He's the Top! Rebecca Luker and More Celebrate Cole Porter at 92Y This Weekend

"Night and Day," "I've Got You Under My Skin," "You're the Top": Behind Cole Porter's famous wit and sophistication lay an artistic genius's mastery of the American popular song. How did this wealthy scion from Peru, Indiana, thwart familial legal-career expectations to join Berlin, Loesser, and Sondheim on the very short list of iconic composer-lyricists?

Artistic director David Loud leads a stellar Broadway cast - Allison Blackwell, Lewis Cleale, Nikki Renee Daniels, Rebecca Luker and Matthew Scott - through Porter's most exquisite creations, including songs from such smash-hit shows as Anything Goes and Kiss Me, Kate. The show runs today, February 11, through February 13, 2017 as part of 92Y's Lyrics & Lyricists series.

"Getting to do an evening of Cole Porter songs at Lyrics & Lyricists is like being let into the Tower of London to play with the Crown Jewels," says David Loud. "Sophisticated, pushing the boundaries of decorum, yet as popular with the masses as they were with his swank society friends - we come back to his songs at different points in our lives and discover new meanings, poignant details, hitherto unseen nuances. I'll examine what makes the Porter canon so fresh and potent, and explore the mysterious intersection between Porter's life, with its complicated marital arrangement, and his work."

For information on the creative team and cast, click here.

Since 1970, Lyrics & Lyricists, the pioneering American Songbook series, and one of 92Y's signature programs, has celebrated the work of songwriters like Jerome Kern, Cole Porter, Dorothy Fields, Betty Comden & Adolph Green, Sheldon Harnick, and David Zippel with champions and interpreters of the American Songbook including Kathleen Marshall, Rob Fisher, Billy Stritch, John Pizzarelli, Ted Sperling, Mark Lamos, and Ted Chapin. 92Y Lyrics & Lyricists receives support from Gilda and Henry Block; the Hite Foundation, Inc.; The Harold W. and Ida L. Goldstein Lecture Fund through the Estate of Sanford Goldstein; The Edythe Kenner Foundation; The Henry Nias Foundation, courtesy of Dr. Stanley Edelman; and the Wechsler Foundation.

92nd Street Y is a world-class, nonprofit cultural and community center that fosters the mental, physical and spiritual health of people throughout their lives, offering: wide-ranging conversations with the world's best minds; an outstanding range of programming in the performing, visual and literary arts; fitness and sports programs; and activities for children and families. 92Y is reimagining what it means to be a community center in the digital age with initiatives like the award-winning #GivingTuesday, launched by 92Y in 2012 and now recognized across the US and in a growing number of regions worldwide as a day to celebrate and promote giving. These kinds of initiatives are transforming the way people share ideas and translate them into action both locally and around the world. More than 300,000 people visit 92Y annually; millions more participate in 92Y's digital and online initiatives. A proudly Jewish organization since its founding in 1874, 92Y embraces its heritage and welcomes people of all backgrounds and perspectives. Discounted tickets for 35 and under at www.92Y.org/LexList. For more information, visit www.92Y.org.