92YTribeca Hosts 'Lyrics and Lyricists Downtown,' 4/11

Performers are set for the upcoming Lyrics & Lyricists Downtown: David Yazbek, the L&L^TM series at 92YTribeca on Monday, April 11. In this one-night-only performance and conversation, Yazbek is joined by singers Sean Altman, John Ellison Conlee and Mylinda Hull with Marco Paguia serving as musical director/pianist, Brian Hamm (bass) and Dean Sharenow (drums). Tony Award-winning singer Laura Benanti, who garnered raves for her role in Yazbek's Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, is a special guest performer. The evening is moderated by Broadway director Jack O'Brien.

David Yazbek - Composer/Lyricist/Vocals
Yazbek is the composer/ lyricist for Broadway's The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and most recently, this season's Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. He has also released five CDs as a singer/songwriter, performs in venues around the country with his band, and has two Tony nominations, three Grammy nominations and an Emmy win to his credit.

Sean Altman - Vocals
Altman was the founder and former leader of the vocal group Rockapella - star of the TV series Where In the World Is Carmen Sandiego? - for which Altman co-wrote the famous theme song with childhood friend David Yazbek. He is a member of the Loser's Lounge series in Manhattan, and has also performed as part of the comedy song duo What I Like About Jew, and with his solo comedy song act, Jewmongous.

John Ellison Conlee
Actor/singer Conlee garnered Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations for his role in The Full Monty. He has also appeared on Broadway in The Constant Wife and 1776 and TV viewers will recognize him from his recurring roles on Parks and Recreation and Brotherhood, among others.

Mylinda Hull - Vocals
Singer/dancer/actor Hull has performed on Broadway in Sweet Charity, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and 42nd Street. Her off-Broadway credits include I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change and Chef's Theatre, as well as regional theatre productions such as The Pajama Game, Chicago, and White Christmas.

Laura Benanti - Special Guest
Benanti won Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards for her starring role as "Louise" in the 2008 revival of Gypsy. She received Tony nominations for her performances in Into the Woods and Swing. Last year she reunited with her Gypsy co-star Patti LuPone in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.

Jack O'Brien - Moderator
O'Brien is a multiple Tony Award winner and nominee, with Best Director wins for The Coast of Utopia, Henry IV, and Hairspray and nominations for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and The Full Monty. He is currently directing the new Broadway musical Catch Me If You Can, opening next month.

Marco Paguia - Music Director, Piano
Paguia worked with David Yazbek as associate conductor and keyboard player in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown and also worked on Broadway in last year's production of Everyday Rapture. He has also released a CD, Small Hours, with his jazz trio, and performed at Joe's Pub with Everyday Rapture's Lindsay Mendez.

Brian Hamm - Bass
Hamm's Broadway credits include Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Everyday Rapture, Lestat, Starmites and Les Misérables. He has also backed Buster Poindexter as part of the band Banshees of Blue.

Dean Sharenow - Drums
Sharenow has played on Broadway for Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and The Full Monty. He also co-produced the original cast recording for Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson and has toured with Joan Baez.

Lyrics & Lyricists Downtown features intimate, informal conversations with songwriters working in today's musical theater, all in a nightclub setting (complete with full bar). The New York Times called last year's debut "welcome" and noted that it "deserves to flourish."

92YTribeca is 92nd Street Y's downtown arts and culture venue in New York City. Opened in October 2008, 92YTribeca presents music, comedy, film, theater, talks, classes, family events, and Jewish community and holiday programs in a versatile, street-level, modern space at 200 Hudson Street. For more information, visit www.92YTribeca.org.

Since launching its first concert series in 1934, what is now 92nd Street Y Tisch Center for the Arts, which produces Lyrics and Lyricists^TM, has presented acclaimed classical musicians and exciting newcomers; it is also home to 92Y's winter and summer jazz series, guitar series, family concerts and the renowned Unterberg Poetry Center.

Founded in 1874 by a group of visionary Jewish leaders, 92nd Street Y has grown into a wide-ranging cultural, educational and community center serving about 300,000 people of all ages, races, faiths and backgrounds each year. For more information, please visit www.92Y.org.

Monday, April 11, 7:30 pm, $25
92YTribeca, 200 Hudson St.
Tickets + Information: www.92YTribeca.org | 212.601.1000