The York Theatre’s 2025 Spring Gala Blooms

By Ron Fassler . . .  

The York Theatre, founded in 1969 by Janet Hayes Walker, has rightly earned its place as an integral part of the city landscape from which it draws its name. Walker, who passed away nearly thirty years ago, was primarily a musical theatre actress and had the pedigree of being part of the ensemble in the original casts of such legendary shows as Damn Yankees, Plain and Fancy, The Golden Apple, The Music Man, Camelot, and Anyone Can Whistle. She honored that legacy with her twenty-eight-year stewardship at the York presenting shows that she felt deserved second chances, including three of those in which she appeared: Plain and Fancy, The Golden Apple, and Anyone Can Whistle. But Walker was also keen on giving new musicals the spotlight, and thus the York has the unique distinction of being a producing entity that honors both the past and the future. Nearly a thousand productions have been on the York stages in its three locations over the past 56 years, and their annual spring affair at its current home at the Theatre at St. Jean’s Church was as good a time as any for both reflection and, as always, firmly fixed on what’s next.

Those attending the gala were treated to the 80-minute “All Singing, All Dancing, All York,” directed by Mark Waldrop. Not only did it feature star turns from such performers as Christine Pedi, Jelani Remy, Tony Yazbeck, and Karen Ziemba, but the choreographic brilliance of the ensemble members of The American Dance Machine. From their vast repertoire, six numbers left the audience pleading for more:  “The Music and the Mirror” (A Chorus Line), “America” (West Side Story), “Dear Quincy,” an original piece featuring Quincy Jones’s famous “Soul Bossa Nova” (remembered prominently now as the Austin Powers theme), “Get Me to the Church on Time” (My Fair Lady), “The Manson Trio” (Pippin), and “We’ll Take a Glass Together (Grand Hotel). For the latter, Tony Yazbeck joined the troupe singing and dancing the role of the Baron, while Jess Leprotto took on Kringelein, forever etched in memory by its originator, the late Michael Jeter (though Leprotto did great). Jessica Lee Goldwyn sang and danced a glorious Cassie and deserved and collected a sustained ovation at the end of “Music and the Mirror.”

Honored at the gala were married couple Tom and Michael D’Angora—producers, restauranteurs, and generous benefactors and supporters of the arts—who bubbled with enthusiasm during their charming speeches. Joseph Hayward, the Interim Producing Artistic Director at the York, served as a Master of Ceremonies, and in a chat that I had with him at the afterparty, made a strong case for why the York is such an important New York institution. His sentiments were echoed by Jim Kierstead, President of the Board of Directors, who shared with me some of the soon-to-be-announced shows and plans for expanding the York’s reach (get ready West Siders). 

At the end of “All Singing, All Dancing, All York,” “Ben Vereen was the final performer. The seventy-eight-year-old song and dance man entered with the support of a cane and sat on a stool, drawing us into his confidence with a poignant version of “Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries” (something he performed it in the musical revue Fosse almost twenty-five years ago). Though hoarse, and unnecessarily apologizing for it, Vereen’s one-of-a-kind delivery—intensely hopeful in these troubled times—made it striking. 

The whole event was an evening of smiles from start to finish and additional credit should go to producer Riki Kane Larimer, musical director Eugene Gwozdz and a wonderful band, as well as the slew of stagers who helmed the dance numbers, among them such boldface names as Donna McKechnie and Robert LaFosse.  

Currently, the York is presenting a staged reading of a new musical, Who Is Jimmy Pants?, which runs through Sunday March 30 and the upcoming According to Howard, a musical about Howard Hughes, April 5-13. For further information on everything to do with the York, including how to contribute to this essential non-profit, please visit: https://yorktheatre.org.

Photos by Carol Rosegg.

Headline photo: Jess Leprotto, Tony Yazbeck and members of American Dance Machine.