CARNEGIE HALL PRESENTS
Standard Time with Michael Feinstein

Zankel Hall
Wednesday, February 10th, 2010 at 7:30 PM

Michael Feinstein, Artistic Director

With Special Guests:
Brent Barrett
Michele Lee

With Pianist:
Chris Denny

Program is approximately 1 hour, 30 minutes, and will be performed without intermission

Sponsored by KPMG LLP

Program Notes:

Frank Loesser

Frank Loesser has been called the most versatile of all Broadway composers. His five Broadway musicals—Where's Charley?, Guys and Dolls, The Most Happy Fella, Greenwillow, and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying—stand as unique contributions to the art of musical theater. But Loesser was first known for the many hit songs from his early years in Hollywood, having supplied lyrics for "Two Sleepy People," "Heart and Soul," "I Don't Want to Walk Without You," and the 1948 Academy Award winner "Baby, It's Cold Outside" (for which he wrote both words and music).

Born June 29, 1910, in New York City, Frank was the son of a German-born teacher of classical piano, and the younger brother of Arthur Loesser, a concert pianist, musicologist, and music critic. Refusing to study classical music, Frank taught himself the piano in his early teens. He dropped out of high school during the Great Depression, taking an array of jobs that included being a waiter and an editor of a New Rochelle newspaper. In 1931, he teamed with William Schuman (the future president of Juilliard) and wrote "In Love with a Memory of You"—Frank's first published lyrics. Of this, Schuman later said that "Frank Loesser has written hits with Hoagy Carmichael, Burton Lane, Jule Styne, and other Hollywood grand dukes, but I have the distinction of having written a flop with him."

In the mid-1930s, Frank tried his hand at singing and playing piano in nightclubs, and began writing lyrics with composer Irving Actman. They contributed only five songs to the short-lived Illustrators' Show, but it was enough to land him work in Hollywood, where he wrote his first hit song, "The Moon of Manakoora" for the Dorothy Lamour film The Hurricane. He went on to write lyrics for over 80 films, including Destry Rides Again, Dancing on a Dime, and Thank Your Lucky Stars.

In 1939, Frank made his composing debut with both words and music for the title song of the Paramount film Seventeen. During World War II, he worked in Special Services of the US Army, contributing words and music for shows; this led to his first hit as a composer, "Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition."

In 1948, producers Cy Feuer and Ernest Martin convinced Frank to head back east to create the score for Where's Charley?—his first stage hit that also gave star Ray Bolger his signature song, "Once in Love with Amy." This was followed in 1950 with Guys and Dolls, winning the Tony Award for Best Musical. His score was lush with hits, including "A Bushel and a Peck," "Luck Be a Lady," and "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat."

Frank wrote not only the words and music, but also the book for his next show. Opening in 1956 and featuring the hit songs "Standing on the Corner" and "Big D," The Most Happy Fella ran for two years, and was the first Broadway musical recorded in its entirety.

Unwilling to repeat himself, he chose a simple, country fable—Greenwillow—for his next project. Opening in 1960, it ran for only 97 performances in spite of receiving seven Tony nominations. The following year, Frank bounced back with How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, winning the Pulitzer Prize and seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. It ran for four years on Broadway with "I Believe in You" and "Brotherhood of Man" becoming enormous hits.

In the midst of his stage work, Frank returned to Hollywood and wrote the score for the film Hans Christian Andersen (1952), including "Wonderful Copenhagen," "Anywhere I Wander," "The Inch Worm," and the Academy Award–nominated "Thumbelina."

Working at a relentless pace, Frank rarely slept more than four hours at a time. In 1950, he created Frank Music Corp., a music publishing company committed to the development of young composers and lyricists; it was instrumental in furthering the careers of Meredith Willson, Richard Adler, and Jerry Ross, among others. Today, Frank Music Corp. is part of Paul McCartney's MPL Music Publishing.

Frank was married twice, first to actress Lynn Loesser, then to his Most Happy Fella leading lady Jo Sullivan. He died of lung cancer at the age of 59 on July 26, 1969, in his beloved New York City.

