Neil Berg's Broadway Holiday Comes To Byham Theater

Broadway composer, lyricist and producer, Neil Berg, presents his critically-acclaimed revue Broadway Holiday on Sunday, December 4, at 3:00 p.m., at the Byham Theater. The concert is a part of the Cohen and Grigsby Trust Presents series and is presented by The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.

Broadway Holiday takes the audience on a journey through the history of the Broadway musical, featuring songs from a variety of musicals such as My Fair Lady and South Pacific, through Wicked and Jersey Boys, as well as favorite holiday classics. "Neil Berg has assembled a rich garland of Broadway and movie showstoppers that, whether you call them old chestnuts or evergreens, are reliable crowd-pleasers (LA Weekly Review)."

Eugene Gwozdz, musical director, plays piano and leads the three-piece band that accompanies the seasoned performers through the catalogue of Broadway's greatest hits. Considered one of Broadway's top pianists, Gwozdz has worked with many Broadway stars, as well as the World Famous Rockettes tour.

The show stars Broadway performers Lawrence Clayton, Rita Harvey, Grant Norman, Andrea Rivette and Danny Zolli. Each of these vocalists is an accomplished Broadway professional who has performed in various lead roles on the stage both nationally and internationally. "An entertaining yuletide attraction, graced by the talents of five veteran Broadway performers ...a tasty holiday treat (Backstage Review)." The band includes Jon Berger (drums), Abe Saenz (bass), and keyboard player (to be announced).

Neil Berg has received acclaim for his compositions, such as the Off-Broadway musical The Prince and the Pauper at the Lambs Theater in New York City, and The Man Who Would Be King in workshop at the Village Theater of Issaqua, WA. His current projects include the Broadway-bound adaptation of the film Grumpy Old Men, which opened in Canada during fall 2011; and The Twelve, in collaboration with Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Robert Schenkkan, a new rock musical that continues the story about events happening after Jesus Christ Superstar.

Neil studied musical composition with Robert Printz, Sue Peters, and is a product of The BMI Musical Writer's Workshop, mentored by Maury Yeston and Skip Kennon. Neil is co-owner of the SJR Theater Workshop, a theater camp for students in Montvale, New Jersey, that instructs more than 200 young actors/singers each year.

As the creator and co-producer of 100 Years of Broadway and the owner of Leftfield Productions, Inc., Berg has produced numerous, successful touring concerts, featuring Broadway stars Michael Crawford, Liz Callaway, Alice Ripley, Bernadette Peters, among others. Berg has served as music director and entertainment coordinator for charitable organizations American Red Cross and Leukemia Society of America.

Tickets ($18.00-$35.00) for the December 4, 2011 performance of Neil Berg's Broadway Holiday, at the Byham Theater, may be purchased at the Box Office at Theater Square, 655 Penn Avenue, online at www.TrustArts.org, or by calling (412) 456-6666. To purchase 10 or more tickets at special discounted rates, please call group sales (412) 471-6930.

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