AHMANSON CORPORATETHEATRE SPOTLIGHT
Center Theatre Group | Artistic Director’s Circle
The Blue Ribbon Celebrates The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess
l to r: Douglas Williams, Chris Dwan, Shayne Kennon, Tony Yazbeck, Will Taylor and Will Blum in the Alliance Theatre production of Harmony. photo by GreG mooney.
Soon they were a global sensation, traveling to Berlin, Munich, Amsterdam, Paris and the United States. In the early 1930s, just one press notice could sell out a prestigious concert hall. They became popular on radio and recordings and starred in 13 films. They had it all. AN UNEXPECTED FINALE Then the political climate in Germany began to change, and the Comedian Harmonists found themselves on a collision course with history. Their amazing story inspired the legendary Barry Manilow and theatre veteran Bruce Sussman, longtime collaborators, to create a new musical with an original score that celebrates this extraordinary group of friends, ensuring their quest for harmony in the most discordant chapter of human history will never be forgotten. ○
“We are both thrilled to finally return to our first love — writing a musical together. Especially this one. It has been an indescribable honor to spend all this time in the company of these six extraordinary men.” —Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman, creators of Harmony.
Center Theatre Group is profoundly grateful to Artistic Director’s Circle members Ruth Flinkman-Marandy and Ben Marandy for their generous support of Harmony at the Ahmanson Theatre. The Artistic Director’s Circle, founded by Brindell and Milton Gottlieb, is comprised of individuals supporting specific areas of Michael Ritchie’s artistic vision with commitments of $100,000 and above. For more information, please call Erin Schlabach at 213.972.3069.
You might remember first visiting The Music Center as a guest of the Blue Ribbon Children’s Festival, an annual admissionfree program specifically designed for fifth-graders. Chances are you were greeted by members of The Blue Ribbon, dressed in their red, white and blue pinafores, welcoming young minds to experience the exuberance of the performing arts. Since 1970, The Blue Ribbon Children’s Festival has served more than 700,000 children in Southern California. Members of The Blue Ribbon dedicate their time and resources to the event’s planning, funding and staffing. But that’s not all The Blue Ribbon does for L.A.’s downtown performing arts center. Since its founding in 1968, this women’s membership group has raised more than $71 million to support The Music Center and its resident companies. In April and May, they will lend their support to Center Theatre Group’s presentation of The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess — just one more example of their commitment to bringing exciting music, opera and dance to The Music Center.
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