In recent years, there have been major revivals of The Most Happy Fella on Broadway and at New York City Opera. How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying was revived on Broadway in 1995, starring Matthew Broderick.

Unproduced during Loesser's lifetime, Señor Discretion Himself was premiered in 2004 at Arena Stage in Washington, DC, and received the 2005 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Resident Musical. The extraordinarily enduring Guys and Dolls won the Tony Award for Best Revival in 1992, and has been revived with great success during the past five years in England and Australia, returning to Broadway again in 2009.

JAY Records has produced recordings of the complete scores of Guys and Dolls, starring Emily Loesser as Sarah, and The Most Happy Fella, with Emily re-creating her mother's role of Rosabella. DRG Records has released Loesser by Loesser, a program of Loesser gems performed by Jo Sullivan Loesser, Emily Loesser, and Don Stephenson; and An Evening with Frank Loesser, a collection of demo recordings created for Guys and Dolls, The Most Happy Fella, and How to Succeed …

In 1999, Frank Loesser was honored by the US Postal Service with a postage stamp bearing his likeness. The Complete Lyrics of Frank Loesser was published by Knopf in 2003, and a biography titled A Most Remarkable Fella—written by his daughter, Susan Loesser—is available from Hal Leonard.

More Information:

It’s always time for great American standards, especially when they’re recreated by someone as wise as Michael Feinstein. Nobody has studied this music more deeply, or performs it more memorably.

Michael Feinstein, Artistic Director

With Special Guests:
Brent Barrett
Michele Lee

With Pianist:
Chris Denny
Michael Feinstein, Artistic Director

Michael Feinstein, one of the premiere interpreters of American popular song, has been a household name since the success of his 1988 one-man Broadway show, Isn’t It Romantic. He enjoys an active performance calendar, including major concert halls, symphony orchestras, intimate jazz clubs, and college campuses. More than a mere performer, he is nationally recognized for his commitment to the American popular song, both celebrating its art and preserving its legacy for the next generation.

The Sinatra Project—his latest CD from Concord Records that celebrates the musical sensibilities of “Old Blue Eyes”—earned Michael his fifth Grammy nomination. He is currently preparing the PBS-TV series, Michael Feinstein: Man On A Mission, in which he discovers treasures of the Great American Songbook around the world. Michael will also serve as the artistic director of the Carmel Performing Arts Center, a $160 million performing arts center in Carmel, Indiana.

In 2004, Michael completed a national tour with songwriting icon Jimmy Webb based on their CD, Only One Life—The Songs of Jimmy Webb. The disc was named one of “10 Best CDs of the Year” by USA Today.

His Manhattan nightclub, Feinstein’s at Loews Regency, has presented the top talents of pop and jazz, including Rosemary Clooney, Steve Tyrell, Barbara Cook, Tony Danza, Glen Campbell, Diahann Carroll, Jackie Mason, and Dame Cleo Laine. Michael also opened Feinstein’s at the Shaw in London.

Michael started playing piano by ear when he was five. As a teenager, he played at weddings and parties in Columbus, Ohio. After graduating from high school, he worked in local piano lounges, moving to Los Angeles when he was 20. Through the widow of legendary concert pianist-actor Oscar Levant, he was introduced to Ira Gershwin in July 1977. He became his assistant for six years, granting Michael access to numerous unpublished Gershwin songs, which he has since performed and recorded.

The Library of Congress recently elected Michael to the exclusive National Sound Recording Advisory Board. He and other industry leaders meet regularly in Washington, DC, for a forum on safeguarding America’s musical heritage. Visit michaelfeinstein.com for more information.



