JAMES WILLIAM PRODUCTIONS and STEPHENIE SKYLLAS
present Broadway Veteran Kurt Peterson in
PROUD LADIES
A NYC Concert Premiere, October 10 at 7 pm
Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center
James William Productions and Stephenie Skyllas present Broadway veteran Kurt Peterson (Dear World, Follies) in the NYC concert debut of Proud Ladies at Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center (129 W. 67th St.) on Monday, October 10 at 7:00pm.
Proud Ladies is directed by Lisa Asher, with Music Direction by Ian Herman, Musical Staging by Joshua Bergasse, and Projection Design by Jason Lee Courson. Ian Herman is on piano with Peter Sachon (cello), Ray Kilday (bass), and Ray Marchica (drums).
Tickets are $60, $90. Student tickets $45. Merkin Hall box office 212-501-3330, www.kaufmanmusiccenter.org/mch/event/kurt-peterson-in-proud-ladies/
Proud Ladies is Kurt’s musical memoir in which he shares his journey navigating the world as a young man, arriving in New York wide-eyed and naïve, maturing and learning life lessons from 23 of the most exciting ladies of the American theater.
His “ladies” include: Laura Benanti, Betty Buckley, Dorothy Collins, Yvonne de Carlo, Carole Demas, Patricia Elliott, Katharine Hepburn, Cady Huffman, Angela Lansbury, Rebecca Luker, Patti LuPone, Victoria Mallory, Donna McKechnie, Ethel Merman, Dina Merrill, Bernadette Peters, Faith Prince, Kelli O’Hara, Paige O’Hara, Ethel Shutta, Alexis Smith, Elaine Stritch, and Nancy Walker.
While Kurt is the only physical actor in this show, the 23 proud ladies loom large and act along with him through the use of multi-media depictions. This artful use of images—some never-before seen—bring these dynamic women to life. In this unique tale of history and hope, the audience feels their presence and the impact that these women had in shaping this man’s view of the world, and himself.
KURT PETERSON began his Broadway career when Leonard Bernstein and Richard Rodgers chose him to play Tony in the revival of West Side Story at Lincoln Center. He then starred opposite Angela Lansbury in Dear World and created the role of Young Ben in Stephen Sondheim’s Follies. Off-Broadway, Kurt starred in Dames at Sea, By Bernstein, and Alias Jimmy Valentine, and appeared in the Town Hall productions of Knickerbocker Holiday, Music in the Air, and I Married an Angel. Kurt sang “Proud Lady” to Patti LuPone when he starred opposite her in the Broadway-bound The Baker’s Wife. He also starred in the highly acclaimed Canadian premiere of Company and Rob Marshall’s production of Side By Side By Sondheim.
Kurt was featured in the 75th birthday celebrations Wall to Wall Sondheim and Children & Art honoring Stephen Sondheim, and has performed as a leading man in many productions and concerts around the country (including the one-of-a-kind Follies concert in Michigan, where the four original youngsters played their older counterparts) and in Europe. His most recent New York stage appearance was with his long time co-star Victoria Mallory in When Everything Was Possible, their acclaimed “Concert (with comments)” which debuted at New York’s City Center on April 29, 2012.
Kurt and his company, James William Productions (JWP), produced the acclaimed Sondheim—A Musical Tribute, the first celebration of the composer/lyricist; helped launch the New York and London productions of Angela Lansbury’s Gypsy; produced the live tours of WPIX-TV’s classic children’s show “The Magic Garden”; and the National Tour of Rob Marshall’s innovative Side By Side By Sondheim.
Recent projects include co-producing the New York productions and National Tour of the Stephen Schwartz family musical Captain Louie; the Off-Broadway production of the play Capture Now, directed by Larry Moss; and the BC/EFA benefit Alone At Last, featuring the music of Ian Herman. JWP is currently represented by the Helen Hayes and Drama Desk Award winning play Zero Hour, about theater legend Zero Mostel, recently remounted in New York, the live recording of When Everything Was Possible, Proud Ladies, and the new musical Dancing on the Moon (2023). Kurt is the owner of New York City’s The Voice Studio, home to many of Broadway’s greatest teachers and performers.
Lisa Asher (Director), the award-winning vocalist, has appeared in numerous theatrical, cabaret, and concert venues around the country. Ms. Asher is the recipient of a New York Nightlife Award, a Backstage Bistro Award, and a MAC (Manhattan Association of Cabarets) Award for her one-woman shows. In addition to performing, Ms. Asher has been directing and coaching for over 15 years. Working with talent from various fields including musicians, comics, actors, and vocalists, many of her clients are award-winning performers themselves. She has directed fully staged, choreographed two-act events, as well as one-person off-Broadway shows, and her focus is always on the storytelling needed for each endeavor.
