Theater's New Season 2019-2020

When you peruse the bountiful array of plays and musicals coming our way we should all offer a prayer of thanks to the creators, producers and performers of these much needed antidotes to the "outside world".

 We at Theaterscene are proud and happy to take you with us to all of these   wonderful gifts as we visit each one.

Enjoy!

Jeanne Lieberman, Editor/Publisher

THE MUSICALS

Moulin Rouge

THE PLAYS

Part 1                Part 2

Jerry Herman, the Broadway composer who wrote ‘Hello, Dolly!’ and ‘La Cage aux Folles,’ is dead at 88

POSTED 9:39 AM, DECEMBER 27, 2019, BY CNN WIRE

NEW YORK — Jerry Herman, the beloved Broadway composer and lyricist who penned musicals like “Hello, Dolly,” “Mame” and “La Cage aux Folles,” has died. He was 88.

“Jerry gave us such joy through his music,” goddaughter Jane Dorian said in a statement to CNN. “He was the poet laureate of our time and gave so many extraordinary songs. He touched our hearts and souls with his music and we will miss him deeply.”

The musicals Herman scored, like the protagonists they starred, were all anchored by a buoyant optimism and a timeless quality even he admitted was uncommon toward the end of his nearly 40-year career. But his songs have since become standards.

Many of his most notable musicals centered around charismatic women, like “Hello, Dolly!” “Mame” and “Mack & Mabel,” which starred Broadway titans Carol Channing, Angela Lansbury and Bernadette Peters, respectively.

But with “La Cage aux Folles” in 1983, Herman quietly broke ground on Broadway with his portrait of a gay couple who ran a drag nightclub whose relationship woes and triumphs resembled that of any heterosexual couple portrayed on stage. It was a certifiable hit, running for 1,761 performances.

“When they passed out talent, Jerry stood in line twice,” Channing, who died earlier this year at 97, once said of Herman.

His work earned him four Tony Awards, including a Special Tony for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre. In 2010, his work was celebrated at the Kennedy Center Honors alongside Oprah Winfrey and Sir Paul McCartney.

“I’m certainly aware of how different popular music is today from when I started in this business, and I realize that my songwriting is not generally in fashion,” he told the New York Times in 1985. “But ‘La Cage’ made me feel secure about going on and just being what I am, and writing simple, hummable tunes.”

He largely retired from composing in the 2000s

Editor's note:

Comments from my dear friend, Don Pippin, award winning Broadway Music Director, who worked with Herman over the years on many of his projects and most of his shows.

He said "he was a pleasure to work with because he was so knowledgeable about theater with which he was involved since childhood...

he is the only lyricist /composer left beside Sondheim -

and he also dressed very well".

The family has decided on a spring memorial tribute this Spring -

stay tuned

for more about Maestro Pippin see Theaterscene article:

THE YORK THEATRE COMPANY 
AS PART OF ITS 50th ANNIVERSARY SEASON 
WILL PRESENT TWO SPECIAL ONE-NIGHT-ONLY EVENTS IN JANUARY 
AT THE YORK THEATRE COMPANY AT SAINT PETER’S

YORK CHAT: 50 YEARS OF THE YORK 
MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 2020 AT 6:00PM
AND
A YORK LEGACY CONCERT 
CELEBRATION 
MUSIC BY HARVEY SCHMIDT 
BOOK AND LYRICS BY TOM JONES 
MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2020 AT 7:30PM
M
TICKETS NOW ON SALE!

New York, NY (January 8, 2020) – The York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director; Evans Haile, Executive Director), dedicated to the development of new musicals and rediscovery of musical gems from the past, as part of its 50th Anniversary season celebration, will present two special events during the month of January: A York Chat: “50 Years of The York," first in a series of panel discussions, and a staged concert of the 1969 Broadway musical Celebration written by the legendary songwriting team Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones. Both special events will take place at The York Theatre Company at Saint Peter’s (entrance on East 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue).

The first special event is York Chat: “50 Years of The York,” the first in a series of lively panel discussions about theatre, Off-Broadway, and the first fifty years of The York Theatre with author Charles Wright(currently writing a soon-to-be published history of The York), Producing Artistic Director James Morgan, director Fran Soeder (York productions of Pacific Overtures, Anyone Can Whistle, and others), founding Board member Molly Grose, and actor Robin Haynes (son of York co-founder John Newton). The evening will be hosted by York Executive Director Evans Haile. This special event promises to be entertaining and insightful, filled with stories and anecdotes about the productions, stars, and creative artists who have made The York truly a place where Musicals Come to Life! A reception with light snacks and beverages will occur immediately following the discussion for all ticket-holders. Tickets are priced at $20, $15 for York Members,$10 for York Plus! Members. ONE-NIGHT ONLY: Monday, January 13, 2020 at 6:00pm.