Lyrics & Lyricists Presents WHAT'S GOING ON: SONGS OF CHANGE This March

Lyrics and Lyricists presents What's Going On?: Songs of Change on March 25, 26 and 27. What's Going On was created and conceived by Warren Adams (Motown: The Musical) and Michael O. Mitchell (MJ: The Musical ) as a theatrical concert exploring the work of Black songwriters and artists whose music is an essential part of the American Songbook and has played an integral role in the country's culture.

Informed by roots and branches in gospel music, blues, R&B, rock, hip hop and more, and an innate sense of sound and rhythm, the musical performances are connected through the theme of love, acceptance, and a shared humanity.

Adams, Mitchell and a cast that includes Motown: The Musical alumni Charl Brown, Valisia LeKae and Ryan Shaw, Hairspray's Naturi Naughton, The Color Purple's Patrice Covington, Tina's Daniel J. Watts and #1 charting blues artist Eric B. Turner, bring such well-known songs as Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On," Nina Simone's "Mississippi Goddamn," Stevie Wonder's "Love's in Need of Love" and Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit" to life through unique arrangements blending music, dance, poetry and visual art to tell a powerful story.

"The African American Songbook is the American Songbook," comments Adams. "We're all interconnected, and we want the audience to leave with the sense that this music is part of all our lives."

"The social change we're looking for is love," comments Mitchell. "The theme of the show is love, acceptance and commonality. We are all one human race at the end of the day."

LYRICS & LYRICISTS 2022/23 SEASON

All Performances In Person

JUDY ON TV!: CELEBRATING THE Judy Garland SHOW

Conceived, written, hosted, and music directed by Billy Stritch; starring Klea Blackhurst, Aisha de Haas, Gabrielle Stravelli, and Max von Essen

Sat, May 6, 7:30 pm
Sun, May 7, 2 pm
Mon, May 8, 7:30 pm

In this Judy Garland centennial year, we look at Garland's iconic talent through the lens of her landmark 1963-64 weekly television broadcasts. Award-winning entertainer and music director Billy Stritch leads this Lyrics & Lyricists tribute, joined by a sensational cast of his nightclub and theater friends Klea Blackhurst, Aisha de Haas, Gabrielle Stravelli and Max von Essen. They reimagine the searing solos and classic duets with Lena Horne, Mel Tormé , and others in songs by Gershwin, Arlen, Porter, and more, for a Judy Garland tribute like no other, built around the show that brought one of Hollywood's greatest stars into America's living rooms every week, and further fueled her place in our hearts.

CALIFORNIA DREAMIN': Jessica Vosk SINGS THE SONGWRITERS OF LAUREL CANYON

Fri, Jun 2, 7:30 pm
Sun, Jun 4, 2 pm
Mon, Jun 5, 7:30 pm

Broadway sensation Jessica Vosk, who won hearts with her performances in Wicked, Fiddler on the Roof and more, then flat-out stole them in her sold-out 2021 Carnegie Hall debut, brings her love of the California songwriters of the 1960s and '70s to our stage. She celebrates writers including Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, David Crosby, John Phillips and The Mamas & the Papas, the Eagles' Don Henley and Glenn Frey, and others who created the West Coast pop sound that defined an era. In a show created with renowned music director Mary-Mitchell Campbell and acclaimed director James Darrah, who collaborated with Vosk on the fabulous Great Performances production "The Bernstein Centennial Celebration at Tanglewood," Vosk takes us inside the intimate California community that launched a thousand hits and ignited new directions in songwriting. Hear Vosk in songs she makes both "of their time" and of ours in this one-of-a-kind show from one of today's most gifted and captivating performers.

The 92nd Street Y, New York (92NY) is a world-class center for the arts and innovation, a convener of ideas, and an incubator for creativity. 92NY offers extensive classes, courses and events online including live concerts, talks and master classes; fitness classes for all ages; 250+ art classes, and parenting workshops for new moms and dads. The 92nd Street Y, New York is transforming the way people share ideas and translate them into action all over the world. All of 92NY's programming is built on a foundation of Jewish values, including the capacity of civil dialogue to change minds; the potential of education and the arts to change lives; and a commitment to welcoming and serving people of all ages, races, religions, and ethnicities. For more information, visit www.92NY.org.