Lansbury, Uggams, Etc. to Honor Jerry Herman, 5/20

A gala celebration of the career of composer/lyricist Jerry Herman will be held Sunday, May 20th at 6:00 P.M. at the historic National Arts Club, 15 Gramercy Park South, to benefit the Encompass New Opera Theatre, a non-profit company specializing in developing new music theatre and contemporary opera.

Lyricist Sheldon Harnick and composer Charles Strouse will serve as Honorary Gala Co-Chairs.  Michael Kerker of ASCAP will host the evening, and stars of stage and screen including Florence Lacey, K. T. Sullivan, Leslie Uggams, Michael Valenti, and Joanne Worley will perform highlights of Jerry's award-winning musicals, with recollections by Marge Champion and Angela Lansbury.  Bea Arthur, Carol Channing, Harvey Fierstein, Manny Kladitis, Elaine Krauss, Stewart Lane, Angela Lansbury, Arthur Laurents, Samuel (Biff) Liff, James M. Nederlander, and Donald Pippin will head the Honorary Gala Committee.

"Jerry Herman's Hello, Dolly! won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1965 and played more than 2500 performances.  His Broadway shows include Mame, Dear World, Mack and Mabel, Milk and Honey, The Grand Tour, and La Cage aux Folles, which received nine Tony nominations including six awards for Best Musical, Best Actor in a Musical (George Hearn), Best Director of a Musical (Arthur Laurents), Best Book (Harvey Fierstein), Best Score (Jerry Herman), and Best Costume Designer (Theoni V. Aldredge).  Renowned for his songs for female leads, he created a Broadway production in 1985, Jerry's Girls, which included 36 of his songs performed by his celebrated leading ladies," according to press materials.

Herman is the subject on the soon-to-be-seen PBS documentary, "Words and Music by Jerry Herman," a film by Amber Edwards.
 
Tickets at $275 can be purchased by calling Encompass New Opera Theatre at 718-398-4675 or emailing encompassopera@yahoo.com.  For additional information on Encompass New Opera Theatre, please visit:  www.encompassopera.org.

Photo of Angela Lansbury by Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.