By Danny Coleman
originally published: 10/01/2015
Stephen Joshua Sondheim (Pronounced Sond Haim) was born in New York City. He grew up on Manhattan's Upper West Side and later, on a farm near Doylestown, PA. He saw his first Broadway play at the age of nine and the rest as they say, "Is history." In time, this son of dress making parents would go on to become a man whom many consider to be one of, if not the greatest songwriter of all time.
Garnering eight Tony Awards, including one for "Lifetime Achievement," eight Grammy awards, an Academy Award, a Pulitzer Prize and a Laurence Olivier Award; to utter that Sondheim's contributions to music and theater are outstanding; is an understatement. So then, it's easy to understand why the man who gave us lyrics for classics such as "West Side Story" and "Gypsy," who composed the music for "Sweeney Todd" and countless other well known works, the man who was mentored by Oscar Hammerstein II and is perhaps the most revered composer and lyricist as well as one of Broadway's brightest lights, will be honored at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark at the "Spotlight Gala of the Women's Association of NJPAC-An Evening of Song in Celebration of the 85th Birthday of Stephen Sondheim."
October 3 the stars will come out to sing, dance and act in a tribute to Sondheim. Tony Award winners and nominees such as Judy Kuhn, James Monroe Iglehart, Tony Yazbeck and the incomparable Vanessa Williams, along with a special guest appearance by Len Cariou; will be under the musical direction of XM Radio's Broadway Channel host Seth Rudetsky.
"This is a great array of singers," says Rudetsky. "Judy Kuhn is one of the best tenors on broadway; Vanessa? First off, she is just stunning and so talented as is the entire group; this is going to be spectacular."
In his role as the host of Sirius/XM's "Broadway Channel," Rudetsky gets six hours daily to air his favorite Broadway show tunes; he's got less than 36 hours to put this how together before the Gala. "It's a nice band," he explains; "A contractor finds me the musicians and they are some really amazing and talented players. We have an orchestra-tor; which really helps and our first rehearsal is Friday and then all day prior to gala Saturday. Friday will be with the performers and the band, then Saturday with the band and crew. These musicians are used to reading charts and the sound guys at the PAC are so good that I really don't need to worry."
The gala itself is the largest "Black tie affair" in New Jersey, with over 1,000 professionals, philanthropists and attendees; all uniting to raise funds for the NJPAC and its Arts Education Program. The "Signature event" of the "Woman's Association of the NJPAC," the gala is their primary fund raising event; assisting the venue in their efforts to bring top notch, quality entertainment and the arts to the masses. This year's soiree promises to be one of the best yet, as these self professed "Broadway geeks" mark the great Sondheim's landmark birthday.
Rudetsky forged his relationship with the gala in 2014,"I was recommended by a friend," states Seth. "He recommended me to the ladies last year and they hired me; they asked me back again this year. Unfortunately, I don't know Stephen Sondheim personally but I am very much looking forward to working with the cast and crew and I've prepared what I feel is a very entertaining program. Many people feel that Sondheim is esoteric and heavy because of his work like Sweeney Todd but he also is so much more. There will be light moments, comedy and dancing; I've put together a fun show. There will be no, "And the next song will be...Boring," he said with a chuckle.
Being the musical director for an undertaking such as this may have its challenges. Things such as schedules and egos can often frustrate those in charge but Rudetsky says that working with this cast is not hard at all."Working with big names like these; gosh they're all big stars and not at all difficult to work with. Last year was a bit easier music wise but this group; they're all extremely accommodating. I think, at least based on my experiences, that Broadway people have no egos; that's more Hollywood and film. This cast is very easy to work with."
The NJPAC is located at 1 Center Street in Newark and kicks off with a 5:30 p.m. cocktail and networking reception followed at 7 p.m. by the show with a gourmet dinner at 8:45 p.m. To discover more about the event; please go to www.njpac.org.
That's it for this week! Please continue to support live and original music and until next week....ROCK ON!
THIS WEEKS CALENDAR LISTINGS:
Alchemist & Barrister
28 Witherspoon Street Princeton
(609) 924-5555
Thurs. 9 p.m. "Thursday Jazz" feat. Ben Krejci Trio
Sun. 9 p.m. Barley Harvest
Wed. 8 p.m. Mike & Laura
All shows 21+
Amalfi's Restaurant
146 Lawrenceville-Pennington Rd. Lawrenceville
(609) 912-1599
Fri 8:30 p.m. Highway 41
Sat. 8:30 p.m. Ten Foot Tall w/ Jeanne Yarrow
29 Church St. Windsor
(609) 448-7144
Fri. 8 p.m. Rock & Rhythm
Sat. 8 p.m. Meg Hanson Band feat. Billy Hill
Blend Bar & Bistro
911 Highway 33, Hamilton
(609) 245-8887
Tues. 8 p.m. Triviajam
Bruno's Bicycles, One Sweet Ride
19 South Main St. Allentown
(609) 208-0544
Fri. 7 p.m. Radio Fiction
The Backstage at Championship Bar
931 Chambers St. Trenton
Sat. 5 p.m. Cut The Act, The Electric Backwards Man, Results Not Typical. All ages, $10
Mon. 5 p.m. Stitched Up Heart, Run To Cover, (TBA). All ages, $10/$12
Candlelight Lounge
24 Passaic St. Trenton
(609) 695-9612
Sat. 3 p.m. Joanna Pascale. (No cover-$10 minimum)
