Michael Bush to Direct Development Wing's BROADWAY UNDER THE STARS Gala, 9/15

The Development Wing which has dedicated itself to nurturing new musicals via partnerships with regional, not for profit theaters will hold an exclusive, intimate one-night-only benefit concert featuring Broadway stars singing songs from three new musicals at the historic Tewksbury, New Jersey home of Cherie King and her husband composer, lyricist and book writer, Jonathan Brielle, Artistic Director of The Development Wing.

Brielle will serve as both master of ceremonies and performer as selections from several of his new musicals will be presented. The event takes place on Saturday, September 15 at 6 PM at 44 Farmersville Road, Tewksbury, New Jersey just 60 minutes from Broadway.

Directed by award winning director Michael Bush, “Broadway Under the Stars” will feature a dazzling group of Broadway’s brightest stars including Leanne Borghesi, Jessica Burrows, Veanne Cox, Brittney-Lee Hamilton, Jeremiah James, Marcy McGuigan plus Jonathan Brielle and his All Star Band featuring players from The Rolling Stones and Paul Simon’s Band including Steven Ray Watkins – piano; Larry Saltzman – guitar; Benny Koonevesky – drums; Jim Hynes – trumpet; Andy Snitzer – tenor sax; Charles Pillow – flute and reeds; Mike Davis – trombone.

The event will be a mini-reunion for Bush, Brielle and Burrows. The trio was all involved with the critically acclaimed “Himself and Nora” Brielle’s new musical about James Joyce and Nora Barnacle which kicked off this year’s New York Musical Theatre Festival. Bush directed and Burrows starred as Nora opposite Matt Bogart.

The late afternoon fundraiser will begin with cocktails and delectable hors d'oeuvres. Guests can stroll around the bucolic grounds and toured the main house which was in the 1850s a schoolhouse. Brielle and King purchased the property in 2005 and converted the schoolhouse into a state of the art digital facility, with two control rooms, each complete with pro-tools and digital performer, and tied into the live room with a Baldwin Grand Piano, The studio can easily accommodate up to 15 players.

They can also bid on a number of exclusive items in the Silent Auction such as Hamilton Farms Golf and Lunch afternoon for three with a member at one of the finest courses in the country situated on a historic country estate, an original oil painting by Raffaele Donofrio; Original Song Composed by Jon Brielle; Make your own Record at Brielle Studios; Broadway Show tickets, a Tiffany Style Lamp, Basket of Homemade Jams; Limited Edition Handcrafted Earrings and bracelet of Sterling Silver by Kathryn Scimone Stanko and the opportunity to build a new relationship or start a new career with BeginAnu, created by career and relationship coach Cherie King.

For tickets for Broadway Under the Stars - $150 for Table Seating and $100 for Concert Seating – email developmentwing@gmail.com.

Broadway Under the Stars Featured Performers & Creative Team

Leanne Borghesi: Cabaret: Marriage In-Equality with Patty Duke and the Cast of Wicked (Palace of Fine Arts, SF), Help Is On The Way with Carol Channing (Hebst Theatre, SF), Diva and Dames with Bruce Vilanch (Marines Memorial, SF), DIVALICIOUS(Metropolitan Room, NYC). Regional: 40 Naked Women A Monkey And Me (Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, CT) The Eccentricities Of A Nightingale (Aurora Theatre, CA), The Secret Garden (Theatreworks, CA), Tommy (PDPA Theatrefest, CA, Recipient of two Bay Area Theatre Critic Circle Awards for Dames at Sea (Mona Kent) and Solo Cabaret Divalicious (The Kent Conservatory Theatre Center, SF).

Jessica Burrows: Most recently starred as Nora in Jonathan Brielle’s new musical Himself and Nora at the New York Musical Theatre festival. She portrayed. Greta Garbo in the new musical When Garbo Talks at ICT in Los Angeles. Other favorites include The Toymaker (NYMF), Lara in Zhivago(La Jolla Playhouse), Baz Luhrmann's La Boheme (The Ahmanson), The Ten Commandments (The Kodak), 110 in the Shade (Pasadena Playhouse), and Julie Jordon in Carousel. Jessica owns her own practice as a Holistic Health Coach.

Veanne Cox: Broadway: La Cage aux Folles, A Free Man of Color, Caroline or Change, The Dinner Party, Company (Tony and Drama Desk Noms), Smile. Off Broadway: 2008 Obie Award for Sustained Excellence, Paradise Park, Spain (Lorte Norms), Last Easter (Drama Desk Nom), Blind, The Wooden Breeks, A Mother A Daughter A Gun, House and Garden, The Vagina Monologues, The Altruists, Freedomland,Labor Day, The Bating Cage, A Question of Mercy, The Waiting Room, The Food Chain, Flora the Red Menace. Regional: The Boyfriend, Twelfth Night, Way of the World, Private Lives, The Beaux’s Stratagem (Helen Hayes Nom), The Imaginary Invalid, The Importance of Being Ernest, The Heidi Chronicles, A Flea in Her Ear, 40 Naked Women A Monkey And Me. Television & Film: ‘Louis’, ‘Pam Am’, ‘Royal Pains’, ‘Law & Order’, ‘Boston Legal’, ‘CSI’, ‘Joan of Arcadia’, ‘Cinderella’, ‘Seinfeld’, Erin Brockovitch, Big Eden, Marci X, Beethoven’s 4th, You’ve Got Mail.

