Jason Robert Brown, Alex Newell & More to Join Concert Honoring Stephen Schwartz in Philadelphia

A spectacular line-up of award-winning Broadway and pop music stars will come together on Monday, November 13 at Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center to honor and serenade Stephen Schwartz, the legendary Broadway composer of Wicked, Pippin, and Godspell, with performances of songs from his rich catalog. Billed as the inaugural Mazzoni Center Honors event, all proceeds from the evening will benefit Mazzoni Center, the premiere comprehensive health and wellness center serving Philadelphia’s LGBTQ community. As part of the evening’s festivities, Schwartz will be presented with a special award in recognition of his musical and humanitarian impact.

Artists currently slated to perform in the November 13 event include: Tony Award winning composer, Jason Robert Brown (Parade, Bridges of Madison County); Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter, Paula Cole; Tony Award nominee, Charlotte d’Amboise (A Chorus Line, Jerome Robbins’ Broadway); Tony Award nominee, L Morgan Lee (A Strange Loop); Broadway and Television star, Telly Leung (Glee, Godspell, Aladdin); Tony Award Nominee, Terrence Mann (Les Miserables, Beauty and the Beast, Pippin); International Pop Music Sensation, Lizzy McAlpine; Tony Award Nominee, Alex Newell (Shucked); Philadelphia’s own Lauren Hart, voted Best Anthem Singer in NHL History; and the Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus. Mazzoni Center’s production team anticipates additional artists will be announced in the coming months.

Among the distinguished performers are some significant firsts. L Morgan Lee is the first openly transgender actor to receive a Tony Award nomination, and Alex Newell is one the first non-binary identified actors nominated for a Tony.

In accepting the invitation to perform at the Mazzoni Center Honors event, composer Jason Robert Brown says, “The sound of Broadway owes an immense debt to the groundbreaking work of Stephen Schwartz. It is my great honor to pay tribute to Stephen’s extraordinary music while supporting the vitally necessary mission of the Mazzoni Center. I can’t think of a more perfect combination of causes to fill my heart and creative soul.”

Performer Telly Leung, one of the stars of the most recent Broadway revival of Schwartz’s classic musical Godspell, explains, “I've known Stephen since I was a college student…and he has always been a 'gift' to me. I'm thrilled I get to celebrate his music with this incredible line-up of artists whilst raising money and awareness for the great work being done at Mazzoni Center for the LGBTQ+ community.”

Mazzoni Center is the largest comprehensive health and wellness center serving the Philadelphia LGBTQ community and the largest LGBTQ non-profit of any kind in Philadelphia. Each year, the Center serves over 25,000 clients, with services including primary medical care, HIV & STI testing, gender-affirming care, behavioral health services, legal support, housing, and a food bank. With a core principle of never turning anyone away from care due to lack of financial resources, Mazzoni Center gives away over one million dollars in care every year to uninsured and underinsured patients.

More information, the most up-to-date line-up updates, and a link for purchase tickets, which go on sale June 1, are available at mazzonicenter.org/gala.

To post a comment, you must register and login.