Chickie's & Pete's
183 US Highway 130 North Bordentown
(609) 298-9182
Tues. 8 p.m. Acoustic Music Night feat. The Dawgs
Wed. 9 p.m. Trivia Night
City Streets
510 Route 130 South East Windsor
(609) 426-9400
Sat. 10 p.m. Gyrl Band
Dog & Bull Brew House
810 Bristol Pike (Rte. 13) Croydon, PA.
(215) 788-2855
Thurs. 8 p.m. Dane Rosenfeld
116 S. Main St. New Hope, PA.
(215)862-5539
Mon. 8 p.m. Open Blues Jam
All shows 21+
Havana New Hope
105 S. Main Street. New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-9897
Thurs. 10 p.m. "Beat The Clock" College Night DJ Dance Party
Fri. 8 p.m. Little Feat Tribute w/ Sailin' Shoes. Doors at 6 p.m., $15
Sat. 8:30 p.m. Coast 2 Coast
Sun. 2 p.m. Midnight Sun Orchestra
Mon. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Ron
Wed. Pat Foran and Friends
Hopewell Valley Vineyards
46 Yard Rd. Pennington
(609) 737-4465
Fri. 6 p.m. Deb & Mike
Ivy Tavern
3108 S. Broad Street, Hamilton
(609) 888-1435
Thurs. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Fri. 10 p.m. Papa Delux
Sat. 10 p.m. Honey Spot Blvd.
All shows 21+
John & Peter's
96 S. Main Street New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-5981
Fri. 9 p.m. Moonbreaker
Sat. 9 p.m. River City Healers w/ Jeremiah Tall
Sun. (3 p.m.) Hank Woji (9 p.m.) Sea Man
Mon. 9 p.m. Open Mic w/ Tim
Tues. 9 p.m. Fred & Bill
Wed. 9:30 p.m. The Invitational
All shows 21+
JoJo's Tavern
2677 Nottingham Way Hamilton
(609) 586-2678
Wed. 10 p.m. Karaoke
Laurita Winery
85 Archertown Rd. New Egypt
(609) 752-0200
Sun. 6:30 p.m. Radio Fiction
Palermo's Of Hamilton
310 Klockner Rd. Hamilton
(609) 838-7979
Thurs. 9 p.m. Karaoke
All shows 21+
Patriot's Crossing
1339 River Rd. Titusville
(609) 737-2780
Fri. 7:30 p.m. Sensei Juan & the Black Belts
Sat. 7:30 p.m. Kevin Toft & The All Stars
Pete's Steak House
523 Whitehorse Ave. Hamilton
(609) 585-8008
Fri. 9:30 p.m. 80's Undercover
Sat. 9:30 p.m. Kindred Spirit
Plumstead Grill
457 Rte. 539 Cream Ridge
(609) 758-5552
Fri. 9 p.m. Dirty Red
Randy Now's Man Cave
134 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown
(609) 424-3766
Sun. 11 a.m. Meet Mark & Mark of "Weird NJ" Magazine
RHO Waterfront
50 Riverview Plaza Trenton
(609) 393-7300
Thurs. 9 p.m. "College Night" w/ DJ Paul Desisto. Ages 21+, $5 (with college ID), $15 (without)
Fri. (4 p.m.) Happy Hour Buffet. $10 (8:30 p.m.) Black Frost
Tavern On The Lake101 Main St. Hightstown
(609) 426-9345
Wed. 8 p.m. Karaoke Night
The HOB Tavern
146 Second Street
(609) 291-7020
Sat. 9 p.m. Karaoke
The Ivy Inn
248 Nassau St. Princeton
(609) 921-8555
Thurs. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Ron
Fri. 10 p.m. DJ Fatha Ramzee
Sat. 10 p.m. Twisted Charm
Tues. 8 p.m. Quizzo w/ Bob E Luv
Wed. (8:30 p.m.) Tune Trivia (10:30 p.m.) DJ Rockn Ron
The Roost
181 Rte. 539 Cream Ridge
(609) 208-2500
Fri. 9 p.m. The Polish Nannies
Sat. 9 p.m. Radio Fiction
The Sticky Wicket
2465 South Broad St. Hamilton
(609) 439-0007
Fri. 9 p.m. (TBA)
Sat. 9 p.m. It Starts With
The Sun National Bank Center
81 Hamilton Ave. Trenton
(609) 656-3200
Check web site for upcoming events
Tir Na Nog
1324 Hamilton Ave. Trenton
(609) 392-2554
Fri. 9 p.m. Bill Shannon
Sat. 9 p.m. John Patrick Bastiani
Sun. 3 p.m. Irish Sessions
Tues. 7 p.m. "Live Radio Broadcast" feat. Hank Woji / hosted by 40 Foot Hole Studio
Trenton Buzz702 Pine St. Trenton
(609) 392-6000
Thurs. 8 p.m. Open Mic. w/ Hek Cat
Trenton Social
449 South Broad Street Trenton
(609) 989-7777
Thurs. 8:30 p.m. Cinema Thursday Presents: (TBA)
Fri. 7 p.m. First Friday Presents: "Old Work Meets New" by Howard Michaels
Mon. 9 p.m. Monday Night Karaoke w/ Benny P
Tues. 7 p.m. Open Mic.
Triumph Brewing Company (New Hope, Pa. Location)
400 Union Square New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-8300
Fri. 10 p.m. Lover's League w/ Owl and Wolf. ($5 cover charge)
Sat. 12 p.m. Oktoberfest
Sun. 7 p.m. Open Jam Night (Sign ups 6:30 p.m.)
Wed. 9 p.m. Abbie Morin
All shows 21+
Wildflowers Inn
2572 Pennington Rd. Pennington
Sat. 9 p.m. Acoustic Rock
All shows 21+
