A Very Busy Week - Night One

I have a really busy week ahead, with Broadway, readings, concerts, and Jeremy Irons all over the place.  I also need to head up to Lincoln Center to exchange my first ballet ticket of the season (ballet season starts next week, WAHOOOO!), but that's another story.  I don't know why everything needs to converge into the next few weeks, but my goodness, I'm going to be busy for the foreseeable future.  Last night got me off to a fantastic start.

I went with a young work chum to the latest installment of the 92 Street Y's Lyrics and Lyricists programs - if you've read my blog before, you already know that I am the hugest fan of Lynn Ahrens, lyricist extraordinaire.  Well, also of Lynn Ahrens, human being extraordinare, but her lyric-writing was what was being feted last night.  I've been looking forward to this evening for a long time and it did not disappoint in the least.  In fact, it exceeded my very high expectations by leaps and bounds!

For some reason, I didn't realize that Lynn would be on stage for most of the show, narrating her life in lyrics, as it were.  She offered anecdotes about her career, craft tips for writing lyrics, and very personal stories about her highs and lows in the business.  She was fantastic, as always.  She's charming and delightful, funny and authentic, and oh so smart.  I just loved spending so much time with her onstage.  The cast of the show was equally terrific - each performer got to shine in solos and group numbers and they were all simply glorious.

photo credit: Stephen Sorokoff

All of Lynn's shows with Stephen Flaherty are deeply human stories filled with empathy and understanding.  Even hearing songs out-of-context was a moving experience - one of my very favorite theater songs is "Larger Than Life" from My Favorite Year, it never fails to move me.  The yearning, so perfectly executed in words and music, is just palpable.  Add to the wonder of that song a stellar performance (by Brandon Uranowitz) and you have a showstopper.  But, really, most of the songs were showstoppers, even the snippets of Lynn's wonderful pieces from Schoolhouse Rock.  That little tv program taught me so much - I remember, as a kid, watching cartoons on Saturday mornings and praying it was a Schoolhouse Rock day (they didn't air every week, at first).  The joy I felt, and still feel, when I hear those songs is absolutely transporting.

I loved the section where Lynn presented first drafts of songs and hearing the evolution of lyrics and even the recycling of a tune from one show to another was so great.  Really, everything was great.  The Ragtime medley - sublime.  The Seussical section - heartbreaking.  And Lynn's lead-in into "Man in the Mirror" from A Man of No Importance was so beautifully done; I've seen the show several times and I heard the song in a whole new way.  If I was a tad disappointed that Dessa Rose was under-represented, oh well.  When you've written so many glorious shows (and songs), I guess you can't include them all!  Oh, and I don't want to forget to mention that Jason Danieley, one of my very favorite performers, directed the evening with grace and smarts.  And as a special treat, Stephen Flaherty came onstage to accompany Nikki Renee Daniels on "Back to Before" from Ragtime.  Magical.  It was just a fantastic night all around, even if my seat neighbor had no idea who Lynn Ahrens is.  After I got done telling her about how wonderfully talented (and just plain wonderful) Lynn is, and then after she heard all those amazing songs, that woman is now one of Lynn's biggest fans.  As well she should be.  She can get in line behind the rest of us.