The Workshop Theater to Honor Sheldon Harnick at 3rd Annual 'unGala'

The Workshop Theater Company will honor Sheldon Harnick with the Jewel Box Award at their 3rd annual unGala on Monday, October 17, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. at The Lindeman 508 W. 42nd Street.

Mr. Harnick will be celebrated with "The Sheldon Show," with performances by Robert Cuccioli, Tovah Feldshuh, Sally Mayes and Michael McCormick, which will include Mr. Harnick's most memorable and entertaining songs.

Peter Filichia, long time New York Theater critic will 'interview' Mr. Harnick, so that the audience can enjoy some of his great memories and stories.

Among the other VIPs expected to attend are actress, Judy Blazer, Scott Ellis, Brad Oscar, Zach Grenier and writer, David Thompson.

Sheldon Harnick, the 2016 recipient of the Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement, the Drama League Award for Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theatre and a Special Lifetime Achievement Award from The Outer Critics Circle, began his career in the 1950's with songs in revues both on and off Broadway. With Jerry Bock he created a number of memorable musicals including Fiorello!, She Loves Me and Fiddler on the Roof, The Apple Tree, The Rothschilds, among others . Other collaborations include: Rex with Richard Rodgers, A Wonderful Life with Joe Raposo, A Christmas Carol with Michel Legrand, Smiling the Boy Fell Dead with David Baker and The Phantom Tollbooth with Arnold Black and Norton Juster. He has written two musicals himself: Dragons and Malpractice Makes Perfect. The Angel recording of The Merry Widow, using Mr. Harnick's translation, won the Grammy Award as Best New Opera recording of 1989/79. And along with Jerry Bock he was presented with The Johnny Mercer Award by the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

The Workshop Theater, now 24 years old, is devoted to the rigorous development and production of new American plays and musicals that transport, challenge and surprise both artists and audiences. Notable successes include "The Man who was Peter Pan" by Allan Knee (debuted at WorkShop in 2004, the basis for the Academy Award nominated film "Finding Neverland" and last season's Broadway musical of the same name) and "The Navigator" by Eddie Antar (debuted at WorkShop in 2012; recipient of two Drama Desk nominations). Now under the direction of Thomas Coté (Artistic Director), the company maintains a full schedule of writers' nights, readings series and two-week productions of plays-in-progress. It will present three subsequent mainstage productions this season: "The Astonishing Times of Timothy Cratchit" book by Allan Knee, and music and lyrics by Andre Catrini (December 1 to 18, 2016) "Through the Darkness" by Alan Breindel (March 9 to April 1, 2017), and Composure by Scott C. Sickles (April 27 to May 20).

Live music will be provided by the Greg Bufford Jazz Quartet. A full cocktail supper will be passed along with the grand open bar in the front room of The Lindeman.

Tickets to the unGala are $200 and can be purchased from the WorkShop Theater website, www.workshoptheater.org. For more info, call 212-695-4173.

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