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Kathleen Marshall, Billy Stritch, James Naughton and More Set for 92Y's LYRICS & LYRICISTS 2016 Season
By: BWW News Desk May. 29, 2015
92Y announces the lineup for Lyrics & Lyricists 2016, the 46th season of the country's preeminent American Songbook series.
Artistic directors this season are: Kathleen Marshall, on songs written on the road that became Broadway hits; Billy Stritch, on Cy Coleman's jazz side; Ted Sperling, on legendary leading lady Ethel Merman; and the team of Ted Chapin and Bill Rudman, on Rodgers after Hammerstein. James Naughton, a favorite L&L performer, makes his artistic director debut in a show exploring the time when the American Songbook, country and rock 'n' roll vied for control of the radio.
"We love shaking up the idea of what an American Songbook show is," says L&L series artistic director Deborah Grace Winer. "And the fun and excitement of next season is not only our stellar lineup of guest artistic directors, but that every show they create will be entirely different from the others."
L&L shows are Saturday at 8 pm, Sunday at 2 and 7 pm, and Monday at 2 and 7:30 pm. Subscriptions to the five-concert series running from January to May are on sale now, starting at $290. Individual tickets start at $58 and are on sale August 3; 92Y's 35 & Under program also offers access to steeply discounted tickets for all performances. Please call 212-415-5500 or go to www.92Y.org/Lyrics for more information.
Lyrics & Lyricists: 2016 Season:
January 9, 10, 11
A FUNNY THING HAPPENED: SONGS FROM THE ROAD TO BROADWAY
Kathleen Marshall, Artistic Director & Host
Sometimes a single song can save a show. Three-time Tony Award winner Kathleen Marshall reveals the stories behind "Comedy Tonight" (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum) and other 11th-hour songs penned out of town, only to become Broadway's biggest hits.
February 27, 28, 29
BATTLE OF THE AIRWAVES! WHEN THE SONGBOOK MET ROCK & COUNTRY
James Naughton, Artistic Director & Host
Once upon a time, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash vied for control of America's airwaves. Relive that exhilarating musical moment-when the Songbook battled rebellious rock 'n' roll and country-with two-time Tony Award winner James Naughton, in his debut as an L&L artistic director.
March 19, 20, 21
WITCHCRAFT: THE JAZZ MAGIC OF CY COLEMAN
Billy Stritch, Artistic Director & Host
From Sweet Charity to City of Angels, Cy Coleman is beloved for his Broadway scores-not to mention classic standards like "Witchcraft" and "The Best Is Yet to Come." But he also doubled as a jazz pianist. Join singer-pianist sensation, Grammy winner Billy Stritch for a magic ride to Coleman's swinging side.
April 16, 17, 18
EVERYTHING'S COMING UP ETHEL: THE ETHEL MERMAN SONGBOOK
Ted Sperling, Artistic Director & Host
Momma Rose, Annie Oakley-nobody belted the big roles like Broadway titan Ethel Merman. George Gershwin told her never to take voice lessons, and he and his fellow Songbook scribes-from Berlin to Porter- worshipped Merman as a muse. Celebrate the songs, the songwriters and their larger-than-life leading lady with Tony Award-winning music director Ted Sperling.
May 21, 22, 23
I HAVE CONFIDENCE: RODGERS AFTER HAMMERSTEIN
Ted Chapin and Bill Rudman, Co-Artistic Directors & Hosts
Rodgers and ... Sondheim? Harnick? Charnin? Late in life, Richard Rodgers, one of Broadway's greatest composers, partnered with an amazing array of talent. See video interviews, hear unearthed writings and delve deep inside these rich collaborations, with R&H authority Ted Chapin and SiriusXM host Bill Rudman.
Now celebrating its 140th Anniversary, 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: 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. Since 1970, Lyrics & Lyricists, the pioneering American Songbook series, and one of 92Y's signature series, 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 Rob Fisher, Ted Chapin, Mark Lamos, Kathleen Marshall, and Billy Stritch. Lyrics & Lyricists receives underwriting support from Gilda and Henry Block; Kenneth Kolker z"l; The Henry Nias Foundation, courtesy of Dr. Stanley Edelman; The Edythe Kenner Foundation; and the Hite Foundation, Inc. Discounted Tickets for 35 and Under - www.92Y.org/35andUnder.
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. For more information, visit www.92Y.org.
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