Photo Coverage: Barry Kleinbort Discusses Broadway at Backstage with Peter LeDonne

Barry Kleinbort, director, composer, lyricist, and librettist shared his vast theatre knowledge with the 970am radio audience this past Sunday. Barry paid a visit to his longtime friend Jamie deRoy at Backstage with Peter LeDonne. This informative hour is available on Podcast at http://am970theanswer.com. Mr. Kleinbort is one of the select of creative people who are called upon to write special material for many cabaret and theatre performers.

Among the many awards Mr. Kleinbort has been given are the prestigious Edward Kleban Foundation Award for Lyric Writing, a Gilman-Gonzalez Musical Theatre Commendation Award, the ASCAP Foundation Jamie deRoy award, two Back Stage Bistro awards, ten Manhattan Association of Cabarets (MAC) awards, and two Cable "Telly" awards. Throughout the United States and in Europe, Mr. Kleinbort has directed and/or written material for such show biz luminaries as Kaye Ballard, Regis Philbin, Marcia Lewis, Mary Cleere Haran, John Barrowman, Penny Fuller, Karen Mason, Rita Gardner, Brent Barrett, Jeff Harnar, Heather MacRae, Jerry Hadley and many others. He has written and directed countless cabaret shows, and has conceived and directed topical revues and intimate theater productions in this country and abroad, including Rita Gardner's "Try to Remember-A Look at Off-Broadway" at the Sullivan Street theater, as well as lavish special event evenings including the all-star Kurt Weill Gala at the Brooklyn Academy of Music with Donna Murphy and the late Jerry Orbach. He recently adapted and directed the New York premiere of Bob Merrill's musical "The Prince of Grand Street" starring Mike Burstyn for the Jewish Rep and John Epperson's well received autobiographical evening SHOW TRASH at the Studio Theater in Washington D.C.

His musical, WAS, (based on Geoff Ryman's cult classic with music by Joseph Thalken) was the inaugural production of the American Music Theater Project in Chicago. Incidental music and songs include: the off-Broadway production of SECOND AVENUE by Allan Knee and the book, music and lyrics for ANGELINA, librettist for David Levy's PERFECT HARMONY, a musical play about the lives of the Barry Sisters and written continuity for "A Washington Opera Celebration" and the 2003 presentation of DIE FLEDERMAUS for PBS. Over the past two seasons, he has written for six PBS broadcasts of Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops and, currently, Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops. He has also taught song performance at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Conference in Connecticut and at Perry Mansfield in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. A highly acclaimed revue of his theater songs, BIG CITY RHYTHM, which played the Triad Theater in New York City, is available on Harbinger Records. He recently directed Penny Fuller and Anita Gillette in highly acclaimed Cabaret show Sin Twisters for which he wrote special material.

Photo Credit: Stephen Sorokoff

Barry Kleinbort & Jamie deRoy

Backstage with Peter LeDonne

Barry Kleinbort, Jamie deRoy, Peter LeDonne

Peter LeDonne, Jamie deRoy, Barry Kleinbort

970 AM

Stephen Sorokoff, Barry Kleinbort, Jamie deRoy, Peter LeDonne