Solea Pfeiffer, Jordan Donica & More to Star in 'ISN'T IT BLISS?' SONDHEIM ON LOVE at 92NY

Broadway music director Ted Sperling will close the Lyrics & Lyricists™ 50th anniversary season with "Isn't It Bliss?" Sondheim on Love on June 18, 19 and 20. With Isn't It Bliss? Ted explores Sondheim's perspective on relationships through the many songs that capture the ins, outs, ups, downs, awkwardness, fears and trajectories, from young love to commitment to breaking apart to reconciliation. The duet-heavy show features vocalists Ben Davis, Jordan Donica, Solea Pfeiffer and Scarlett Strallen on such songs as "Love is in the Air," "Not a Day Goes By," "Getting Married Today," "Move On," "Moments in the Woods" and "Being Alive," plus some Sondheim rarities.

"Mr. Sondheim's writing has a reputation for being clever and sometimes caustic, but I feel he can also exhibit great warmth and heart. I wanted to put the focus on that element in these concerts. Seeing this show, I hope you'll feel like you were invited into my living room to hear great songs, both familiar and new, personal stories, and a behind-the-curtain look into how the shows were made" comments Ted. "Mr. Sondheim gave me my first professional job in New York - Sunday in the Park with George - and I also worked on his last show, Road Show. Isn't It Bliss? is my way of saying thank you for the mentorship, the friendship and the incredible songs."

Stephen Sondheim himself closed L&L's inaugural season with his first public speaking appearance, on May 2, 1971. Audio is available here.

Isn't It Bliss? Musician Credits:
Jeremy Clayton, reeds
Bryan Hernandez-Luch, violin
Andrew Griffin, viola
Peter Sachon, cello
Lisa Stokes, bass
Grace Paradise, harp
Chihiro Shibayama, percussion

A Brief History of Lyrics & Lyricists

Lyrics & Lyricists began in 1970, at a time when there was no precedent for a program of first-person histories narrated by great living lyrists. Founding artistic director Maurice Levine himself "at first doubted there would be an audience for such a program," as he related in a New York Times interview. "But a discussion with the lyricist E. Y. (Yip) Harburg ["Over the Rainbow"] changed his mind. 'I went over to visit Yip,' Mr. Levine said, 'and as he talked, I realized that I had only a peripheral understanding of lyrics. What he said was so exciting that I knew I had to have an audience there.' At first, Levine invited lyricists to talk about their work, which was performed between discussion segments. By 1983, however, Mr. Levine had exhausted the supply of lyricists who were available to give the kind of illustrated lectures the programs had become. His solution was to reconfigure the evenings by providing scripts and adding film clips to the live performances. The series developed a large and loyal following and became the Y's most consistently successful music series. 'We try to give an impression of who the person is, what he stood for and what he tried to accomplish, along with a certain amount of musicology and music history,' he said. 'In three words, we inform entertainingly.'"

Stephen Sondheim, Sheldon Harnick, Johnny Mercer, Sammy Cahn, Hal David, Jerry Herman, Carolyn Leigh and Lynn Ahrens are just a few of the celebrated lyricists who have appeared on the 92NY stage to "inform entertainingly."

As the series evolved beyond its original format of presenting living legends to its now signature mix of shows celebrating the best of Broadway musicals, exploring other facets of American popular music, and looking into the process of a living lyricist, these award-winning Broadway performers are a few of the talented artists who have joined L&L to illuminate the American Songbook: Jonathan Groff, Philippa Soo, Brandon Victor Dixon, Lucie Arnaz, Billy Porter, and Rebecca Luker.

92NY Health & Safety Protocolsa??

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MASKS MUST BE WORN BY EVERYONEa??over the age of 2, regardless of vaccination status.
ADULTS AND CHILDREN AGE 5+ MUST SHOW PROOF OF VACCINATION UPON ARRIVAL.