Brittney-Lee Hamilton: New York: The Piper (Irish Repertory Theatre), My History of Marriage (NYMF), Countess of Storyville (Amas),Peg O’ My Heart the Musical (Peg-MITF Best Leading Actress Nom),Rogues to Riches (York Theatre), Hurricane (NYMF), Republic (Acorn Theatre), ANGELS the Musical (Pre-Broadway run and NYMF). Regional: Gypsy with Tovah Feldshuh (June: Bristol Riverside Theatre, Ivoryton Playhouse), Megillah (Goodspeed Opera House),Laughter on the 23rd Floor (Seven Angels Theatre). 40 Naked Women A Monkey And Me (Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, CT), TV/Film: ‘Boardwalk Empire’ (season 2 star), ‘Pokemon’, ‘Catskill Park’, Perks of Writing A Musical’.

Jeremiah James: West End: Carousel (West End Revival) Off- Broadway: The Fantasticks; Regional Theater: Crazy For You (Ovation Award nomination); Our Town; White Christmas. Daytime Soaps: Port Charles and General Hospital. In 2007, Jeremiah had the honor of performing for, and personally meeting Her Majesty, The Queen of England. He is a member of the Sony singing group, "TEATRO” whose first album went Gold one month after release, making them one of the fastest selling singing groups of all time. As a member of "TEATRO", he built a following and reputation internationally and recently released his first solo album, “Tupelo.”

Marcy McGuigan: New York: The Divine Sister, Meet Me In St. Louis, A Wonderful Life, Shanghai Moon, Swingtime Canteen (original cast album). National Tour: 42nd Street (Carbonelle Nomination); Sisters Rosensweig (Capital Rep), Mrs. Hannigan in Annie (Lyceum Theatre), A Christmas Carol Westport County Playhouse) , Rough Crossing (Portland Stage); TV/Film/Voice Over: GTA 4, The Centenarian, A Very Serious Person, Truth and Beauty, Ghost Stories, “Conan O’Brien,” Rock Star Games.

BAND: Steven Ray Watkins – piano; Larry Saltzman – guitar; Benny Koonevesky – drums; Jim Hynes – Trumpet; Andy Snitzer – Tenor Sax; Charles Pillow – Flute and Reeds; Mike Davis - Trombone.

Michael Bush is currently the artistic director of the Cabaret and Performance Conference at the Tony Award winning Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center. He most recently directed Jonathan Brielle’s new musical Himself and Nora at the New York Musical Theatre Festival and the off-Broadway revival of Cactus Flower. He won the 2009 New York Musical Theatre Festival Award for Excellence in Direction for the world premiere musical Hurricane produced in the 2009 New York Musical Theatre Festival. He is the former director of artistic production and associate artistic director for the Manhattan Theatre Club in New York City. He was associated with MTC for over 25 years and helped artistically guide more than 150 new plays and musicals, including the Tony® Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning Proof, and Doubt, and the Tony® Award winning Love! Valour! Compassion! and the musicals A Class Act (Tony Nomination for Best Musical) and Andrew Lippa’s The Wild Party. At MTC he most recently directed Based on A Totally True Story. He was instrumental in the rebirth of the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s Cabaret & Performance Conference (2010 Regional Theatre Tony Award), and has served as its artistic director since 2005. Under his guidance the conference has developed over 70 new shows, revues, and intimate musicals including Title of Show and The Story of My Life, both of which were produced on Broadway. Mr. Bush directed Stormy Weather for the Pasadena Playhouse in Los Angeles and Murderers for The Philadelphia Theatre Company, City Theatre in Pittsburgh, and the Emelin Theatre in New York, and the musicals Pure Heaven: a Party with Kay Thompson at the Emelin, and The Story of My Life at Toronto’s CanStage. He also directed Stormy Weather for The Prince Music Theatre in Philadelphia. Mr. Bush directed 6 New York Music Theater Festival (NYMF) productions including The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde (2005),and Grammy Award- winning songwriter Marcus Hummon’s musicals Warrior (2006), and The Piper (2007). During his tenure as producing artistic director at Charlotte Repertory Theatre in Charlotte NC (2002-2004) he presented Hilary Swank in The Miracle Worker, Penny Fuller in The Glass Menagerie, and directed the 20th Anniversary production of Pump Boys and Dinettes. He also directed and co-wrote the book for the musical Let Me Sing which was co-produced with George Street Playhouse in New Jersey and Charlotte Repertory Theatre. He is currently the artistic director of ONSTAGE in New York City; an education program that teaches playwriting to high school and middle school students and he directs their annual Broadway Finale event each spring. He recently directed and conceived Leslie Uggams’ Uptown Downtown at the Pasadena Playhouse (LA Drama Critics Circle Award) and a revival of Abe Burrow’s Cactus Flower at Capital Repertory Theatre in Albany.

Jonathan Brielle Broadway: Jonathan wrote the songs for Foxfire, starring Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy. Off-Broadway: Composer in residence at Circle Rep in New York; plays included: Besides Herself (music & lyrics) The Great Grandson of Jedidiah Kohler (music & lyrics); Regional: Nightmare Alley (book, music, lyrics) at The Geffen Playhouse directed by legendary director, Gil Cates; Himself & Nora: The Old Globe in San Diego, and in further development of this musical, Jonathan performed the role of Joyce at the James Joyce Center in Dublin for Bloomsday 2007; His next musical, 40 Naked Women, a Monkey and Me (book, music, & lyrics) premiered at The Eugene O’Neill Cabaret Festival 2012; Tours: Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus; Rugrats; Goosebumps; Las Vegas: MadHattan (book, music, lyrics); Enter The Night (book, music, lyrics) ran at the Stardust Hotel in LV for 12 years! Honors: Jonathan currently serves as the vice president of The Johnny Mercer Foundation, dedicated to celebrating and nurturing the Great American Songbook and was the former National Projects Director of the Songwriters Guild of America.

 

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