'New Mondays' to Feature Schwartz, Zippel, Abramson, 7/31

The Storefront has announced a special return engagement of their celebrated "New Mondays" series for one night only: Monday, July 31 at 7pm at The Laurie Beechman Theatre. The evening will feature work from established composer Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin, Wicked) and lyricist David Zippel (City of Angels, The Goodbye Girl, Mulan), as well as new composer Deborah Abramson.

"New Mondays" was launched in 2003 by The Storefront Theatre, as a venue for composers and lyricists, both new and legendary, to present new work. Since its inception, the series has presented over thirty performances, debuting the work of over one hundred composers and lyricists.

Among the notable composers/lyricists who have appeared in the series are: Susan Birkenhead, Jason Robert Brown, John Bucchino, William Finn, David Friedman, Julie Gold, Ricky Ian Gordon, Carol Hall, Tom Jones, Henry Krieger, Michael John LaChiusa, Andrew Lippa, Galt MacDermot, Larry O'Keefe, Bill Russell, Stephen Schwartz, Maltby & Shire, Charles Strouse, Liz Swados, John Wallowitch, Frank Wildhorn, David Zippel and many others. The series garnered the 2004 New York Nightlife Award, as well as the MAC Award (Manhattan Association of Clubs and Cabarets) in both 2004 and 2005.

Schwartz, whose Wicked is the biggest musical hit on Broadway, wrote the music and lyrics for Godspell, Pippin, The Magic Show, The Baker's Wife and Children of Eden, and contributed his songs to the score of Working; he also collaborated with Charles Strouse/> on Rags. He has also written for the big screen, with a number of scores for animated films; he wrote music and lyrics for DreamWorks' The Prince of Egypt and the TV musical Geppetto, as well as lyrics for the Disney films Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (both with Alan Menken/>). Schwartz, whose two solo CDs Relucant Pilgrim and Uncharted Territory feature him performing his own songs, has received three each of the Academy Awards, the Grammy Awards and the Drama Desk Awards.

Zippel's work for the stage includes the The Woman In White (with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber) and Princesses (with music by Matthew Wilder); the latter is Broadway-bound. Other credits include the noir musical comedy City of Angels, for which he won the 1990 Tony Award for Best Original Score (shared with composer Cy Coleman) and The Goodbye Girl (with music by Marvin Hamlisch). Zippel has also written lyrics for Oscar-nominated songs from the Disney hits Mulan and Hercules, some of which have also scored on the pop charts.  He has contributed lyrics to the revues A… My Name is Alice, Diamonds and, with composer Doug Katsaros, wrote the musical comedy Just So.  With Wally Harper, he contributed songs to Barbara Cook's "It's Better with a Band.:

Abramson is a composer as well as a musical director. A graduate of the NYU Musical Theatre Program, she has written Songs of Innocence and Experience (with William Finn), Marco Polo (with Peter Mills) and Seasick (with Judson Pearce Morgan). As musical director/associate musical director, her credits include Bernarda Alba, The Burnt Part Boys, the Falsettos Reunion Concert, Dessa Rose, James Joyce's The Dead and My Life with Albertine. She has also been involved in workshop productions of Finding Nemo, The Opposite of Sex and The Royal Family of Broadway.

The Laurie Beechman Theatre is located within the West Bank Café at 407 West 42nd St., in the heart of New York's Theatre District. There is an $18 cover charge, as well as a $15 food/drink minimum. All major credit cards are accepted. Seating is limited, and reservations are strongly recommended. For reservations, please call: 212 695 6909.