Theater News

Hammerstein Award to Kander and Ebb

John Kander and Fred Ebbas depicted by Al Hirschfeld
John Kander and Fred Ebb
as depicted by Al Hirschfeld

The great Broadway songwriting team of John Kander and Fred Ebb will receive the 11th annual Oscar Hammerstein Award, to be presented by the York Theatre Company at its annual gala benefit on Monday, June 5.

The list of stars scheduled to participate in the evening includes Alan Cumming, Kristin Chenoweth, Lea DeLaria, Robert Cuccioli, Charlotte Rae, Charles Busch, Ann Reinking, George S. Irving, Barbara Cook, Maureen McGovern, Mario Cantone, Jane Connell, Eddie Korbich, Marc Kudisch, Heather MacRae, Mark Nadler, and Sherie René Scott. Entertainment for the evening will include musical highlights from Kander and Ebb’s career.

The recipients of three Tony Awards, Kander and Ebb have such Broadway shows as Cabaret, Chicago, and Kiss of the Spider Woman to their credit. Their new musical version of The Visit, starring Angela Lansbury, is set for Broadway next season. The team has also written songs for such films as New York, New York and Funny Lady.

The Oscar Hammerstein Award was created in 1988 by the York Theatre Company’s founding artistic director, Janet Hayes Walker. It commemorates lifetime achievement in the musical theater. Past honorees include Stephen Sondheim, Harold Prince, Peter Stone, Stephen Schwartz, Jerry Herman, the late David Merrick, and Cy Coleman.

The gala performance, followed by a champagne supper, will be held at the Gramercy Theatre, 127 East 23rd Street, beginning at 7pm. For information and reservations, phone 212-935-5820.