Neil Berg 100 Years of Broadway Program

N e i l B e rg’s

100 Years of

BroadwaY

THURSday, SEPT. 30 — 7:30 p.m.

This performance was made possible through the generous support of the Evie Brinkman Memorial Education Fund. audio description services and recorded program notes are provided through a partnership between the Lied Center and audio-Reader Network.

Please turn off or silence cellular phones and other electronic devices during performances. Food and drink are not allowed inside the hall. Cameras and recording devices are strictly prohibited in the auditorium.

Producers: Tour coordinator/GM: Office manager (CA): Office manager (NY): Tour production/stage manager: Sound engineer:

Neil Berg and Adam Friedson Joe D'Urso Jessica Heidt Makayla Bishop Brett Nichols Frank Fagnano

The following performers are scheduled for tonight’s performance:

Carter Calvert

Robert DuSold

Neil Berg

Piano/ Musical Director

Rob Evan

Roger Cohen Drums

Andrea Rivette

Abraham Saenz Bass

Danny Zolli

David Weinstein Keyboard

Performers are subject to change

Tonight’s program will be announced from the stage and will include one 20-minute intermission.

Neil Berg’s 100 Years of Broadway

WHO’S WHO IN THE CAST Carter Calvert is best known for originating her role in the Tony-nominated It Ain’t Nothin’ But The Blues on Broadway. The New York Times wrote, “Carter Calvert effervesces: her voice echoes chimes in the night” and “Her smoldering grip on Fever is positively dangerous.”

Calvert appeared in the world premiere of Forbidden Vegas in a role she originated.

Her New York credits include the Broadway original cast album and touring productions of It Ain’t Nothin’ But The Blues. She appeared off-Broadway in Forbidden Broadway and The Thing About Men at the Promenade Theatre.

Calvert toured Europe in Smokey Joe’s Café, played Grizabella in the national tour of Cats and appeared as the title role in Always, Patsy Cline. She has appeared in numerous roles in regional theatres around the country.

Her television credits include The David Letterman Show, Rosie O’Donnell Show and The Today Show. She has opened for Liza Minnelli, The Temptations, Chubby Checker and Marilyn McCoo. In 1993, Songstar Records named her best female vocalist of the year. Downbeat Magazine named her best female jazz vocalist while she was still in high school. Calvert is an accomplished voiceover artist and can be heard in numerous national commercials for Wendy’s, Voom, MTV, Ditropan and Charles Schwab. She is currently the voice of Yellowbook. Her debut album, Fever, is available in the lobby and at cartercalvert.com.

Robert DuSold recently played Harry Bright in the Las Vegas production of Mamma Mia! His New York credits include Mimi le Duck opposite Eartha Kitt. His off-Broadway credits include the title role in Don Imbroglio at the New York Music Theater Festival as well as Ned in the Drama Desk-nominated The Audience. Broadway and national tour credits include Jason Green in The Producers, Javert and Valjean in Les Miserables, Monsieur Andre in Phantom of the Opera, Old Deuteronomy in Cats, Pete in Hal Prince’s Showboat, assorted roles in Jekyll and Hyde, Kiss of the Spiderwoman and Chicago. Regional and stock credits include Sweeney Todd in

Sweeney Todd at Connecticut Repertory Theatre (Connecticut Critics Circle Award best actor nomination), Jules/Bob Greenberg in Sunday in the Park at Washington D.C.’s Arena Stage, Benny Southstreet in Guys and Dolls at Papermill Playhouse, Father in Chrysalis at the Adirondack Theater Festival, Peron in Evita at California Music Theatre and various shows at the O’Neill Festival, Williamstown Theatre Festival and many others. Recordings include A Gala for Harold Prince, Sondheim: An Evening in Celebration at Carnegie Hall, the Anastasia soundtrack and others. DuSold is also featured in the new book, Making It on Broadway: Actors’ Tales of Climbing to the Top, published

by Allworth Press.

Rob Evan starred in the original Broadway cast of Jekyll & Hyde, playing the title roles for three years in more than 600 performances.