Brent Barrett

Brent Barrett is currently reprising the role of Billy Flynn in the Tony Award–winning hit Chicago, for which he received a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award. He spent two years in Las Vegas as the Phantom in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular. Brent received an Olivier Award nomination for his starring role in the London premiere of Kiss Me, Kate, which was recorded for PBS. Other Broadway roles include Tony in the 1980 revival of West Side Story, Frank Butler in the revival of Annie Get Your Gun opposite Reba McEntire, Charles Castleton in Dance a Little Closer, Baron Felix von Geigern in Grand Hotel, Maximilian in Candide, and Tommy Albright in New York City Opera’s Brigadoon. He also starred in the City Center Encores! production of The Pajama Game and as King Arthur in Paper Mill Playhouse’s Camelot. Off-Broadway credits include Closer Than Ever, March of the Falsettos, The Time of the Cuckoo, and Portrait of Jenny.

Brent received critical acclaim after solo performances at Carnegie Hall, and London’s Royal Albert and Royal Festival halls. He has also performed with the Berliner Philharmoniker, the Boston Pops, Minnesota Opera, Opera Pacific, and Kentucky Opera. Brent is the founding member and producer of The Broadway Tenors. Solo albums include the recently released Christmas Mornings, The Alan Jay Lerner Album, and The Kander and Ebb Album. Other recordings include Brigadoon, Grand Hotel, Closer Than Ever, and The Maury Yeston Songbook.

Brent’s television and film credits include The Producers, Hercules, Longtime Companion, and All My Children. Visit brentbarrett.com for more information.



Michele Lee

Michele Lee is known worldwide for her Emmy-nominated role as Karen in the landmark CBS series Knots Landing. Appearing in all 344 episodes, Michele has set the American record for the greatest number of consecutive appearances by a leading actress in an hour-long primetime dramatic series.

Michele’s career began on the stage when she was discovered as a teen by producer David Merrick. At age 18, Michele starred in Bravo Giovanni with the Metropolitan Opera’s Cesare Siepi, which led to her breakout role as Rosemary in the original production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying opposite Robert Morse. In 1974, she starred on the Broadway stage in Michael Bennett’s musical Seesaw. Her performance won her a Tony nomination, and Drama Desk and the Outer Critics awards for Best Actress. In 2002, Michele completed her run in Charles Busch’s Broadway hit The Tale of the Allergist Wife, opposite Linda Lavin and Tony Roberts.

Michele starred with Dick Van Dyke in Carl Reiner’s cult classic The Comic and in the Disney favorite The Love Bug. She was last seen in Along Came Polly, opposite Ben Stiller and Jennifer Aniston. Michele has also starred in and produced numerous films for television, including CBS’s Emmy-nominated Big Dreams and Broken Hearts: The Dottie West Story, When No One Would Listen, and Scandalous Me: The Jacqueline Susann Story. Other television films include Dark Victory, Bud and Lou, and Neil Simon’s Broadway Bound.

In 1996, Michele became the first woman to produce, direct, write, and star in a motion picture for television. Color Me Perfect made its debut on Lifetime Television, earning Michele a Christopher Award and the Gracie Allen Award, presented by the American Women in Television and Radio.


Michael A. Kerker

Michael A. Kerker has been Director of Musical Theatre for ASCAP since 1990. In addition to coordinating ASCAP’s Musical Theatre Workshop in New York (led by composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz), he works with Disney Theatricals to produce the ASCAP / Disney Musical Theatre Workshop in Los Angeles (also led by Mr. Schwartz). Together with Michael Feinstein, Mr. Kerker produces a regular series of concerts at Carnegie Hall that highlights the catalogue of both legendary and contemporary songwriters.

Mr. Kerker is also producing a regular series of interview programs titled Broadway: Up Close and Personal for the Kennedy Center. His on-stage conversations with some of the nation’s most prominent songwriters have included Jerry Herman, Alan and Marilyn Bergman, Charles Strouse, Sheldon Harnick, and Mr. Schwartz.

Mr. Kerker produces an annual songwriter’s cabaret as part of the Chicago Humanities Festival. He also produced the ASCAP Foundation Jerry Herman Legacy Program—a series of seminars, master classes, and concerts that feature the legendary composer-lyricist. The program has been presented nationwide in such cities as Chicago, San Francisco, Savannah, Miami, and Pittsburgh.

Mr. Kerker is proud to be a member of the boards of the American Theatre Wing, the Johnny Mercer Foundation, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.