Liz Robertson Returns to Don't Tell Mama with LERNER WITHOUT LOEWE

Don't Tell Mama is thrilled to present the return engagement of West End & Broadway star and Olivier Award-nominee Liz Robertson in "Lerner Without Loewe," an affectionate musical tribute to her late husband, Alan Jay Lerner, the internationally acclaimed author of My Fair Lady, currently in previews at The Vivian Beaumont Theatre and opening on April 19. Having debuted the show in a one night engagement last April, she now returns for three (3) performances - Friday, April 13 at 7pm, Saturday, April 14 at 8pm, and Sunday, April 15 at 6pm. The evening is directed by Barry Kleinbort with musical direction by Ron Abel and Ritt Henn on bass.

Amongst Alan Jay Lerner's many hits is the classic My Fair Lady, written with Frederick Loewe. It was whilst playing Eliza in the West End production that Liz and Alan met, and subsequently married. The partnership of Lerner and Loewe is recognized as one of the greats, but Lerner also wrote shows with Burton Lane (On a Clear Day..., Carmelina), Andre Previn (Coco), Kurt Weill (Love Life), John Barry (Lolita, My Love), Charles Strouse (Dance a Little Closer) and Leonard Bernstein (1600 Pennsylvania Avenue). In these special performances, Liz will sing an array of numbers from these shows - from little known songs - to ones that everyone can hum along to. A very personal and fitting tribute to her late husband in his centenary year.

Liz Robertson "Lerner Without Loewe" plays Don't' Tell Mama (343 West 46th Street) on Friday, April 13 @ 7pm, Saturday, April 14 @ 8pm and Sunday, April 15 @ 6pm. There is a $25 cover charge and a 2-drink food and beverage minimum. Tickets and information are available at http://www.donttellmamanyc.com/shows/main/liz-robertson-sings-lerner-without-lowe-4-13
or by calling (212) 757-0788.

MORE ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Liz Robertson - Having started performing at a young age with the BBC's Young Generation, Liz's West End career began with A Little Night Music, directed by Hal Prince and the revue Side By Side By Sondheim, which she subsequently took to Toronto with Georgia Brown. Other London theatre credits include I Love My Wife, My Fair Lady (Olivier Award nominee - directed by Alan Jay Lerner), Song and Dance, Kern Goes To Hollywood, Sound Of Music, The Music Man, and Phantom Of The Opera. Her other credits include the Broadway productions of Dance A Little Closer (opposite Len Cariou) and Jerome Kern Goes to Hollywood, an extensive US tour of The King and I opposite Rudolph Nureyev and performing at the Kennedy Center Honors before President and Mrs. Ronald Reagan. More recently, Liz starred in the musical Hairspray at the Shaftesbury Theatre performing Velma Von Tussle and was the original Madam Giry in Love Never Dies. She played the part of Cheryl Gillan in The Donmar Warehouse production of Committee last summer and is currently performing her cabaret Lerner Without Loewe in London and New York.

Barry Kleinbort has earned the prestigious Edward Kleban Foundation Award for Lyric Writing, two Gilman-Gonzalez Musical Theatre Awards, the Second Stage Musical Theatre Writers Award, the Jamie deRoy ASCAP Foundation award, two Back Stage Bistro awards and eleven Manhattan Association of Cabarets (MAC) awards for his directorial and songwriting efforts. Mr. Kleinbort has directed and/or written material for Brent Barrett, Petula Clark, Marvin Hamlisch, Kaye Ballard, Regis Philbin, John Barrowman, Penny Fuller, Tony Roberts, Anita Gillette, Len Cariou, Karen Mason, Sylvia McNair, Heather MacRae, Lorna Dallas, and many, many others. Mr. Kleinbort has directed topical revues and intimate theater productions Rita Gardner's Try to Remember- A Look at Off-Broadway and Kaye Ballard's off-Broadway revue, Kaye Ballard-Working 42nd Street at Last! He recently directed the highly acclaimed off-Broadway production of Broadway and the Bard starring "Blue Bloods" favorite Len Cariou. In addition to numerous stage productions, he also provided scripts for eight PBS TV specials and was an "artistic consultant for "Cathouse: The Musical" for HBO. This past January his musical, 13 Things about Ed Carpolotti, starring Penny Fuller played the Broad Stage in Santa Monica, CA after successful runs off-Broadway and regionally. A recording of "13 Things," along with a CD of his theater songs, "Big City Rhythm," is available on Harbinger Records.

Ron Abel, the multi award-winning composer, producer, arranger, orchestrator, conductor and musical director whose vast client list ranges from multi-million selling pop diva Taylor Dayne to opera diva and Kennedy Center Honoree, Jessye Norman, was most recently seen in a recurring role on the Fran Drescher television series "Happily Divorced" playing, who else, but himself. Ron is currently composing the scores for several new Broadway musicals, Rockwell, Life on a Palette - a musical tour of the 20th century through the paintings of America's most beloved artist, (book & lyrics by Eleanor Albano & Anthony Barnao), as well as Bricktop, Queen of the Night, Re-introducing Laurette Bishop andUndressed with his long-time writing partner, the celebrated lyricist, Chuck Steffan. A major sweep of every Los Angeles theatre award was won by Ron for his score of Twist of Fate, a musical written with Kleban award-winning bookwriter/lyricist Lissa Levin. Last spring Ron, Chuck & Lissa's collaboration of their new musical Hazel, A Musical Maid in Heaven, premiered at Chicago's Drury Lane Theatre. Ron has arranged, orchestrated and conducted world-wide for artists such as Liza Minnelli, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Bette Midler, Lucie Arnaz, Michele Lee, Bryce Pinkham and Shirley Jones among many others.

Photo: Jennie Scott

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