His rendition of This Is the Moment has been performed at numerous prestigious events including the 2001 inaugural gala for President George W. Bush, the Millennium Independence Day U.S. Naval Revue aboard the USS JFK for President Clinton, the Millennium World Forum Conference with guest speaker Mikhail Gorbachev, the 1998 Goodwill Games, the New York City Mayor’s inaugural gala, the 1998 and 1999 NY Yankees World Series celebration at City Hall, The Georgia Music Hall of Fame Awards telecast, the Today Show and Monday Night Football. Evan regularly stars in Jekyll & Hyde: The Concert around the world. He returned from a 16-show run in Seoul, South Korea’s Olympic Hall last spring.

Currently, Evan is starring on Broadway in Disney’s Tarzan playing the role of Kerchak at the Richard Rodgers Theater. Evan also appeared on Broadway as Jean Valjean in Les Miserables, and was chosen to lead the critically acclaimed national touring company to its history-making stop on Broadway. Most recently, he starred as the sadistic Orin Scrivello D.D.S. in Little Shop of Horrors with Joey Fatone from *NSYNC on Broadway. Evan also had the pleasure of singing the role of the Count von Krolock in Jim Steinman’s Dance of the Vampires at the Minksoff Theater.

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Off-Broadway, Evan created the roles of The Dancin’ Kid in Johnny Guitar and the hero Miles Hendon in The Prince and the Pauper.

As a vocalist and recording artist, Evan is a member of the platinum-selling rock band, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and has played in arenas across the country for up to 20,000 people. He is lead vocalist for Jim Steinman’s The Dream Engine and is currently recording the debut album.

In concert, Evan has appeared in the current touring production of The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, which originated at the Kennedy Center in 2004. He is a regularly featured performer in Neil Berg’s 100 Years of Broadway now touring the U.S. Evan has performed throughout the U.S. for numerous corporate audiences including Paine Webber, Pfizer, AXA, IBM, KPMG and Seagram’s, among others. He made his cabaret debut with The Kid Inside at New York City’s Arci’s Place to great reviews from The New York Times. Evan headlined with his big band at the Mohegan Sun’s Cabaret Theater in 2002. He has been featured with many leading symphonies across the nation and is a recipient of the Georgia Music Hall of Fame Talent Award in 1989. He was awarded the 1999 Shining Star award by the Leukemia Society of America and honored by the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America for his charitable support.

Regionally, Evan portrayed the Southern Captain in Frank Wildhorn’s For the Glory at the Majestic in historic Gettysburg. He also originated the role of Nanki-Poo in the TUTS/Pittsburgh CLO premiere of the Hot Mikado. On tour, Evan has been seen in Les Miserables as Valjean, Jekyll & Hyde (title roles), Hello, Dolly! with the late Madeline Kahn and By George! Evan has played MacHeath in Three Penny, Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar, Tommy in Brigadoon, the Red Shadow in Desert Song and Anatoly in Chess.

Evan produced and starred in the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids NY Benefit Concert of Chess at the John Houseman Theater and at the Helen Hayes PAC. His television credits include All My Children.

Evan’s recordings include Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s The Lost Christmas (Lava/ Atlantic), Jekyll & Hyde (OBC, Atlantic), The Civil War (Atlantic), The Broadway

Neil Berg’s 100 Years of Broadway

Musicals of 1940 (BayView), The Prince and the Pauper (OOBC, JAY), Johnny Guitar (OOBC), Jekyll & Hyde: Resurrection (KOCH/Globalvision) and The Dream Engine’s upcoming debut album (Ravenous).

This spring will mark the release of his longawaited solo debut album on Legacy Records!

A native of Monticello, Ga., Evan is a former varsity athlete at the University of Georgia, where he majored in finance. His favorite roles continue to be that of husband to Beate and father to Johan, Max and Birk. Thanks Linda! robevan.com.

Andrea Rivette is thrilled to be a part of the Neil Berg family once again this season! Her Broadway credits include Emma Carew in Jekyll and Hyde (starring David Hasselhoff, performance filmed for HBO and DVD, and Ellen in Miss Saigon. She has had the opportunity to perform in many concerts nationwide as well as in the equity national tours of Miss Saigon as Ellen and Jekyll and Hyde as Emma Carew (starring Chuck Wagner).