Ian Herman (Music Director) began his musical career studying classical piano. At the age of thirteen he was a guest soloist with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. After attending Manhattan School of Music, Ian began working with performers including Jane Olivor, Donna McKechnie, Anita Morris, Judy Kaye, Karen Mason, Sharon McNight, Carole Demas, and Joy Behar in nightclubs in New York and around the country. In 1999 he received the Backstage Bistro Award for best Musical Director. His other Broadway credits include Jelly’s Last Jam, The Who’s Tommy, Song and Dance, and Swing, for which he wrote vocal and dance arrangements, and Laughing Room Only with Jackie Mason. Ian recently performed a solo concert of his original music at the Zipper Factory Theater in New York. He was also conductor for The Toxic Avenger at New World Stages. Recently he performed a concert with guitarist Sean Harkness, celebrating their new CD of all original compositions titled “Images.”
Joshua Bergasse (Musical Staging) is a NYC-based director/choreographer for stage and film. He is the Emmy Award-winning choreographer for NBC’s musical drama Smash and received a Tony nomination as well as the Astaire Award for his choreography of the Broadway revival, On the Town. He also choreographed the Broadway musical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory produced by Warner Bros, as well as the revival of Gigi on Broadway. Josh directed and choreographed the New York premiere of the re-imagined production of Smokey Joe’s Cafe. He also choreographed Sweet Charity starring Sutton Foster, winning the prestigious Chita Rivera Award for excellence in choreography. For Encores! at New York City Center Josh directed and choreographed I Married an Angel starring his wife, NYCB Principal Sara Mearns. Additional Encores! include The Golden Apple; Little Me; Annie Get Your Gun; and …Superman. Other credits include the Off-Broadway productions of Bomb-itty of Errors and Cagney; multiple episodes of Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance; Marvels Hawkeye for Disney+; Jessica Jones for Netflix; Monsterland for Hulu; A Capitol Fourth and Sinatra: Voice for A Century for PBS. Most recently Josh produced, directed and co-choreographed The Kennedy Center 50th Anniversary Celebration for PBS as well as directed/choreographed the new musical A Crossing at Barrington Stage Company.
Jason Lee Courson (Projection Design) Broadway: Ruben and Clay’s Christmas Show (Projection Design, Imperial), SiX (Video Media Consultant, Brooks Atkinson) Off-Broadway: NEWSical (Scenic Design, The 47th St. Theater), Amerike The Golden Land (Scenic/Projection Design, National Yiddish Theatre Folksbeine). Regional: Gotta Dance (Projection Design, Broadway in Chicago), Half Time (Projection Design, Paper Mill Playhouse), Murder…Orient Express (Projection Designer, Ogunquit Playhouse), ELF! The Musical (Projection Designer, Ogunquit Playhouse), ELF! (Projection Designer, Gateway Playhouse), Projection/scenic design for multiple seasons PEACH STATE SUMMER THEATRE (PSST!) . MESS: The Series (Director/Producer). Jason pursued undergraduate studies at Valdosta State University, (GA). He holds an MFA in Scenic/Costume Design from the Design/Technology Conservatory Program, Purchase College (NY).
Stephenie Skyllas (Co-Producer & General Manager) and her company, Over~Sky Productions, foster, produce and manage various theatrical and performing arts projects. Stephenie and Kurt have been working together for over a decade, and in addition to Proud Ladies, are currently working on the new musical Dancing on the Moon (2023). Their partnership led Stephenie to co-produce and manage her first album: the live recording of When Everything Was Possible, a “concert with comments” that debuted at New York City Center. Other credits include producing and managing Rubble by four-time Emmy Award-Winning “The Simpsons” writer Mike Reiss, starring Bruce Vilanch and Jerry Adler; When Everything Was Possible starring Kurt Peterson & Victoria Mallory; general management of Fiorello, Superman, and On Your Toes at Encores!; producing Onward & Upward and The Chalkboard Trilogy for UP Theater Company; and the Off-Broadway Commercial run of Tales from the Tunnel starring Tony Award Winner Wilson Jermaine Heredia. Stephenie spent five seasons at New York City Center as General Manager that included fifteen Encores!, three Encores! Summer Stars (Gypsy with Patti LuPone, Damn Yankees with Sean Hayes & Jane Krakowski, The Wiz with Ashanti), A Gala Evening with Kristin Chenoweth, and the Sondheim 80th Birthday Gala. Stephenie is on the Board of UP Theater Company and a member of Joyful Voices at FWCC.
