On Thursday June 9, 2011 at 8PM, The Town Hall (123 West 43 Street), Times Square’s landmark concert venue, will present “Easy To Love: Andrea Marcovicci and Jeff Harnar Sing Cole Porter.” Mr. Porter was born on the same day 120 years ago, in 1891.
Tickets are on sale now for $45 and $50. All tickets for The Town Hall shows are available through Ticketmaster, 800-982-2787, or www.ticketmaster.com, or by visiting The Town Hall Box Office between noon and 6PM (except Sundays) 212-840-2824.
Andrea Marcovicci and Jeff Harnar are two of the foremost interpreters of the Cole Porter songbook. Together they display an infectious chemistry during duets and a shared love for Porter’s clever, intricate rhyme schemes and unforgettable melodies. They will sketch Porter’s life from Broadway to Hollywood, conjuring a uniquely entertaining portrait of the master while offering such hits as “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “I Get A Kick Out Of You,” “Night And Day” and “Let’s Do It.” The evening will be a warm, witty and delightful tribute to America’s most sophisticated composer on his 120th birthday. Musical Directors are Shelly Markham and Alex Rybeck. Both will appear on piano, accompanied by the De-Lovely Quintet of Jered Egan (Bass), Rex Beinincasa (Drums and Percussion), Aaron Weinstein (violin) and Greg Gutzig (Guitar).
Andrea Marcovicci, “the Queen of Cabaret,” has created over thirty nightclub acts, sold out Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and the esteemed LICEU Opera House in Barcelona, and appeared at the White House. Her concert work from coast to coast includes appearances with multiple theatres, clubs and symphonies as well the Millennium celebration with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. A sampling of these performances is available on YouTube. An actress and singer, Andrea began on the daytime television series “Love Is A Many Splendored Thing.” She debuted on Broadway in “Ambassador,” the musical adaptation of the Henry James’ novel, starring Howard Keel and last appeared on Broadway in Frank D. Gilroy’s play, “Any Given Day” with Sada Thompson. She played Ophelia to Sam Waterston’s Hamlet for Joseph Papp’s Shakespeare in the Park. Regionally, she has received rave reviews for leading roles in “St. Joan,” “Burn This,” and “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” all at the American Conservatory Theater, San Francisco. Most recently, she played to sold-out houses in the title role of “Coco” at 42nd Street Moon, San Francisco, where she had previously starred as Daisy in “On A Clear Day.” In recognition of her accomplishments in the arts, Andrea has received three Lifetime Achievement Awards and two honorary degrees. www.Marcovicci.com
Jeff Harnar is an award-winning New York cabaret and recording artist who has appeared at The Algonquin Hotel’s Oak Room, Feinstein’s at The Regency, The Ballroom, Rainbow & Stars, and most recently The Metropolitan Room.
He appeared in both the Cole Porter and Noel Coward Centennial Galas at Carnegie Hall, a solo concert at Weill Recital Hall and as Michael Feinstein’s special guest in his Jule Styne tribute at Zankel Hall. Harnar has produced and hosted three seasons of “The American Songbook in London” at The Jermyn Street Theatre and at Pizza on The Park, which was called “A hugely rewarding series” in The Times London.
He tours nationally with Shauna Hicks in their symphony “pops” concert, “I Got Rhythm: Mickey & Judy’s Hollywood,” which was recorded live at Town Hall. He has performed four seasons at The Colony Hotel’s Royal Room in Palm Beach. A personal career highlight was opening for The McGuire Sisters on their reunion tour. Harnar’s television appearances include “The 1959 Broadway Songbook”(PBS), “Remember: Songs of the Holidays” with KT Sullivan (PBS), and as the singing host of “Gershwin on Ice” starring Dorothy Hamill (A&E). His solo recordings are “The 1959 Broadway Songbook,” “Because of You: Fifties Gold,” “Sammy Cahn All The Way,” and “Dancing in The Dark” (PS Classics). Harnar has won three MAC Awards and four Back Stage Bistro Awards. His website is www.jeffharnar.com.
ABOUT TOWN HALL
Now celebrating its 90th Anniversary Season, The Town Hall (www.the-townhall-nyc.org) was built in 1921 by a group of suffragettes and began as a lecture hall and public forum for debates where “American Town Meetings on The Air was broadcast live for 25 years. Over the decades, the stage has been graced by Eleanor Roosevelt, Carl Sandberg, Margaret Sanger, Billie Holiday, Igor Stravinsky, Bob Dylan and Miles Davis. Today the hall flourishes as a popular, affordable venue, boasting the hottest acts in rock, pop, folk, cabaret, world music, comedy and dance, including Billy Joel, Blondie, Elvis Costello, Natalie Merchant, Graham Nash, Liza Minnelli, Cyndi Lauper, Norah Jones, Andre Watts, Henry Rollins, Joe Jackson, Pink Martini, Regina Spector, Brian Adams, Aimee Mann, Robin Williams, Dawn Upshaw, Woody Allen, Alec Baldwin, Al Gore, Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Mercer, Jay Leno, Dave Matthews, Vanessa Williams, and Ben Folds. For over a decade, The Town Hall has hosted live broadcasts of Garrison Keillor’s “Prairie Home Companion.” In its annual show, “Rising Stars,” The Town Hall gives recent graduates from the nation’s leading performing arts schools a chance to showcase their talents and perform on the legendary stage. Over the past two-and-a-half decades, The Town Hall has produced the Feature Film Seminar Series and a number of new and critically acclaimed musical series, which include The Century of Change, Not Just Jazz, Broadway By The Year, The Broadway Cabaret Festival and The Summer Broadway Festival.
