Jason Graae Premieres Virtual Jerry Herman Evening PERFECT HERMANY April 10th

Stage actor, nightclub entertainer, and recording artist Jason Graae is going virtual, and he's doing it for all the right reasons. A regular in many regional theaters, Mr. Graae has certainly formed close working relationships with each establishment, and two of those artistic houses have co-produced a streaming evening of entertainment starring Graae titled PERFECT HERMANY. That's right: it's an evening of Jerry Herman music - and with it, Mr. Graae will help the beloved houses keep the lights on. The two theaters responsible for what is sure to be a marvelous night of musical theater are San Francisco's 42nd Street Moon, and Long Beach's Musical Theatre West. The former will broadcast the live streaming event from April 10th through May 2nd, while the latter will screen the musical entertainment from April 15th through the 25th, giving fans of Mr. Graae and Mr. Herman ample opportunities to enjoy what is being described as "the perfect match of performer and song, as two great J's come together - Jason Graae and Jerry Herman. Enjoy a delightful, hilarious, poignant, and above all, tuneful trip down Jerry Herman lane with songs from shows like Hello, Dolly!, The Grand Tour, Mame, La Cage aux Folles, Mack and Mabel, and Milk and Honey, along with great stories and patter."

Joined by Jon Boswell at the piano, Mr. Graae will bring to the classic Jerry Herman songs the comedy, empathy, and lilting musicality upon which he has built a lifelong resume in the theater, both on and off Broadway, and around the country. Through his art as a musical theater virtuoso, Graae has had the opportunity to perform the works of the Gershwins, Frank Loesser, Ahrens & Flaherty, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Stephen Schwartz... and Jerry Herman - with a vengeance.

Jason Graae is an entertainer well suited to the task of performing a night of Jerry Herman music and lyrics. having played the lead role, Jacobowsky, in Mr. Herman's THE GRAND TOUR - a role that might, well, have been written for him. He was a featured artist when Lincoln Center did the play Mack and Mabel, he performed on the PBS special "Words and Music" with Mr. Herman, and he toured the States with the legendary composer in the musical concert Hello, Jerry! Mr. Graae proudly declares that "most importantly, he was in Jerry's Fruit of the Month club for years."

The musical evening is part of a series of virtual shows for each of the two theaters involved. At 42nd Street Moon, PERFECT HERMANY is the opening offering of a three-show series titled "MoonBeams", the follow-up presentations being LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR AND GRILL (May 8 - 30) and DON'T TOUCH THAT DIAL (June 5 - 27). For Musical Theatre West, PERFECT HERMANY joins an in-progress concert series called "Keep The Lights On", that has featured renowned Los Angeles talents and, in the weeks following this streaming event, will see Broadway's David Burnham, Anna Mintzer, and Grasan Kingsberry, as well as a special event for Asian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and a concert that unites FOREVER PLAID's David Engel and Larry Raben with Bets Malone. It is clear that Misters Graae and Herman are in very good company with this evening of virtual theater.

42nd Street Moon and Musical Theatre West are like many theatrical organizations that are hurting after a year without live performances. Theaters and actors have been deprived of income but also of their creative artistry, and audiences have been missing the live theater upon which their artistic lives thrive. Fortunately, the resilience of the artists of the entertainment industry worked around the need for social distancing and the art form of virtual entertainment was born, providing an opportunity for audiences worldwide to enjoy the work of performers like Jason Graae. With live streams ranging from open mic programs to club acts to chat shows, music lovers and musical theater aficionados from lands far and wide now get a chance to, affordably see their favorite artists from Spotify and YouTube in action. They also get a chance to support organizations like Musical Theatre West and 42nd Street Moon, who are in need of a little TLC right now... and all of this can be done from home in a robe. It's theater in the time of Star Trek. Gene Roddenberry meets Jerry Herman - not a bad deal if you think about it.

Beam me up, Jason.

Jason Graae in PERFECT HERMANY can be seen beginning April 10th through 42nd Street Moon on their website HERE

Jason Graae in PERFECT HERMANY can be seen beginning April 15th through Musical Theatre West on their website HERE.

To post a comment, you must register and login.