The concert, on Monday, October 10th at 8 PM in the Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Symphony Space, opens the season of theatre events at Symphony Space (2537 Broadway at 95th Street), and features several of Broadway's most prominent leading ladies, including Tony Award-winners Adriane Lenox (Doubt, Caroline, or Change) and Michele Pawk (Seussical, Bounce), Tony Award-nominees Rebecca Luker (Nine, The Music Man), Jeff Blumenkrantz (How to Succeed..., songs for Urban Cowboy) and Catherine Cox (Oh, Coward!, Baby), and Kate Baldwin (Wonderful Town, Thoroughly Modern Millie), Judy Blazer (Titanic, Me and My Girl), Jenn Colella (Urban Cowboy, Slut) and Jessica Molaskey (Songs for a New World, Parade). The evening will be hosted by Jill Geddes. Broadway Babies inaugurates the Symphony Space Broadway's Day Off events, in which theatre stars migrate uptown on their Monday to showcase their own work. Theatre events at Symphony Space will also continue with the Tuesday, October 11th exclusive New York appearance of acclaimed film and opera director Patrice Chereau in a staged reading of Dostoyevsky's Notes From Underground; and, beginning October 24, the Thalia Follies: A Political Cabaret, six evenings of political and social skewerings
Of Broadway Babies' 20 songs, at least a dozen will be world premieres. The program will feature works by such renowned songwriters as Beth Blatt, Jeff Blumenkrantz, Mark Campbell, Doug Cohen, Tina deVaron, David Evans, Jenny Giering, Faye Greenberg, Zina Goldrich, Marcy Heisler, Laurence Holzman, David Kirshenbaum, Steve Marzullo, Felicia Needleman, Joshua Rosenblum, Michael Shaieb, Georgia Stitt, and Joseph Thalken. In developing the unique event, many of the singers were teamed with songwriters. The women discussed their own thoughts and ideas, and these were then developed into songs. Song titles include "My Baby is NOT Like Your Cat", "Don't Name Your Baby...", "Stay Five", "Mother to Son" (a setting of a Langston Hughes poem), "More of My Mother Every Day", "The Child with His Smile and My Eyes", and "Family" (a duet for a lesbian couple who are going to have/adopt a baby).
The concert will feature Grant Wenaus on piano, Clay Ruede on cello, and Ed Matthew on clarinet. The evening is directed by Annette Jolles.Tickets for this one-night only event are limited, so reservations should be made soon. Tickets, priced at $21 ($18 for members; $15 for seniors, students, and children), are available by phone: (212) 864-5400; online at www.symphonyspace.org (also for more information), or at the box office.