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  • MAJOR WEST COAST CELEBRATION HONORING STEPHEN SONDHEIM'S 75th BIRTHDAY ONE NIGHT ONLY AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL
  • Jul. 8, 2005
  • FRIDAY, JULY 8 AT 8 PM

    Conductor Paul Gemignani, Los Angeles Philharmonic and All-Star Cast From Stage, Film and TV Pay Tribute to Broadway Legend
    Produced and Directed by Paul Lazarus

    Scheduled to Appear:

    JASON ALEXANDER, JAMES BARBOUR, CAROL BURNETT, LEN CARIOU, BARBARA COOK, STEPHANIE D'ABRUZZO, JASON DANIELEY, ALEXANDER GEMIGNANI, JOSH GROBAN, ANNE HATHAWAY, ANGELA LANSBURY, MARIN MAZZIE, ERIC MCCORMACK,
    AUDRA MCDONALD, DONNA MURPHY, BERNADETTE PETERS, JUBILANT SYKES,
    VANESSA WILLIAMS AND ADAM WYLIE

    A Lexus Passionate Performance

    The best attract the best as an all-star cast from stage, film and television join guest conductor Paul Gemignani and the Los Angeles Philharmonic in a birthday celebration for Broadway's most innovative and thought-provoking composer-lyricist, Stephen Sondheim. Gemignani, a name synonymous with the musicals of Stephen Sondheim, leads the orchestra and a remarkable cast assembled for the one-night only performance on Friday, July 8, in honor of the Broadway legend's 75th year. The event is conceived, produced and directed by Paul Lazarus.

    Special guests scheduled to perform some of Sondheim's most-notable songs include: Jason Alexander, James Barbour, Carol Burnett, Len Cariou, Barbara Cook, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Jason Danieley, Alexander Gemignani, Josh Groban, Anne Hathaway, Angela Lansbury, Marin Mazzie, Eric McCormack, Audra McDonald, Donna Murphy, Bernadette Peters, Jubilant Sykes, Vanessa Williams and Adam Wylie. Several of these artists - most notably Alexander, Cariou, Lansbury, Mazzie, Murphy and Peters, have been significantly involved in Sondheim's career, originating roles in the writer's masterworks.

    The program features classic Sondheim songs and new arrangements created especially for this performance, as well as a world premiere overture for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, written by Tony award-winning orchestrator Doug Besterman. In addition, 300 students from Los Angeles-area high schools sing "Our Time" from Merrily, We Roll Along to close the show.

    From A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum to Company to Sweeney Todd to West Side Story, the incomparable Stephen Sondheim has been at the forefront of American musical theater creating brilliantly clever lyrics and original and unforgettable music. The Hollywood Bowl tribute celebrates five decades of work from the winner of 14 Tony Awards, including three Best Musicals and nine Best Original Scores.

    A portion of the proceeds from this concert fund the Stephen Sondheim "Children Will Listen" Program, a newly created outreach program of the ASCAP Foundation. The "Children Will Listen" program provides musical theater experiences to young people, helping to build the next generation of musical theater creators and their audiences. Marilyn Bergman: President of ASCAP. Honorary Chairs of the ASCAP Foundation Benefit: Barbra Streisand and Warren Beatty. For ASCAP Foundation seating and reception accommodations, contact Bobbi Marcus at (310) 889-9200 or email sondheim@bobbimarcuspr.com.


