Coming to The Bushnell: Neil Bergs 100 Years of Broadway Features Five Dazzling Broadway Stars
One Performance Only! Friday, March 6 at 8:00 p.m.
Hartford, CT – (January 12, 2009) – Neil Berg’s widely acclaimed 100 Years of Broadway, a musical revue of Broadway’s most celebrated shows, is coming to The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, March 6, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. This show features a dazzling cast of five Broadway stars accompanied by an all-star New York band. Tickets for Neil Berg’s 100 Years of Broadway are now on sale and can be purchased by visiting The Bushnell Box Office at 166 Capitol Avenue in Hartford, calling 860-987-5900, or visiting www.bushnell.org.
According to San Francisco’s KABC radio theater critic, Jerry Friedman, “This revue features some of the best songs from the best Broadway shows, all sung by some of the most talented performers working today singing many of the hit songs that they have sung on Broadway.”
100 Years of Broadway recreates the greatest moments from the finest shows of the century featuring the actual stars of shows such as The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, CATS, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Jekyll & Hyde. These amazing performers light up the stage with songs from the hit shows in which they starred. Neil Berg presents brilliantly revived arrangements of Broadway classics as well as thrilling numbers from Broadway’s newest hit shows.
Past productions of this popular show have featured Betty Buckley, Liz Callaway, Ben Vereen, and Alex Santoriello among others. Along with musical director and pianist Neil Berg, The Bushnell production will feature Rita Harvey (Christine Daee, Phantom of the Opera) and Carter Calvert (Grizabella, Cats), Danny Zolli (Jesus, Jesus Christ Superstar), Norm Lewis (King Triton, The Little Mermaid) and Ron Bohmer. Cast is subject to change based upon possible Broadway and touring developments. The Broadway stars will make an appearance in the theater lobby after the show to meet with fans and sign autographs.
And don’t forget that you could have the chance to sing on stage with these Broadway greats when you enter the “Sing with the Broadway Stars” contest. Auditions must be submitted by Friday, February 27 at 5:00 p.m. (EST). For more details about how to enter visit www.singingwiththebroadwaystars.com and click on “March 6: Hartford, CT.”
Additional Praise for Neil Berg’s 100 Years of Broadway:
“The Great White Way stretched all the way to Bass Performance Hall Wednesday night via Neil Berg’s 100 Years of Broadway – a breezy, sprawling revue that romped gleefully through the American musical theater’s greatest hits. Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Leonard Bernstein, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Frank Loesser and (reflecting recent trends on Broadway) Billy Joel and Frankie Valli among many others, all got the nod. The three men and two women carrying the vocal load boasted impressive musical stage credentials, and the all lived up to their bios.” – Punch Shaw, Ft. Worth Star-Telegram
"Broadway tunes leave audience with an enchanted evening. Neil berg is a powerful, kinetic pianist with a load of chops. He also writes music for Broadway and Off-Broadway shows. What (makes) Berg's production was the quality of the performers and the arrangements. The singers were excellent. Berg creates a well-balanced blend of the sublime and the lighthearted...”
– Buffalo News
“100 Years of Broadway is two and a half hours of fun! Whenever Neil Berg is putting on his 100 Years of Broadway within a two hour radius – I’m there! Neil puts on these hit-filled concerts featuring a bevy of Broadway performers singing some of the theater’s most well known tunes. It brought down the house, and it doesn’t get much better than that.” – Robert Diamond, Broadwayworld.com
NEIL BERG is the composer/lyricist of the hit off-Broadway musical The Prince and the Pauper, which ran for two years at the Lamb’s Theater in New York City. The New York Times described it as “...soaring on the wings of theatrical fun.” Berg is currently writing the music for the Broadway bound musical Grumpy Old Men, based on the hit film. Two of Berg’s new musicals have been selected for the prestigious New York Musical Theater Festival: The Man Who Would Be King, a musical realization of Rudyard Kipling’s novella, and Tim and Scrooge, the sequel to A Christmas Carol.
RITA HARVEY starred recently as Hodel in the hit Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof with Rosie O’Donnell and Harvey Fierstein. She made her Broadway debut performing the lead role of Christine Daee in The Phantom of the Opera, after two years performing the role with the second national tour. She starred off-Broadway as Lady Edith in the hit musical The Prince and the Pauper. Rita has performed as featured soloist around the world with such stars as Robert Evan, Betty Buckley, Ben Vereen, Craig Schulman, Lillias White and Michael Crawford.
CARTER CALVERT’s New York credits include starring in the original Broadway production cast album, and touring productions of It Ain't Nothin' But The Blues. Ms. Calvert toured Europe in Smokey Joe's Café, played Grizabella in the national tour of Cats, and appeared as the title role in Always, Patsy Cline.
DANNY ZOLLI is best known for his monumental number of performances as Jesus, Judas, and Annas in more than 15 productions of Jesus Christ Superstar throughout the world. Danny's unique and stirring performance of the aria "Gethsemane" is debated among Jesus Christ Superstar fans as one of the best. Danny has just completed and will soon be releasing his second solo album entitled "Sometimes Simple is Best." Most recently, Danny starred as Jesus in the 20th Anniversary concert of Jesus Christ Superstar.
NORM LEWIS has enjoyed both working and living in New York and Los Angeles for over two decades now. Currently he is playing The King of The Sea, King Triton for Disney's The Little Mermaid at The Lunt-Fontanne Theater on Broadway. He is very proud to announce the release of His debut solo CD “Norm Lewis, This Is the Life!” Other Broadway Credits include: Les Miserables (Javert - Drama League Nomination), Chicago (Billy Flynn), Amour (Painter), Michael John LaChuisa's The Wild Party (Eddie), Side Show (Jake), Miss Saigon (John), The Who's Tommy (The Specialist).
RON BOHMER has starred on Broadway and national tour as the Phantom in The Phantom Of The Opera, Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard, the swashbuckling hero The Scarlet Pimpernel, Alex in Aspects Of Love, the evil Sir Percival Glyde in The Woman in White, Enjolras in Les Miserables, and Fyedka in Fiddler on the Roof. Ron received a Jefferson Award Best Actor nomination for his work in Sunset Blvd., a National Broadway Theatre Award’s Best Actor nomination for The Scarlet Pimpernel and an LA Robby award for Aspects Of Love. He recently completed a 64 week tour of the US and Canada, starring as Coach Bolton in the cultural phenomenon, Disney’s High School Musical.
About The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts
The Bushnell is Connecticut’s premier performing arts center, hosting more than 350 events yearly, including major Broadway tours, symphony orchestras, family presentations, local arts and community events. The Bushnell is home to two theaters- the historic 2,800-seat Mortensen Hall, and the 907-seat Belding Theater, a state-of-the-art performance hall that opened in 2001. The Bushnell’s nationally-recognized arts-in-education program, PARTNERS® (Partners in Arts and Education Revitalizing Schools), now in its 16th year, is a cross-community educational effort serving 15 schools in 6 districts, serving approximately 3,400 Pre-K-12 students. The Bushnell opened in January 1930 and is a non-profit organization. For more information, call The Bushnell at (860) 987-6000, The Bushnell Box Office at (860) 987-5900 or visit our website at www.bushnell.org.
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With support from the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism.