Entitled Rodgers, Rodgers & Guettel: A Century of American Musical Theater, performances are November 1 at 8 PM and November 3 at 8 PM.
Interpreting the songs are Tony nominee Lauren Worsham, Tony nominee Mary Testa, baritone John Brancy, and tenor Hal Cazalet. Steven Blier is featured on piano.
NYFOS artistic director Blier said in an earlier statement, “As I sift through the material for the Rodgers show, I am once again gobsmacked by the sheer bounty of melody that sprang forth from one single family. Their ravishing songs span the sass of the twenties, the earnestness of the post-war era, the free-wheeling seventies, and the dark complexities of our own times. Richard, his daughter Mary, and his grandson Adam embodied a century of musical tastes, theatrical styles, and American mores. As always, we'll have plenty of musical surprises, including some songs that remain unpublished, alongside some of our favorite pieces from their hit shows. Our cast brings a refreshing diversity to this extraordinary playlist: four live-wire singer-actors ready to croon, belt, cut a rug, or bare their souls. I can't wait.”
“Richard Rodgers’ legacy,” according to press notes, “included not only his sophisticated, street-wise songs written with Lorenz Hart and his groundbreaking work with Oscar Hammerstein III but also the indispensable music of his descendants: daughter Mary Rodgers (Once Upon a Mattress) and grandson Adam Guettel (The Light in the Piazza). Their songs are like a hundred-year history of American mores, from the Jazz Age to the Information Era. Filled with intelligence, humanity, and breathtaking melody, the Rodgers family sings of the America we know—and the America we dream of.”
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center is located at 129 West 67th Street. Visit nyfos.org/Rodgers.