Video: Company of NEW YORK, NEW YORK Serenades John Kander for His 96th Birthday!

John Kander celebrates his 96th birthday on Saturday, March 18, six days before New York, New York, his 16th original Broadway musical begins performances at the St. James Theatre., giving him the distinction of being the oldest composer to open a new musical on Broadway. To honor the legendary composer Susan Stroman, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Colton Ryan, Anna Uzele and the cast and creative team of New York, New York surprised John Kander with a Big-Apple-sized rendition of "Happy Birthday."

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A titan of the American Theatre, John Kander made his Broadway debut as the rehearsal pianist for the original production of GYPSY starring Ethel Merman in 1951. The first Kander & Ebb musical, FLORA AND THE RED MENACE, debuted in 1965 and starred Liza Minnelli in a Tony-winning performance. What followed was a string of legendary musicals including CHICAGO, CABARET, STEEL PIER, CURTAIN, THE VISIT and THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS, all culminating in this new musical set in post-war New York, inspired by the 1977 Martin Scorsese film of the same name, which features the iconic song "New York, New York." New York, New York marks the 15th Kander & Ebb musical to open on Broadway.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK marks the first new John Kander & Fred Ebb musical to open on Broadway since 2015's The Visit, which was nominated for 5 Tony Awards including Best Musical. The legendary duo is also currently represented on Broadway with Chicago, which holds the distinction of being the longest-running American musical in Broadway history.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK stars Colton Ryan (Girl From The North Country, Hulu's "The Girl From Plainville") as Jimmy Doyle, Anna Uzele (Six, Apple TV+'s "Dear Edward") as Francine Evans, Clyde Alves (On The Town) as Tommy Caggiano, John Clay III (Choir Boy) as Jesse Webb, Janet Dacal (In The Heights) as Sofia Diaz, Ben Davis (Dear Evan Hansen) as Gordon Kendrick, Oliver Prose as Alex Mann (Broadway Debut), Angel Sigala (Broadway Debut) as Mateo Diaz, and Tony Award nominee Emily Skinner (Side Show) as Madame Veltri. The ensemble includes Wendi Bergamini, Allison Blackwell, Giovanni Bonaventura, Jim Borstelmann, Lauren Carr, Mike Cefalo, Bryan J. Cortés, Kristine Covillo, Gabriella Enriquez, Haley Fish, Ashley Blair Fitzgerald, Richard Gatta, Stephen Hanna, Naomi Kakuk, Akina Kitazawa, Ian Liberto, Kevin Ligon, Leo Moctezuma, Aaron Nicholas Patterson, Dayna Marie Quincy, Julian Ramos, Drew Redington, Benjamin Rivera, Vanessa Sears, Davis Wayne, Jeff Williams, Darius Wright. New York, New York begins performances Friday, March 24, 2023 and officially opens Wednesday, April 26, 2023 at Broadway's St. James Theatre (246 West 44th Street).

Featuring music and lyrics by Tony, Emmy & Grammy Award winners and Academy Award nominees John Kander & Fred Ebb (Chicago, Cabaret), written by Tony Award nominee David Thompson (The Scottsboro Boys, Steel Pier), co-written by Sharon Washington (Audible's Feeding The Dragon) and featuring additional lyrics by Pulitzer, Tony, Emmy & Grammy Award winner and Academy Award nominee Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton, In The Heights), New York, New York will be directed and choreographed by five-time Tony Award winner Susan Stroman (The Producers, The Scottsboro Boys).

NEW YORK, NEW YORK features scenic design by Tony Award winner Beowulf Boritt (POTUS), costume design by Emmy Award winner Donna Zakowska ("The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"), lighting design by Tony Award winner Ken Billington (The Scottsboro Boys), sound design by Tony Award winner Kai Harada (The Band's Visit), projection design by Christopher Ash (Network) and Beowulf Boritt, hair & wig design by Emmy Award winner Sabana Majeed ("The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"), music supervision and arrangements by Sam Davis (Company), orchestrations by Tony Award winner Daryl Waters (Memphis) and Sam Davis, vocal arrangements by David Loud (The Visit), music direction by Alvin Hough, Jr. (Tina - The Tina Turner Musical), casting by Jim Carnahan, CSA and Jason Thinger, CSA, and production stage management by Johnny Milani.

It is 1946, the war is over, and a resurgent New York is beginning to rebuild. As steel beams swing overhead, a collection of artists has dreams as big and diverse as the city itself.

Among them is New York native Jimmy Doyle, a brilliant but disillusioned musician looking for his "major chord" in life: music, money, love. The odds are against him getting all three until he meets Francine Evans, a young singer just off the bus from Philly, who is destined for greatness. If they can make it there, they can make it anywhere.

This new musical is inspired by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Motion Picture New York, New York written by Earl M. Rauch.