    Musical Director for more than 35 Broadway productions, PAUL GEMIGNANI's credits include Follies (1971, replaced Harold Hastings and conducted the 1972 tour), Candide (1975, replaced John Mauceri), Pacific Overtures (1976), Side by Side by Sondheim (1977), On the Twentieth Century (1978), Sweeney Todd (1979), Evita (1979), Merrily We Roll Along (1981), Dreamgirls (1982), A Doll's Life (1982), Zorba (1983, revival), The Rink (1984), Sunday in the Park with George (1984), Grind (1985), Smile (1986), Into the Woods (1987), Jerome Robbins' Broadway (1989), Assassins (1990, off-Broadway), Crazy for You (1992), Passion (1994), A Christmas Carol (1994), Big (1996), 1776 (1997), High Society (1998), Kiss Me Kate (1999), The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (2001), and Into the Woods (2002 Revival). He conducted the studio cast recordings of Carousel (1987), Man of La Mancha (1990), and Kismet (1991) and the concert recordings of A Stephen Sondheim Evening (1983), Follies in Concert (1985), Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall (1992), Anyone Can Whistle (1995) and Do Re Mi (1999). Gemignani made his opera conducting debut with the New York City Opera production of Sweeney Todd (1984), and returned to the NYCO to conduct The Student Prince (1985). He also records with his own orchestra, The American Theatre Orchestra, on the BMG and Sony Classics labels. Their recordings include albums with Placido Domingo, Samuel Ramey, Jerry Hadley and Marilyn Horne. He has conducted the orchestra on several occasions for the PBS Great Performances television series My Favorite Broadway, and on Patti Cohenour's solo debut To an Isle in the Water (1998). He was also the conductor/musical director for the film version of A Little Night Music (1978), Mandy Patinkin's first two solo recordings, Mandy Patinkin (1989) and Dress Casual (1990), the recordings of Broadway's Best (1993) by the New York City Opera Orchestra, and John Raitt's Broadway Legend (1995), and the George Gershwin 100th anniversary concert at the London Palladium in October, 1998. In 1989, he received a special Drama Desk Award for his work as a musical director and his commitment to the theater, and in 2001, he received the 2001 Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement.

    PAUL LAZARUS - Conceiver of event, Producer and Director. Los Angeles resident, former Artistic Director of the Pasadena Playhouse. 25 year relationship with Sondheim includes producing and directing "A Stephen Sondheim Evening" featuring Angela Lansbury, George Hearn and Sondheim himself. That evening was recorded by RCA Records and received a Grammy nomination. Associate director for the acclaimed "Follies in Concert" at Lincoln Center starring Carol Burnett, George Hearn, Mandy Patinkin and Barbara Cook. For National Public Radio, he has produced numerous radio documentaries exploring many facets of Sondheim's work including the award-winning two hour program celebrating Sondheim's 60th birthday, hosted by Ms. Lansbury.

    One of the largest natural amphitheaters in the world, with a seating capacity of nearly 18,000, the HOLLYWOOD BOWL has been the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since its official opening in 1922, and in 1991 gave its name to the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, a resident ensemble that has filled a special niche in the musical life of Southern California. The 2004 season introduced audiences to a revitalized Hollywood Bowl, featuring a newly-constructed shell and stage and the addition of four stadium screens enhancing stage views in the venue. To this day, $1 buys a seat at the top of the Bowl for many of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's concerts. While the Bowl is best known for its sizzling summer nights, during the day California's youngest patrons enjoy "SummerSounds: Music for Kids at the Hollywood Bowl," the Southland's most popular summer arts festival for children, now in its 37th season. Attendance figures over the past several decades have soared: in 1980 the Bowl first topped the half-million mark and close to one million admissions have been recorded. In February 2005, the Hollywood Bowl was named Best Major Outdoor Concert Venue at the 16th Annual Pollstar Concert Industry Awards; it is no wonder that the Bowl's summer music festival has become as much a part of a Southern California summer as beaches and barbecues, the Dodgers, and Disneyland.

    EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

    FRIDAY, JULY 8, AT 8 PM

    HOLLYWOOD BOWL, 2301 N. Highland Ave. in Hollywood


    Stephen Sondheim's 75th: The Concert

    LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC

    PAUL GEMIGNANI, conductor

    JASON ALEXANDER

    JAMES BARBOUR

    CAROL BURNETT

    LEN CARIOU

    BARBARA COOK

    JASON DANIELEY

    STEPHANIE D'ABRUZZO

    ALEXANDER GEMIGNANI

    JOSH GROBAN

    ANNE HATHAWAY

    ANGELA LANSBURY

    MARIN MAZZIE

    ERIC MCCORMACK

    AUDRA MCDONALD

    DONNA MURPHY

    BERNADETTE PETERS

    JUBILANT SYKES

    VANESSA WILLIAMS

    ADAM WYLIE

    CONCEIVED, PRODUCED AND DIRECTED BY PAUL LAZARUS


    A Lexus Passionate Performance.

    Tickets ($4 - $110) are on sale now at the Hollywood Bowl Box Office, by calling Ticketmaster at 213.480.3232, at all Ticketmaster outlets (Robinsons May, Tower Records, and Ritmo Latino locations), or online at HollywoodBowl.com. Groups of 12 or more may be eligible for a 20% discount, subject to availability; call 323.850.2050 for further details.
    For general information or to request a brochure, call 323.850.2000.

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  • Contact:

    Rachelle Roe, 213.972.7310; Sabrina Skacan, 213.972.3408