honor of being the only band to twice win the title of Best Beatles Sound-Alike Band at The International Beatles Festival in NYC.  They have also won accolades from Mrs. Louise Harrison, sister of the late George Harrison.

 
To date, this year's gala benefit has raised $2.45 million to support programs at the 92nd Street Y.  This year's resounding fundraising success is due to the leadership of Gala co-chairs Cheryl & Michael Minikes and Jenny & John Paulson; vice-chairs Ann L. Bronfman, Stacey & Matthew Bronfman, Elizabeth & Shahab Karmely, Erica & Michael Karsch, Cathy & Marc Lasry, Tami & Frederic Mack, Eleanor & Rodney Propp, Carolyn & Curtis Schenker, and Lizzie & Tom Tisch.

 

"Come Together," the Gala program, is produced and directed by Jeffrey Martin and John Kroner and written by Russell Reich; Helaine Geismar Katz is executive producer.  Lanny Meyers music director.  This is the same creative team that has put together several of the 92nd Street Y's popular gala shows.

 

Founded in 1874 by a group of visionary Jewish leaders, the 92nd Street Y has grown into a wide-ranging cultural, educational and community center serving people of all ages, races, faiths and backgrounds. The 92nd Street Y's mission is to enrich the lives of the over 300,000 people who visit in person each year as well as those who visit virtually, through the Y's satellite, television, radio and Internet broadcasts. The organization offers comprehensive performing arts, film and spoken word events; courses in the humanities, the arts, personal development and Jewish culture; activities and workshops for children, teenagers and parents; and health and fitness programs for people of every age. Committed to making its programs available to everyone, the 92nd Street Y awards nearly $1 million in scholarships annually and reaches out to 7,000 public school children through subsidized arts education programs. For more information, please visit www.92Y.org.