In the past two years, between concert work, Rivette has had the honor of playing her dream role, Fantine, in Les Miserables at Theater Under the Stars in Houston, Tex., directed by Fred Hanson, starring opposite Rob Evan as Valjean and also at Sacramento Music Circus, directed by Glenn Casale, starring opposite Brad Little as Javert!

Her favorite regional credits include: Magnolia in Showboat, Christine in Phantom of the Opera, Luisa in The Fantasticks, Rita LaPorta in Lucky Stiff, the Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and World Goes Round.

Rivette resides in N.Y. with her amazing husband Charles Pistone and their two beautiful kitties! All performances are dedicated in loving memory to John, Milt, Poppy and Uncle Bobby. myspace.com/andreatheriv Danny Zolli is best known for the monumental number of performances he has starred in as Jesus and Judas in more than 23 worldwide productions of Jesus Christ Superstar, including Broadway and six national/ international tours. Zolli continues to thrill audiences with his work on the concert stage and in the recording studio.

Nationally and internationally, Zolli has starred as Che’ in Evita, Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Arbiter in Chess, Tobias in Sweeney Todd, Candide in Candide, F/X Fitzterwald in Starmites, among many, many others. He has shared the stage and performed with such luminaries as Three Tenor’s opera legend José Carreras, Carl Anderson, The Gypsy Kings, Ted Neeley, Dennis DeYoung (Styx), Linda Eder, Syreeta Wright, Betty Buckley, Yvonne Elliman, Peter Frampton, Dr. Maya Angelou, Trisha Yearwood, Roger Daltry (The Who), Phoebe Snow, Rita Moreno, Felix Cavalari (The Rascals), Larry Gatlin, Hal Holbrook, Leslie West (Mountain), Zach Starky (son of Ringo Starr) and starred as the principal male soloist in orchestral concert extravaganza, The British Rock Symphony. Most recently Zolli has been tapped to perform as the lead singer of The World Rock Symphony Orchestra. dannyzolli.com.

Neil Berg (composer/lyricist) is the composer/ lyricist of the hit off-Broadway musical The Prince and the Pauper, which ran for two years at the Lambs Theater in New York City. The New York Times raved “[Berg’s] music soars on angel’s wings”. The original cast album is released internationally on Jay Records, sheet music published by Hal Leonard, and licensing

by Samuel French Inc. Songs from this show are also featured with many other classic songs in the official off-Broadway songbook, published by Hal Leonard.

Berg is currently the composer for the new Broadway-bound musical Grumpy Old Men, based on the Warner Brothers movie classic starring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau scheduled to open in 2010-11. The last developmental reading featured Academy Award-winning actor F. Murray Abraham and Tony Award-winner George Hearn, with Marilu Henner, Carole Kane, Ken Page and Vicki Lewis. For more information go to grumpyoldmenthemusical.com.

Berg is currently collaborating with Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Robert Schenkkan on a new rock musical called The 12. Following a very successful showcase at the China Club in New York City, featuring Dan Spitz of Anthrax on lead guitar, The 12 had its

world premiere at the Broward Center in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. on April 1, 2010 and will start touring the U.S. in the 2010-11 season, produced by Adam Friedson.

Berg’s latest musical, The Man Who Would Be King, with book and lyrics by DJ Salisbury, had a developmental reading/workshop in 2009 at The Village Theater in Issaquah, Wash., directed by Tony Award-winner Brian Yorkey (Next To Normal). This followed a staged reading at the Rubicon Theater in California last year. This show has been developed with dramaturgical guidance by Moises Kaufman of the Tetonic Theater Project and Adam Friedson. The fully-orchestrated album recording, featuring Brian d’Arcy James, Marc Kudisch and Mandy Gonzalez, has recently been released, and can be purchased at neilberg.com.

