“Behind the Spotlight: Songs, Stories, and Stars of Broadway Musicals' Golden Age"

A lecture series that will feature three incredible mavens of musical theater exploring various aspects of its history.

Please note: This is a subscription series and your ticket includes all three events. You cannot purchase individual events.

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Call My Publicist!
The Starry Education of a Broadway Press Agent
Starring Joshua Ellis
Thursday, April 23 at 3:00 PM

“Wildly entertaining. I loved it.” — Peter Marks, Washington Post

Call My Publicist! The Starry Education of a Broadway Press Agent, offers an insider's view of Broadway's glamorous, yet sometimes maddening, world. Dubbed "the maestro of public relations," Ellis handled press for numerous Broadway hits, including over a dozen Tony winners. He shares captivating stories about legendary personalities he worked with, such as Yul Brynner, Carol Channing, Stephen Sondheim, Lena Horne, James Earl Jones, Eartha Kitt, Maggie Smith, Ethel Merman, David Bowie, Sandy Duncan, Richard Rodgers, Gregory Peck, and producer David Merrick.

Broadway, Hollywood, and Tin Pan Alley:
The Fountainhead of the Great American Songbook
Starring Jim Jimirro
Thursday, May 7 at 3:00 PM

"A home run!" — John Lahr, The New Yorker

The Great American Songbook was largely derived from Broadway, along with Hollywood and Tin Pan Alley. These musicals, and the songs they originated, are the immortal part of the soundtrack of America. Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand sing them, Count Basie, and Les Brown swing them, and even Rod Stewart, Willy Nelson, and Lady Gaga got into the act. You will hear these songs as never before, and forever listen to them differently. And the music will be underscored by stories, anecdotes, and even backstage lore into the songs themselves, the performers, and the musicals that inspired them.

A Personal History of the American Theater
Starring Peter Filichia
Thursday, May 20 at 3:00 PM

“The most witty, insightful, and yet most humane critic around.” – Susan Stroman

What’s it like to be a lifelong theater critic? Peter Filichia, who’s reviewed for over fifty years and seen 13,100 shows worldwide, shares his own A PERSONAL HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN THEATER, in an evening inspired by monologist Spaulding Gray, who simply sat at a table and held a bunch of oversized index cards. He pulled out a card at random and would tell a story based on the title of the show printed on that card. Meaning that each performance of A Personal History Of The American Theater is unique, filled with stories of stars, disasters, and the plays that shaped his life.

JOSHUA ELLIS led public relations for dozens of Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, including 42nd Street, Into the Woods, Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music, The King and I with Yul Brynner, Fences, The Elephant Man, Dracula with Frank Langella, Morning’s at Seven, Big River, Sandy Duncan’s Peter Pan, and seven Royal Shakespeare Company productions, notably Nicholas Nickleby.

PETER FILICHIA is a veteran New York–based theatre critic, author, and musical-theatre historian. He has written for The Star-Ledger, News 12 New Jersey, Masterworks Broadway, and Music Theatre International. A former Drama Desk president, he chairs the Theatre World Awards selection committee. His books include Let’s Put on a Musical! and Broadway Musicals: The Biggest Hit and the Biggest Flop. He has attended more than 11,000 performances.

JAMES P. JIMIRRO is the creator and founding President of The Disney Channel and Walt Disney Home Video, . He is a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Oscars). He is active in a number of enterprises involving the Great American Songbook. These include having served as chairman of the selection committee in the Traditional Pop category at The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (Grammys). He lectures worldwide on the Great American Songbook.

VENUE: AMT Theater (354 W. 45th St, NYC, NY, 10036)

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