Bob Merrill News

1959 was a heck of a good year for Broadway overtures.  The majestic trumpet fanfare and lowdown bump and grind of Gypsy's is generally regarded as the best in musical theatre, but there was also the rousingly rhythmic curtain-raiser to Fiorello! and, my personal favorite, Philip J. Lang's beautiful interpretation of Bob Merrill's music for Take Me Along, which touches on so many moods of the show while continually building the toe-tapping climax of The catchy title tune.

ReVision Theatre presents a star studded cast featuring Steven Brinberg as Barbra Streisand with special guest Lainie Kazan in a benefit performance of Funny Girl. The one night only event will be at the Paramount Theatre on the Boardwalk in Asbury Park on Saturday, July 11th, at 8 pm.

ReVision Theatre announces star studded cast for benefit performance of Funny Girl starring Steven Brinberg as Barbra Streisand with very special guest Lainie Kazan. The one night only event will be at the Paramount Theatre on the Boardwalk in Asbury Park on Saturday, July 11th, at 8 pm.

Tony, Emmy, and Golden Globe Nominee Lainie Kazan has signed on to appear on stage in ReVision Theatre's Benefit Performance of Funny Girl starring Steven Brinberg as Barbra Streisand. This special one night only show will take place at the Paramount Theatre on the Boardwalk in Asbury Park on Saturday, July 11th, at 8 pm.

A single figure appears at the back of the stage. A single voice begins to sing a Barry Manilow classic - exquisitely, soon to be joined by the other members of BBC's Last Choir Standing winners 'Only Men Aloud' and suddenly 'One Voice' explodes into an huge wall of sound as stunning vocals advance upon the ears of the audience. This opening number set the tone for the rest of what turned out to be a fantastic evening in the first 'Only Men Aloud' UK national tour, which opened on April 26 at the Swansea Grand Theatre.

WESTCHESTER BROADWAY THEATRE is Proud To Present FUNNY GIRL with music by JULE STYNE Lyrics by BOB MERRILL, book by ISOBEL LENNART runs March 26, 2009 - June 14, 2009 Starring JILL ABRAMOVITZ and GRANT NORMAN

Westchester Broadway Theatre production of FUNNY GIRL, which stars Jill Abramovitz as Fanny Brice and Grant Norman as the dashing, high flying gambler, Nicky Arnstein, begins previews tonight, March 26, 2009. The musical plays though to June 14, 2009

THE ARTIE SHAW BIG BAND MONDAY, MARCH 30th ! Westchester Broadway Theatre One of the most danced-to bandleaders of Swing, and one of the finest jazz clarinetists of all time! Now his legendary smooth and swinging music lives on with the Artie Shaw Big Band. $73 PER PERSON PLUS TAX for Dinner & Show 6:15pm Dinner & 8pm Show.

The cast has been announced for the Westchester Broadway Theatre production of FUNNY GIRL, which runs from March 26, 2009 - June 14, 2009 with an official press opening on April 4, 2009.

Westchester Broadway Theatre has announced a change in its upcoming season schedule. TITANIC, The Musical which was slated to run from 3/26/09 to 6/14/09 will be replaced by FUNNY GIRL. Donald Birely will Direct The Styne/Merrill Musical. Auditions are imminent & will be announced. The change, press notes state was made to offer audiences a more fun, light-hearted evening of entertainment in these troubled times. Funny Girl, is an only-in-America story of an ugly duckling who transforms herself into a swan. Fanny Brice is a goofy, comic singer from the Lower East Side, who rises to stardom in 1920s Vaudeville with the Ziegfeld Follies. It recounts her stormy relationship with a handsome, very proud gambler turned embezzler, Nick Arnstein, whom she loves, wins, and eventually loses. The Jule Styne-Bob Merrill score is a parade of classic tunes including 'People' and 'Don't Rain On My Parade' 'I'd Rather Be Blue Over You.' and delightful dance numbers such as 'Sadie, Sadie' and 'Rat-tat-tat-tat'.

Broadway's leading lady, Rachel York (Les Miserables & Victor/Victoria), stepped in last minute for an ailing Broadway Belle, Susan Egan (Beauty & The Beast) for the standing room only crowd for VOX Femina's SING-ULAR SENSATIONS tribute to Broadway on Saturday night in Los Angele's Zipper Hall.

The Diablo Light Opera Company (DLOC) announced that its 51st season, beginning in the fall of 2009, will be highlighted by the Northern California premiere of the recent Broadway hit CURTAINS and three other major musicals, one in concert.

Drury Lane Theatre Oakbrook Terrace, 100 Drury Lane, known for producing acclaimed, innovative and classic musicals, announces its exciting 2009 season, featuring five musicals that have never been seen on the Drury Lane stage. Hot off the Broadway stage, the musical comedy 'CURTAINS', directed by William Brown previews March 19, opens March 26 and runs through May 17; the feel-good musical review 'PUMP BOYS AND DINETTES', directed by Shawn Stengel previews May 28, opens June 4 and runs through August 2; the Tony Award-winning musical 'CABARET', directed by Jim Corti previews August 13, opens August 20 and runs through October 11; the delightful Jazz Age musical 'THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE', directed by Artistic Director William Osetek, previews October 22, opens October 29 and runs through December 20; and the beloved musical 'FUNNY GIRL', directed by Gary Griffin, previews December 31, opens January 7 and runs through March 7, 2010.

Acclaimed singer and actress Neva Small will bring her one-woman show 'Neva Small: Not Quite an Ingenue' to the Actors Temple Theatre.

Elaine Joyce will make her New York nightclub debut in 'Second Time Around,' a new one-woman play with music written by Elaine Joyce and Neil Simon

Elaine Joyce is set to make her New York nightclub debut in 'Second Time Around,' a new one-woman play with music written by Elaine Joyce and Neil Simon

A revival of the Jule Styne/Bob Merrill musical 'Some Like It Hot' is confirmed to hit the West End in autumn 2007. The show will be produced by Paul Coxwell and directed by Jerry Zaks, whose impressive Broadway track record includes productions as diverse as 'La Cage Aux Folles', 'Little Shop of Horrors', 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum', 'Smokey Joe's Café', 'Guys and Dolls' and 'The Front Page'.

'due to personal health concerns,'

Natascia Diaz, Sebastian La Cause and Jim Stanek will be among the stars of the Kennedy Center's production of Carnival, the whimsical 1961 Bob Merrill musical that will run from February 17th through March 11th, 2007 at the Eisenhower Theatre