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Broadway Legend Thomas Z. Shepard to Lecture in Wantagh
America has given the world many new forms of music, from ragtime and jazz to the blues and country, but arguably the most American of all is the Broadway musical. From George M. Cohan to Lin-Manuel Miranda, the rhythm of Broadway has been the heartbeat of America. And on Saturday, February 1, Broadway legend Thomas Z. Shepard will bring his unique perspective on that rhythm to the Wantagh Public Library.
America’s pre-eminent producer of Broadway cast albums, Shepard is the winner of 12 Grammy Awards. He’s a gifted composer, pianist, orchestrator and even forensic musicologist, but his most enduring legacy is etched in the grooves of hundreds of records. If you’ve ever listened to the recorded versions of Ain’t Misbehavin’, Crazy for You, Dames at Sea, 42nd Street, George M.!, Jelly’s Last Jam, Kiss of the Spider Woman, La Cage aux Folles, Me and My Girl, The Secret Garden, 1776, Victor/Victoria or Zorba, you’ve heard the work of Thomas Z. Shepard. His long relationship with Stephen Sondheim has produced iconic recordings of such shows as Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Marry Me a Little, Merrily We Roll Along, Pacific Overtures, Side by Side by Sondheim, Sunday in the Park with George and Sweeney Todd.
Now he’s offering Broadway fans a true insider’s view through his brand-new lecture program, Recording Broadway: An Afternoon with Thomas Z. Shepard. Appearing live and in person, Shepard will talk about the historic shows he’s worked on and the memorable personalities with whom he’s worked, including stars such as Julie Andrews, Sarah Brightman, Yul Brynner, Betty Buckley, Barbara Cook, Joel Grey, Danny Kaye, Angela Lansbury, Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters, Anthony Quinn, Debbie Reynolds, Barbra Streisand and more, as well as legendary Broadway creators such as Harold Arlen, Leonard Bernstein, Fred Ebb, Jerry Herman, Sheldon Harnick, John Kander, Richard Rodgers and, of course, Stephen Sondheim.
“One of the great things about living in New York is that we can hop on a train and see a Broadway show whenever we want to,” said Gayden Wren, the Long Island theater veteran who has worked with Shepard to develop the program. “Most Americans live outside commuting range of New York, though, and to them Broadway is embodied in original-cast albums—and, above all, the records of Thomas Z. Shepard, who has brought three generations of Broadway cast albums to America’s ears. In Recording Broadway Tom offers an inside look at the world of the original-cast album, revealing tricks of his trade and sharing compelling, often hilarious behind-the-scenes anecdotes of some of the greatest artists of the American theater. Tom spans the gamut from the Broadway of Irving Berlin to the Broadway of Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Recording Broadway allows fans to hear Broadway the way Tom does.
“This program is a must for any theater-lover,” Wren concluded. “If you love Broadway, this is a chance to hear its greatest music with fresh ears.”
Recording Broadway: An Afternoon with Thomas Z. Shepard will be presented on Saturday, February 1, at 2 p.m. at the Wantagh Public Library, 3285 Park Avenue in Wantagh. Admission is free. For further information, call (516) 221-1200 or visit www.wantaghlibrary.org.
