Blazer Directs Kennedy's One-Man Show Pulling Strings

On October 13th at 8 PM and Sunday, October 15th at 3 PM, Christopher Kennedy--joined by guest performer Myrna Paris--will present his one-man performance piece Pulling Strings at the Christ and St. Stephen's Church (122 West 69th Street, between Columbus and Broadway).  Broadway's Judy Blazer directs the event.

Pulling Strings is "a piano tuner's view of life through the eyes of the people whose instruments he has served," as the show is described in press notes. "Kennedy has maintained some mystery to this theatrical presentation, but has promised that Pulling Strings is unlike anything that has ever been seen before on the stage.  He will also share anecdotes, and memories of his work in the field of piano technology, that has crossed the musical spectrum of Classical, Broadway, Cabaret, Pop and Jazz worlds and assures the audience a better understanding of the piano when the evening is over."

Kennedy has been the resident Piano Technician at the Metropolitan Opera House for the past five years and has been the resident Piano Technician of the Shandelee Music Festival for the past 12 years.  Over the last decade, he has continued to help pianists be "one with their instrument" with his presentation "Piano Technology for the Performing Pianist" which has been featured at The Juilliard School of Music, the Shandelee Music Festival, the Northern NJ Piano Teacher's Association, and as a lecture series at the 92nd St Y School of Music. 

Kennedy has composed the music for the shows James Agee: A Man Between Twilights, which was first presented by Equity Library at Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts, and Song for the Last Act: A Portrait of A Louise Bogan, which received its European debut at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.  He is also the co-author with Stephen Finn of Remembering Aldo, a one-act comedy.  He has also worked as an actor and musical director. 

Paris has been a regular featured performer at New York City Opera since 2001.   Her starring roles include Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd, Katisha in The Mikado, Kleonike in Lysistrata, Lady Jane in Patience (playing cello and dancing with Michael Ball), Zita in Gianni Schicchi and Marcellina in Marriage of Figaro.  Next spring, she will be Ruth in Pirates of Penzance.  She has also performed in straight plays. 

Blazer, founder and Artistic Director of the theater company, The Artist's Crossing, is an actress/singer who has performed both on/off Broadway including Titanic and Bernarda Alba; screen and television; opera and cabaret. She was featured in the role of the Beggar Woman in New York City Opera's 25th Anniversary Production of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd. This past April, she was seen at Zankel Hall in Michael Tilson Thomas' World premiere of "The Thomashefskys."  A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, she has been on the voice faculty of New York University.