Few songwriters are as beloved as Alan and Marilyn Bergman, so it’s not surprising that the American Songbook salute to the couple at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Allen Room on Friday, February 2 was one of the recently freezing winter’s hottest tickets. Pictured here at the after-party, held at the adjacent Mandarin Hotel, are Marilyn Bergman and Lillias White, who sang three songs from a yet-to-be-produced musical that the Bergmans wrote with the late Cy Coleman.
Also celebrating at the party: Alan Bergman with Grammy Award winner Lari White, who performed a stirring medley from Yentl that she’ll reprise in her cabaret show at the Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel later this month…
…the great Tony Bennett, who sang “How Do You Keep the Music Playing?”, with Melissa Errico, who offered lovely renditions of two songs that the Bergmans wrote with Michel Legrand, “You Must Believe in Spring” and “Another Life” (both of which will be on her new CD)…
… Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell, who hosted the concert and sang “What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?”, with Nicki Richards, who duetted with Lillias White in the hilarious “Cheatin’ “…
…Lucie Arnaz, who gave a gripping performance of “Fifty Percent” from Ballroom, with hubby Laurence Luckinbill…
…and Capathia Jenkins, who sang “The Way We Were” and “In the Heat of the Night,” with her boyfriend, Stephen Pollack.
On Sunday, February 4, Bryan Batt’s show at the Metropolitan Room turned into a mini-reunion of Forbidden Broadway folk. Seen here with Batt (second from left) are two other super-talented performers who’ve starred in FB, Christine Pedi (far left) and Kristine Zbornik, along with the long-running show’s creator, Gerard Alessandrini.
On Monday, February 5, the Drama League presented its 22nd annual gala benefit, “When Hollywood Met Broadway,” at the Rainbow Room. The legendary Rita Moreno, on a night off from her Café Carlyle show Little Tributes, was one of the many guest performers.
Two of Broadway’s hottest young stars, Tarzan leading man Josh Strickland and Mary Poppins leading lady Ashley Brown, also lent their talents to the event.
Co-host Joanna Gleason (second from left) took a backstage break with Heather MacRae, Beth Leavel, and Marilyn Michaels.
Here’s the eventing’s other co-host, Tony winner Jim Dale, with his lovely wife, Julie.
Roz Ryan, Nikki Renee Daniels, and Q Smith did a salute to Dreamgirls.
And here’s cabaret favorite Steven Brinberg (left) with singer-dancer Noah Racey, who returns to Broadway later this month in Curtains.
Given the subject matter of The Drowsy Chaperone, it’s only appropriate that the musical’s cast recording will be released as a special collectors’ edition vinyl LP album on February 14. The show’s stars signed copies of the album backstage at the Marriott Marquis. Here are Tony Award winners Bob Martin, who co-authored Drowsy and plays Man in Chair; and Sutton Foster, who plays Janet Van De Graaff (the character named for Martin’s real-life wife).
Drowsy. Engel recently joined her castmates from The Mary Tyler Moore Show at the Screen Actors Guild Awards for a reunion that was greeted with a thunderous standing ovation by the star-studded audience.
