(l to r) Curtis Moore and Tom Mizer. (Photo: Xanthe Elbrick via The Broadway Blog.)
Morgan Weed (American Psycho), Wade McCollum (Ernest Shackleton Loves Me), Megan McGinnis (Daddy Long Legs), and Jackie Burns (If/Then) will join a line-up of Broadway talent singing the work of Fred Ebb Award-winning songwriters Thomas Mizer and Curtis Moore in Long Stories Short: The Songs of Mizer and Moore, June 26, at the York Theatre at Saint Peter’s.
Directed by Kenneth Ferrone and with musical direction by Ian Weinberger, the evening will feature selections from Mizer and Moore’s songbook including the New York debut of fresh material from their musical Triangle, which received its world premiere at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley and won six Theatre Bay Area Awards including “Outstanding Original Musical.”
Presented by the Fred Ebb Foundation, in association with the York Theatre Company, the free concert will also feature performances by Carrie Compere (The Color Purple), Danielle Lee Greaves (Hairspray), Adam Halpin (Glory Days), Travis McGhie, Bonnie Milligan, Marnie Nicolella (Les Miserables), Zachary Prince (Honeymoon in Vegas), Nik Walker (Hamilton), and Anne Tolpegin (Les Miserables).
Winners of the 2016 Fred Ebb Award for “excellence in musical theatre songwriting,” Thomas Mizer and Curtis Moore are an accomplished writing team whose work has appeared on stages around the world. The award recognizes excellence in musical theatre songwriting, by a songwriter or songwriting team that has not yet achieved significant commercial success. The award is meant to encourage and support aspiring songwriters to create new works for the musical theatre. The prize includes a $60,000 award. In addition to the monetary prize, the Fred Ebb Foundation produces a one-night-only showcase of the winner’s work. The Fred Ebb Foundation is funded by royalties from Mr. Ebb’s vast catalogue of work. Each year, the Foundation also makes a donation to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
The writing team’s credits include commissions from Lincoln Center and the Williamstown Theater Festival as well as residencies with the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, the Mercer Writers Colony at Goodspeed Musicals and the American Music Theatre Project at their alma mater, Northwestern University. Most recently, their romantic mystery Triangle premiered at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley to rave reviews, with The San Francisco Chronicle calling it “astonishingly successful…rich in melody and emotion.” The musical was named a 2017 Richard Rodgers Award Finalist by the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
On his own, Curtis Moore is a respected composer, songwriter, performer, conductor and producer of film and theater music. His credits include Venice at The Public Theater, Nora Ephron’s Broadway play Lucky Guy starring Tom Hanks, Sam Mendes’ acclaimed world tour of Richard III starring Kevin Spacey, and Todd Solondz’s film Palindromes. In addition to his work with Mr. Moore, Thomas Mizer is an award-winning copywriter for national media brands including Comedy Central & Food Network. In a “prior” life as an actor, Thomas appeared Off-Broadway, around the country and on TV in numerous roles, including “Steve” in the original, record-breaking production of Blue’s Clues, Live!.
The York Theatre Company is located at the Theatre at Saint Peter’s, 619 Lexington Avenue at 54th Street.
Tickets are free and can be reserved at www.mizerandmoore.com/concert.
