Broadway Producer Sharleen Cooper Cohen To Share Stories From Her Showbiz Life At The Braid

First an author, then the producer of such musical hits as Stormy Weather: The Story of Lena Horne, An American in Paris, and soon the international smash An Officer and a Gentleman, which she co-wrote and produced, Sharleen Cooper Cohen has been called a true Jewish Renaissance Woman. Now she's going to tell virtual audiences how she does it all when she visits Sunday Morning with The Braid (formerly Jewish Women's Theatre) on March 14.

Cooper began her professional career as a highly successful interior designer whose work graced the pages of such standards as Architectural Digest and House Beautiful. Her next challenge was becoming an author, and she accomplished that with the same talent, writing seven books that sold more than two million copies. Ready for more challenges, she wrote and co-produced her first musical in 1995, and she hasn't stopped since.

She will share the stories of her success, her plans to move An Office and a Gentleman to Broadway when the pandemic is over, and give virtual audiences a sneak preview of her latest project, Who Killed Marilyn? that will explore the ever-fascinating subject of Marilyn Monroe's death when she visits The Braid on Sunday, March 14, at 1 p.m.

The Sunday Morning with The Braid event is free to attend, but The Braid hopes viewers will consider choosing a virtual ticket from its website. For the link to register, visit: www.the-braid.org.

"Sharleen's life is an inspiration because of its versatility and quality. Everything she does is not only artistically superb, it also carries messages of hope, the importance of diversity, and the value of integrating beautiful music with beautiful stories," says Ronda Spinak, artistic director of The Braid.

Award-winning screenwriter and producer Arlene Sarner will interview Cooper Cohen and will host The Braid's virtual afternoon event that will also feature musical selections from Cooper Cohen's repertoire. "I'm just thrilled to have Sharleen with us for what promises to be a lively and informative session. You may not be familiar with Sharleen, but I'm sure you are familiar with her work. If you saw the remarkable production Indecent, which was performed in Yiddish at the Ahmanson in 2019, you know the power of the theatre she produces."

Indecent built on Cooper Cohen's producing experience. Her first musical, Sheba, which she wrote and co-produced, was one of the Jewish Repertory Theatre's most successful productions. It garnered an excellent New York Times review when it first appeared in 2000, and it was later updated and re-released as an award-winning pop rock gospel musical in 2003. In that form, it was presented in L.A. in 2004 as a community outreach project that brought together the African-American and Jewish communities.

Her next project was Stormy Weather: The story of Lena Horne, which Cohen also wrote and produced. It starred Leslie Uggams and broke box office records at The Pasadena Playhouse. Next up was her original musical An Officer and a Gentleman, based on the hit movie. It premiered in Australia, moved to a hit run in the UK, and was scheduled to open on Broadway just as the COVID crisis caused all theaters to shut down.

Cooper Cohen also produced An American in Paris, The Velocity of Autumn, Street Corner Symphony, and Jerry Herman's The Bests of Times. And now The Braid is producing a delightful afternoon of conversation and song in which she will star.

Sharleen Cooper Cohen is the latest in a series of noteworthy and significant speakers who have shared their knowledge with The Braid audiences. Previous guests include Rabbis Naomi Levy, Toba August, and Laura Geller; L.A. Superior Court Judge Renee Korn and Angela J. Davis; writers Rob Eshman, Angella Nazarian, Judy Zeidler, Amelia Saltsman, Maggie Anton, Gina Nahai, Esther Amini, Jacqueline Saper, and Melanie Chartoff; politicians Jackie Goldberg, Joy Picus, Alicia Weintraub, and Laura Friedman; costumer Debra McGuire; and numerous other artists, attorneys, composers, musicians, philanthropists, and movie and tv executives.

For virtual tickets to Sunday with The Braid, featuring Sharleen Cooper Cohen and musical selections from her hit productions, visit: www.the-braid.org.

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