Kate Baldwin and
Graham Rowat will be among the stars celebrating
Finian's Rainbow composer Burton Lane in the New-York Historical Society's February 20th benefit concert.
The concert will be one of four presented this year; funds will support American Musicals Project, which drawing upon the resources of the NYHS, will bring musical theatre history into schools by mixing it with history and English lessons.
In addition to Baldwin (
White Christmas, Wonderful Town) and Rowat (
White Christmas, Dracula), the concert will feature Rachel Ulanet (
The Great Ostrovsky, King David) and Lee Zarrett (
Jane Eyre). Scott Alan Evans, the artistic director of the concert series, will direct the show, which will also include musical direction by Sam Davis, music consultation by Ben Whiteley and narration by author Philip Furia. Audiences will be treated to a mix of Lane standards and lesser-known numbers.
While not as famous as some of his contemporaries, Lane (who worked with lyricists such as E.Y. "Yip" Harburg, Ira Gershwin and Alan Jay Lerner) had a hit with
Finian's Rainbow, which introduced songs such as "How Are Things in Glocca Morra?," "Look to the Rainbow," and "Old Devil Moon." His other Broadway musicals included
On A Clear Day You Can See Forever and
Carmelina, while movie musicals included
Babes on Broadway (out of which came "How About You?") and
Royal Wedding (which introduced "Too Late Now").
Future AMP concerts will include tributes to Arthur Schwartz (March 6th) and Charles Strouse (March 27th) as well as
The Future of Broadway: A Generation of Genius on March 20th.
The New-York Historical Society is located at 170 Central Park West. Tickets are $35 (for priority seating) and $25 (for regular seating); call (212) 873-3400 x 305. Visit
www.americanmusicalsproject.org for more on AMP.
