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On Monday, October 17, The Workshop Theater Company honored Sheldon Harnick with the Jewel Box Award at their 3rd annual unGala at The Lindeman in Hell’s Kitchen (at the Out Hotel). “The Sheldon Show,” featured performances by, Robert Cuccioli, Tovah Feldshuh, Sally Mayes and Michael McCormick and includde Mr. Harnick’s most memorable and entertaining songs. Among the bold faced names expected to attend were actress, Judy Blazer, Scott Ellis, Brad Oscar, Zach Grenier and writer, David Thompson. Live music was provided by the Greg Bufford Jazz Quartet. Theater Pizzazz’s JK Clarke was on hand to photograph the pre-show cocktail reception (see photo gallery below).
Sheldon Harnick, the 2016 recipient of the Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement, the Drama League Award for Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theatre and a Special Lifetime Achievement Award from The Outer Critics Circle, began his career in the 1950’s with songs in revues both on and off Broadway. With Jerry Bock he created a number of memorable musicals including Fiorello!, She Loves Me and Fiddler on the Roof, The Apple Tree, The Rothschilds, among others . Other collaborations include: Rex with Richard Rodgers, A Wonderful Life with Joe Raposo, A Christmas Carol with Michel Legrand, Smiling the Boy Fell Dead with David Baker and The Phantom Tollbooth with Arnold Black and Norton Juster. He has written two musicals himself: Dragons and Malpractice Makes Perfect.   The Angel recording of The Merry Widow, using Mr. Harnick’s translation, won the Grammy Award as Best New Opera recording of 1989/79.  And along with Jerry Bock he was presented with The Johnny Mercer Award by the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

 

The Workshop Theater, now 24 years old, is devoted to the rigorous development and production of new American plays and musicals that transport, challenge and surprise both artists and audiences. Notable successes include “The Man who was Peter Pan” by Allan Knee (debuted at WorkShop in 2004, the basis for the Academy Award nominated film “Finding Neverland” and last season’s Broadway musical of the same name) and “The Navigator” by Eddie Antar (debuted at WorkShop in 2012; recipient of two Drama Desk nominations). Now under the direction of Thomas Coté (Artistic Director), the company maintains a full schedule of writers’ nights, readings series and two-week productions of plays-in-progress. It will present three subsequent mainstage productions this season: “The Astonishing Times of Timothy Cratchit” book by Allan Knee, and music and lyrics by Andre Catrini (December 1 to 18, 2016) “Through the Darkness” by Alan Breindel (March 9 to April 1, 2017), and Composure by Scott C. Sickles (April 27 to May 20).