Berg’s musical Tim and Scrooge, with book and lyrics by Nick Meglin (former editor of Mad Magazine), had its first developmental production at the wonderful Elmwood Playhouse in Nyack, N.Y. It was then voted “one of the best musicals” of the inaugural NYMF festival in New York City, then garnered a rave review in The New York Times after it opened for an equity run at The Queens Theater in the Park, and was recently presented as a special reading at the Criterion Theater in the London’s West End. Berg also composed the new musical Heidi, book by Julia Jordan and commissioned

by Douglas Love and the Walden Family Theater. Heidi ran for more than 80 performances in its regional premiere in Denver. Other new projects in development are musical versions of Pollyanna and The Count of Monte Cristo. Other commissioned works include Percy Penguin for the Penguin Repertory Theater (Joe Brancato, artistic director), Threads for the Helen Hayes Theater, and Fiona: The Mother Goose Musical.

Berg was the recipient of the 1995 Bistro Award for best musical for his show Asylum in the Night, a revue of Berg’s theatre music.

Berg was also the composer/music supervisor on the feature film Searching For Bobby D. featuring Carmen Electra, Sandra Bernhard and Mario Cantone. Also, many of Berg’s theatre songs are featured on volumes of Hal Leonard Musical Anthologies.

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Berg studied musical composition with Robert Printz and Sue Peters, and is a product of The BMI Musical Writer’s Workshop, mentored by Maury Yeston and Skip Kennon.

Berg is the creator and co-producer of Neil Berg’s 100 Years of Broadway, which is now the number one Broadway touring concert in the U.S., touring more than 120 cities in 201011. For a schedule go to neilberg.com.

As owner of Leftfield Productions, Inc., Berg has produced more than 1,000 Broadway concerts worldwide with such stars as Michael Crawford, Bernadette Peters, Ben Vereen, Betty Buckley, Rita Moreno, Donna McKechnie, Liz Callaway, Mark Kudisch, Alice Ripley, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Stephanie Block and many other greats.

Berg is also currently producing, in partnership with Adam Friedson, the 20th anniversary production of Maltby and Shire’s classic musical revue Closer Than Ever.

The show kicked off in April 2010 at the Queens Theater in the Park in Queens, before embarking on a U.S. tour. Berg recently produced the concert version of the Broadway musical The Secret Garden in association with its composer, Lucy Simon. He has also produced concert versions of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Chess, and Jesus Christ Superstar.

Berg was the producing artistic director of the Broadway series at the world famous China Club in New York City. In the past 20 years, Berg has been the musical director/ entertainment coordinator for such great organizations as Covenant House and The Leukemia Society of America. He has produced countless corporate events all across the world for UBS/Paine Webber, Goldman Sachs, Deloitte Touche, John Hancock, Marriott Corporation, IBM, The United Hospice Organization, The American Red Cross and many others.

For his charitable contributions Berg was honored in 2001 as The American Red Cross Man of the Year, and was honored again in 2003 by The United Hospice Foundation. In 2008, Berg was honored with the artist of the year award by the Arts Council of Rockland County. In May 2010, Berg was acknowledged

by The Rockland Family Shelter for his efforts on behalf of abused women.

Neil Berg’s 100 Years of Broadway

Berg can be heard on radio around the country with his jingle for Shock Coffee. Berg also toured the U.S. with rock band Joe D’Urso & Stone Caravan and played on their past seven albums as well as performed live with the band on the recent 100 year anniversary tour for Harley Davidson.

Berg is the proud co-owner, with John Asselta, of the SJR Theater Workshop, a theatre camp for students in Montvale N.J., which instructs more than 200 young actors/ singers a year. This program is now run year round. For more information please go to sjrtheater.com.

Berg is a proud member of the Dramatis Guild, and can be reached at neilberg.com. He dedicates everything to his wife, Rita Harvey, and their son, Lucas David Berg.

Roger Cohen (drums) has performed with Martin Short, Rita Moreno, Sir Cliff Richard, Kathy Lee Gifford, Bernadette Peters, Betty Buckley, Dom DeLouise, Christy Brinkley, Rupert Holmes, Lorraine Bracco and more.

Cohen has also worked with soap opera stars Martha Byrne and Michael Park (As The World Turns) and progressive rock superstars James Labrie and Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater).

