Brookfield Theatre for the Arts will present "Fresh Baked Musicals: A Concert Sampling," on Saturday, August 4 at 7 pm, at 184 Whisconier Rd, Brookfield CT behind the Brookfield Library. www.brookfieldtheatre.org.
This unique concert features songs chosen from a wide range of new musicals, highlighting talented emerging artists and new works from veteran Broadway writers. At a reception following the show, audience members will have an opportunity to meet the singers and some of the writers who will be attending.
Composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz (known for "Wicked", "Godspell", and "Pippin") will attend the reception and concert that features one of his songs from a new musical "Schikaneder", a show related to the making of Mozart's "The Magic Flute". Several other musical writers from the area will present comic songs. Bill Nabel, William Squier, and Jeffrey Lodin will perform pieces from "Love on Ice: A cryogenic love story". Writer and singer Matthew Gurren will present from "What Do Critics Know?" for which he wrote book, music, and lyrics along with James Campodonico (music and lyrics).
"Fresh Baked Musicals: A Concert Sampling" features the vocal talents of two special guest artists who have performed on Broadway: Raissa Katona Bennett and Greg Roderick. Musical direction is by another Broadway performer, Jerold Goldstein. Other singers include: Tyler Carey, Pam DeHuff, Scarlett Mazur, Kelsey Morris, Kennedy Morris, Megan O'Callaghan, Dan Satter, Melanie Votaw, and Morgana Kate Watson.
Songs were selected from 185 submitted for the concert. In addition to Schwartz's piece, several others are from musicals that center around historical figures, including from "Roswitha" by Kevin Bleau and David Schrag, about the first female playwright, and "Fanny's Forgotten Music" by Kristina Bengtsson about composer Fanny Mendelssohn.
The concert also includes comic, romantic, or dramatic songs from Patricia Haddad's "The Water Jug", Michael John LaChiusa's "Beautiful Jolie Gabor, Her Fabulous Three Daughters, and Always the Happiness is Life", Brent Monahan's "Fable", Karen and Steve Multer's "Buried in Prosperity", Adam Overett's "The Double-Threat Trio". Other musicals sampled in the concert are "Heartbeats" by Amanda McBroom and collaborators, "Gold Rush Girls" by Jerry Sanders and Karmo Sanders (book, music, and lyrics), "The Fourth Messenger" by Tanya Shaffer (book and lyrics) and Vienna Teng (music and lyrics), "Ten Long Years" by Kyle Wilson (book) and Nicholas Connors (music and lyrics), and "Vows" by Clay Zambo.
On Broadway, Raissa Katona Bennett has appeared as Christine Daae in "Phantom of the Opera", "Chess" in concert, and the First National Tours of "Cats" and "Parade". A multiple award-winning concert & cabaret artist, she's headlined with Symphony Orchestras throughout the north east, at Feinstein's, the Beechman Theatre, Metropolitan Room & Iridium, and at Lincoln Center and Town Hall in the Mabel Mercer Cabaret Convention. Recently, she appeared Off-Broadway in 2 new shows "Devil and the Deep" and "Water from the Moon", and in the first regional Equity production of "FUN HOME" at the Music Theatre of Connecticut. She has 2 critically acclaimed CD's on iTunes and Amazon and has been celebrating the release of her newest CD on the LML Music Label, "Can't Help Singing - The Music of Jerome Kern", with cabaret shows at the Laurie Beechman Theatre in NYC. www.raissakatonabennett.com
The music director is Jerold Goldstein. Goldstein has been directing, musical directing, and teaching in schools and privately throughout Connecticut for the past 30 years. As an actor, he has performed in numerous musical productions in New York City including on Broadway in "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" and "Ain't Broadway Grand". He was in the national tour of "Little Shop of Horrors" and "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum". He won the Barrymore Award for "Gun Metal Blues", was in the Kennedy Center's "Shear Madness", & toured Europe in "42nd Street". As a composer, several of Goldstein's shows (written with William Squier) have been performed around the country, including "Babalu", "Music is my Fist" (their send up of the Rat Pack), and "The Three Scrooges". As co-bookwriter, his musical "Route 66" has received regional productions. www.JeroldGoldstein.com
The concert was conceived by Carol de Giere, curator of New Musicals for Brookfield Theatre for the Arts. She is author of "The Godspell Experience" and "Defying Gravity: The Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz" as well as the on-line magazine for new musicals "Musical Writerzine".
Tickets are $35 general admission or $30 for students and seniors which includes admission to the concert and a reception with the writers and performers after the show.