New Cast Members Announced For Broadway Close Up At Merkin Concert Hall

Kaufman Music Center's annual Broadway Close Up series at Merkin Concert Hall gives theater fans a new perspective on the shows and songs they love. Compelling performances along with eye-opening interviews with theater writers and composers illuminating the creative process have made the series a must-see for New York's most serious and knowledgeable theater fans.

SCHEDULE OF REMAINING PERFORMANCES:

Mon, Oct 30, 7:30 pm

Broadway Close Up: The Secret Life of the American Musical

UPDATED CAST:

Featuring Jack Viertel and hosted by Sean Hartley. With Tony winner Karen Ziemba (Contact, Bullets Over Broadway) and Tony nominees David Garrison (A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine), Reg Rogers (Present Laughter, Boardwalk Empire) and Emily Skinner (Side Show). Also featuring Allison Blackwell (The Lion King), Shavey Brown, NIKKI RENÉE DANIELS (The Book of Mormon), Michael Halling (The Americans), Michael McCormick (Hello, Dolly!) and Daniel Plimpton. With Noah Racey, Director; David Loud, Music Director; and Evan Rees, Associate Music Director.

How do Broadway hits get made? Is there a recipe for success? Producer, author and Artistic Director of New York City Center's Encores! series Jack Viertel delves into the fascinating history of Broadway storytelling and takes a fresh look at the elements that make musicals great. Drawing on his "revelatory and entertaining" (New York Times) 2016 book, Viertel will use examples from traditional musicals like Fiddler on the Roof and Gypsy as well as more recent shows like Hairspray and The Book of Mormon to show you how and why they work. Viertel is Senior Vice President of Jujamcyn Theaters (The Book of Mormon, Kinky Boots), and also teaches musical theater at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.

Wed, Nov 15, 7:30 pm

Broadway Close Up: Two's Company - Broadway's Greatest Duets

UPDATED CAST:

Featuring Farah Alvin (Nine), Lora Lee Gayer (Follies), Jason Gotay (Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark), Jeff Kready (LES MISERABLES), Kevin Massey (A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder), Gabrielle Stravelli and Sally Wilfert (Assassins). With Georgia Stitt, Music Director, and Tony nominee Marcia Milgrom Dodge, Stage Director.

In musicals, it's often the flashy solos and big choral numbers that get the most attention, but duets generate their own kind of excitement. Host Sean Hartley and a stellar cast of Broadway stars explore duets in different styles by some of Broadway's greatest writers, including Cole Porter, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Irving Berlin, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Cy Coleman, Stephen Schwartz, William Finn and Alan Menken. Plus songs from The Book of Mormon and A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder. Co-presented by Kaufman Music Center and One Day University. One Day University brings together professors from the finest universities in the country to present special versions of their very best lectures - LIVE.

Mon, Dec 4, 7:30 pm

Broadway Close Up:
A Good Thing Going - The Collaboration of Stephen Sondheim & Harold Prince

UPDATED CAST:

Featuring Tony nominee and Emmy Award winner Liz Callaway (original cast of Merrily We Roll Along), Tony nominee Kate Baldwin (Hello, Dolly!), Lewis Cleale (The Book of Mormon), Laura Darrell, Leslie Kritzer, Kevin Massey (A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder) and DANIEL MCGREW. With Noah Racey, Director; David Loud, Music Director; and Joseph Thalken, piano.

Music Director David Loud (original cast of Merrily We Roll Along) traces the rise and fall of a musical theater partnership that created some of the most memorable musicals of all time. Stephen Sondheim and Harold Prince inspired each other's best work as they broke new ground with their musicals: Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Pacific Overtures, Sweeney Todd and Merrily We Roll Along. Together, they tell the story of one of the greatest chapters in American musical history. Originally produced by 92nd Street Y's "Lyrics & Lyricists."

Merkin Concert Hall
at Kaufman Music Center
129 West 67th Street (between Broadway and Amsterdam), New York, NY 10023

Ticket Information

Tickets at 212 501 3330 or http://www.kaufmanmusiccenter.org/mch

4-concert subscription: $180

Tickets: $60

Kaufman Music Center is New York's go-to place for music education and performance.
It's where music lovers, from curious fans to renowned performers, come together to explore their musical passions. Founded in 1952 as a community school for pre-conservatory music training, today's Kaufman Music Center is home to Merkin Concert Hall; Lucy Moses School, New York's largest community arts school; Special Music School, a K-12 public school for musically gifted children; and the acclaimed youth new music ensemble Face the Music.