He performed on national television with Rob Evan (Jekyll & Hyde) and Jim Steinman at The U.S. Open. Cohen was the drummer for the off-Broadway show The Joys of Sex. Cohen demonstrated his exciting approach to soloing when he took first place honors in Guitar Center’s national drum-off competition in New Jersey, earning raves from Danny Gottlieb (Pat Metheny’s drummer). Cohen’s writing has been published in Modern Drummer magazine, and he has been featured in its On the Move column. Cohen can be heard on the soundtrack to Carmen Electra’s recent film, Searching for Bobby D, as well as the national radio jingles for Lycos and Shock Coffee.

Cohen is very excited about his new project, The Grasshopper Band, featuring the multi-talented Ella K. Shmella. Cohen is also devoted to another project, as mentor in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program (bbbs. org). Modern Drummer Magazine says of Cohen “Roger’s playing reveals an admirable combination of power, musical creativity and restraint.” Time Out NY says “Mr. Cohen has

one of the most appropriate and sensitive touches of any percussionist in the field.”

The Barbados Advocate reports “It would be unforgivable to end this review without mentioning the disciplined drumming skills of Roger Cohen, whose range and rhythm not only bring out the best in vocals, but provide a richly satisfying percussion component.”

Danny Gottlieb said “... one of the most original and musical solos I’ve heard in a very long time!”

Abraham Saenz (bass) is an amazing bassist of Peruvian decent. He began his career in New York City’s specialized arts high school, LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts, and continued his education in schools like Harlem School of the Arts (jazz) and Harbor Conservatory (Latin music) where Saenz was awarded a full scholarship. He began playing with local salsa bands at the age of 16. At 17, Saenz joined Juan Carlos Formell’s changui quartet where he began extensive studies of Cuban music.

With only a couple of years experience under his belt, Saenz earned a spot in the premiere salsa record label band, the RMM Orchestra, under the direction of Isidro Infante.

(The RMM Orchestra was to the Latin scene as the Funk Brothers was to Motown.) The youngest member of the band, Saenz learned a lot from the great Infante, traveled the world with the ensemble and collaborated on the Latin Grammy Award-winning concert for best salsa performance for Celia and Friends: A Night Of Salsa.

Saenz has graced the main stage at the Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre playing for Pablo Cabrera’s musical ‘Quien Mato a Hector Lavoe? and Carmen Rivera’s La Lupe: My Life, My Destiny. He has recorded, performed and collaborated with musical figures including Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Alvaro Torres, Tito Nieves, DLG, Lisette Melendez, Isidro Infante and many more. He has also performed in various festivals in the United States, Peru, Australia, Colombia, Honduras, Mexico, Spain and Italy.

He has performed in festivals in the Caribbean Islands including the Tri-C Jazz Festival, El Festival National del Callao, Kalalu Festival of St. Lucia, La Feria de Cali and the Bacardi Sydney Festival, among others.

Currently, Saenz can be seen as a member of such musical groups and artists as Jimmy Sabater Jr. y Los Salseros del Hudson, Kevin Ceballo, Groupo Caribe, and the world’s best charranga band, Orquesta Broadway, in some of the most famous venues in New York City.

David Weinstein (keyboards) has worked as a composer, orchestrator, conductor, copyist, music supervisor, arranger, producer and he plays bass and keyboards.

The Joys of Sex premiered off-Broadway in New York City at the Variety Arts Theatre in 2004. His other works in progress include It’s a Hit and Ithaca Gods and Greeks, Oh Troy! As an arranger, Willy Wonka had its world premiere at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and now tours the U.S. Weinstein keeps busy doing concert work around the world with a wealth of great Broadway talent including Robert Evan, Craig Schulman, Brad Little, Mandy Gonzales, Lillias White and many more. For the last eight years, Weinstein has worked with Music Theatre International as the music supervisor for Broadway Junior and helped create its catalogue. He has also produced albums for the school edition series including Les Miserables and Ragtime. Weinstein was also seen on Broadway conducting Les Miserables at the Imperial Theatre.

In addition to composing for musical theatre, Weinstein has scored numerous independent films including Searching For Bobby D, Sex Farce, The Mailman, Pickled and A Boy And A Girl which earned him a Kraft Award for best score at the NYU Film Festival. His orchestration credits include The Woods for John Frizzell (composer) released

by United Artists and Karroll’s Christmas which premiered on A&E this past holiday season. He dedicates his work to the memory of Sherie Weinstein.

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Performing Arts

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