Industry News29th Oscar Hammerstein Award Gala, Honoring Richard Maltby Jr. and David Shire, Presented November 1Performers include Sierra Boggess, Christian Borle, Jenn Colella, Josh Dela Cruz, Santino Fontana, Montego Glover, Norm Lewis, and more.
By
Andrew Gans
November 01, 2021
Richard Maltby, Jr. and David Shire
Roberto Araujo
The York Theatre Company's 29th Oscar Hammerstein Award Gala, honoring musical theatre composing team Richard Maltby, Jr. and David Shire (Baby; Big; Starting Here, Starting Now; Closer Than Ever) with the 2021 Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theatre and Elisa Loti Stein with The York Theatre Company Founders Award, is held November 1 in Manhattan at The Edison Ballroom.
Hosted by Adam Gopnik, the evening of live entertainment features appearances by Loni Ackerman, George Lee Andrews, Jordan Barrow, Sierra Boggess, Christian Borle, Kerry Butler, Liz Callaway, Margery Cohen, Jenn Colella, Josh Dela Cruz, George Dvorsky, Santino Fontana, Montego Glover, Sydney James Harcourt, Eddie Korbich, Norm Lewis, Charlotte Maltby, Sally Mayes, Janet Metz, Julia Murney, Christiane Noll, Sal Viviano, John Weidman, York MTTP student alumini Charlie Beck, Molly Fitzsimmons, Ifedayo (Thomas) Gatling, Adeleke Goring, Max Grozalsky-Wernick, Ariana Jackman, Isabella Leonardo, Briana Powell-Cooper, Flor Rosales-Euceda, Kassandra Sánchez, Preston Simon, and Zoey Zo, with video appearances by Stephen Sondheim and Barbra Streisand.
Michael Unger directs the evening’s concert celebration with music direction by Deniz Cordell. Musicians include Annie Pasqua, Danny Weller, and Alex Wyatt.
The evening begins with a cocktail reception at 6 PM followed by dinner at 7 PM and the concert celebration and awards ceremony at 8 PM.
“This celebration of two favorite people—of mine and The York’s—was put on hold several times over the past year and a half,” said James Morgan, producing artistic director, in an earlier statement. “We’re so excited that we can schedule it now in the beautiful venue for many of our OH Galas, The Edison Ballroom. We’re delighted to share this spectacular evening with everyone and to see this incredible line-up of performers honor one of the longest collaborations in musical theatre history. That we are also honoring another wonderful friend, Elisa Loti Stein, with the York Theatre Founders’ Award puts the icing on the cake. (All three honorees are members of The York’s Honorary Board.) We hope you will join us!”
Past recipients of the Oscar Hammerstein Award, which was created in 1988 to recognize significant lifetime achievement in musical theatre, include Stephen Sondheim, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, Harold Prince, Cy Coleman, Charles Strouse, Arthur Laurents, Jerry Herman, Stephen Schwartz, Peter Stone, David Merrick, John Kander and Fred Ebb, Terrence McNally, Cameron Mackintosh, Carol Channing, Tony Walton, Joseph Stein, George S. Irving, Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, Thomas Meehan, Barbara Cook, Paul Gemignani, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, Angela Lansbury, Joel Grey, Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt, Susan Stroman, and, most recently, André De Shields.
LotiStein won a Theatre World Award and an Obie Award for her performance in Come Share My House. Her credits also include Rhinoceros, FifthColumn, FromTheseRoots, and Claudine. She also directed and acted in late husband Joseph Stein’s play Enter Laughing, which later became the musical.
Celebrating Opening Night of the York Theatre Company's Big, Starring John Tartaglia, Kerry Butler and Lyricist Richard Maltby Jr.
Celebrating Opening Night of the York Theatre Company's Big, Starring John Tartaglia, Kerry Butler and Lyricist Richard Maltby Jr.
The York Theatre Company's staging of the musical Big — the season opener of the Fall 2014 Musicals in Mufti Series — officially opened Oct. 12 at 7:30 PM. The limited engagement continues through Oct. 19.
The new musical is celebrating the box office opening at the Nederlander with an offer for fans to get $20 tickets, harkening back to Rent's first-of-its-kind ticket lottery.
