Composer Alan Menken takes the stage at The Ridgefield Playhouse on May 8

Composer Alan Menken takes the stage at The Ridgefield Playhouse on May 8 with a one man show of his more than 30 years of hits, A Whole New World

Almost 20 years ago Alan Menken helped celebrate the first anniversary gala of the Ridgefield Playhouse, along with actress Debbie Gravitte and fellow composer Stephen Schwartz, which helped launch the arts in this Connecticut community. Now the eight time Oscar award-winning composer behind some of Disney's most beloved songs, recent recipient of the 2020 Max Steiner Film Music Lifetime Achievement Award, and Ridgefield Playhouse Arts advisory board member is back on the stage of the Ridgefield Playhouse with his multi-media show, A Whole New World, on Friday, May 8th at 8pm.

Menken, who has received more Academy Awards than any other living individual leads audiences on a journey through more than thirty years of hit songs, movies, and musicals – The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty & the Beast, Enchanted, Tangled and more! In his first one-man show, the legendary storyteller sings some of his best-loved tunes while accompanying himself on the piano, and through video and a multimedia experience, shares the secrets of his journey from “Sesame Street” to premiering three simultaneous shows on Broadway. This event is part of Northern Trust Broadway & Cabaret with support from Teed & Brown and is sponsored by Mercedes-Benz of Danbury. Join us in the lobby before the show for a complimentary tasting of Freixenet Prosecco, ICE, and Italian Rosé.

Legendary composer Alan Menken has created some of the most beloved songs and musical scores of our time, with his unique voice as a composer capturing the imagination of audiences for over 35 years. Known for his music on stage and screen, he is noted for his multiple works with the Walt Disney company (The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin), as well as Broadway stage musicals Sister Act and Little Shop of Horrors. With eight Academy Awards, Alan has received more Oscars than any living person, and is the recipient of numerous other awards including Golden Globes, Grammys, Drama Desk Awards, and a Tony Award.

Menken’s ambition, from his earliest memories, was to become a composer. Much as he would have expected to become a dentist, like most of the other men in three generations of his family, he was a very ADHD child. Studying was like pulling teeth (no pun intended) and even practicing piano was a trial. Instead of learning pieces, Menken would get the basic idea of a Beethoven Sonata or a Bartok Mikrokosmos and spend the rest of his practice time “faking it.” When his piano teacher or his violin teacher realized what he was doing they wisely suggested that this be encouraged, so he began composing, as well as pretending to practice.

In the years between graduation and actually earning a living as a composer, Menken worked as a ballet and modern dance accompanist, a musical director for club acts, a jingle writer, arranger, a songwriter for “Sesame Street” and a vocal coach. He performed his material at clubs like The Ballroom, Reno Sweeny and Tramps. He showcased material from early musicals like Midnight, Harry The Rat and Apartment House. He contributed material to revues like New York’s Back In Town, Big Apple Country and The Present Tense. And then he met Howard Ashman. Until working with Ashman, Alan Menken was almost exclusively a composer/lyricist. But starting in 1978, when they met to discuss a musical of Kurt Vonnegut’s novel, God Bless You Mr. Rosewater, Menken and Ashman became a songwriting team and with only a few exceptions.

Then came Little Shop of Horrors, the musical that put Ashman and Menken on the map as in-demand, up-and-coming musical theater writers. Based on the Roger Corman B-movie classic, it opened at the WPA Theater in the spring of ’82 to great reviews, lines around the block and countless offers from producers. It moved to the Orpheum Theater on 2nd Ave and St. Marks Place, where it ran for over 5 years and set the box-office record for highest grossing Off-Broadway show of all time. Productions followed in Los Angeles and London, along with national tours and all the rest. Most exciting was a movie deal, which opened doors to Hollywood. When Disney came calling with The Little Mermaid, the opportunity to create an animated musical that could sit on the shelf alongside Snow White and Cinderella, could not be ignored. With The Little Mermaid, Menken began his career as a composer of film underscore. Although he had never attempted a film score before, Menken learned on the job and was rewarded with an Oscar for Best Score, as well as one for Best Song (“Under the Sea”). More importantly, the movie proved groundbreaking. Animated Musicals were back. People loved them and live-action films wouldn’t be far behind.

Menken came full-circle when The Little Mermaid opened on Broadway in 2008 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. Aladdin, Hunchback Of Notre Dame, and Newsies soon followed, as well as new film-to-stage adaptations of Sister Act and Leap Of Faith.

For tickets ($125 with a $100 meet and greet upgrade available) call or visit the box office, 203-438-5795 or go online at ridgefieldplayhouse.org. The Ridgefield Playhouse is a non-profit performing arts center located at 80 East Ridge, parallel to Main Street, Ridgefield, CT.

https://ridgefieldplayhouse.org Twitter: @RPlayhouse Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ridgefieldplayhouse/

 

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Submitted by Fairfield, CT

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