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To Lenny, with Love: A CELEBRATION OF LEONARD BERNSTEIN
Tucson: Sunday ,
January 24,
2010 @ 3p.m. - Scottsdale: Friday,
January 22, 2010 @ 8p.m.
world premiere
a
brief description
"People often say that Leonard Bernstein
was a born teacher, but actually it's more accurate to say that he was
a born student who just couldn't wait to share what he learned. In his
whole life, he never stopped studying.” - Jamie Bernstein (his daughter)
"To achieve great things, two things are
needed; a plan, and not quite enough time." Leonard Bernstein
 Burton Bernstein, Lennyís brother, stated
that: Teaching people ñ was his favorite occupation,
really. Descended from rabbis, he was a rabbi at heart, a master
teacher. Just listening to Lenny was an education. (I know this better
than because I was taught by Lenny from just about my first day on this
earth.) There was nothing he'd rather do than stimulate new thoughts
for, especially, young minds.
For nearly fifty years Leonard Bernstein taught the world what it meant
to be an American musician. Leonard Bernstein was the complete musician
ñ composer, pianist, conductor, educator ñ and he crammed
more work into that ënot quite enough timeí allotted him
here on earth.
TO LENNY, WITH LOVE, a world premiere theatrical portrait, is an
actorís dream ñ a tour-de-force consisting of half a
dozen vignettes of significant persons in his life or person he had
influenced greatly; a kaleidoscopic view of this man for all
seasons. Written especially for Bob Clendenin, Bob will portray
Sam Bernstein (Leonardís father), David Diamond
(composer/colleague),
a young conducting aspirant at Juilliard, two critics (one adores
Lenny, one does not!), a violist in the Vienna Philharmonic (the
orchestra Bernstein claimed to be the greatest), and a couple of cameo
surprises.
Coupled with the theatricality will be the compelling music of
Bernstein exploring his range of styles from West Side Story to serious
art song.
About the
music
 Most of the music is by Leonard Bernstein,
including a montage of tunes arranged for piano, cello, bass and drums
by Dave Shephard.
You will some of his classical compositions as well as some
of the beloved tunes he wrote with additions of music by
friends and mentors.
Here is a link for Lenny's thoughts on Beethoven from one of the famous
Harvard Lectures (click
here).
A neat
link to recent articles on Leonard Bzernstein.
Performers
 Bob
emigrated to Australia with his parents in the early 70's but returned
to the United States to attend Cornell University where he barely
earned a B.Sc. in Engineering in 1986. Knowing the world would be safer
if he was not designing bridges, Bob went on to Penn State where he
received an MFA in acting. After several years in regional theatre he
came to Los Angeles in 1992.
The fish didn't bite immediately and Bob survived with one job teaching
an SAT prep class and another job that involved wearing a hairnet. This
went on far too long, but after a long series of demeaning auditions
for horrible projects, Bob booked a demeaning role in a horrible
project and his career was off and running. Since then he has done over
seventy TV guest appearances, a dozen studio films, and numerous
commercials. Being a character actor often leads to interesting
character names. Bob's favorites: Slow Roger, Mr. Giggles, Plumber
Dave, Louis the Stalker, Doofus, and most recently Bob the Demon."
Bob is proud of many things. He's proud of his flourishing vegetable
garden, he's proud of his portrayal of the semi-retarded shop teacher
on "Hangin' With Mr. Cooper", and he is most proud to be a co-founder
of Circle X Theatre Company. Although they don't let him act much
anymore, he still sits on their Board of Directors and plays 1st Base
for their championship softball team.
He lives in Burbank with his wife, two sons, and a pug named "Helmut".
Joining Bob Clendenin are pianist Sanda Schuldmann, bassist Scott Black
and drummer Pete Swan
Directing the production is Troy Hollar.
Troy began his working career as a stage director and producer in New
York. In nearly a decade, he directed or produced more than 60 plays
and live events. He managed theaters including Workhouse, the
award-winning Soho Rep, and Malaparte, where he produced new plays with
Artistic Director Ethan Hawke. Troy remains active in the entertainment
industry, continuing to produce live events and, as as a partner in H2C
Films, film and digital video content. He serves on the board of
directors of the Vail Film Festival.
In 2008, Troy founded Rights Forward, an initiative that is using the
60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a
catalyst for global engagement in learning, observing, and enforcing
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and its related treaties and
conventions. Rights Forward brings together human rights organizations
and concerned and passionate global citizens on a unified web platform
to promote basic human rights and freedoms through education and
advocacy.
A native Michigander, Troy holds a B.A. in history from the University
of Michigan, and remains a devoted fan of Sleeping Bear Dunes, the
Detroit Tigers, The Lake Effect, and the Nick Adams stories. He lives
in Brooklyn, NY, and Tucson, AZ, with his wife, Katherine Pew, a writer
and yoga instructor, and their children, Everett and Greta.
Performance
details:
Details
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Tucson
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Scottsdale
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Show Time:
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3:00 p.m.
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8:00p.m.
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Venue:
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Berger
Performing Arts Center,
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Kerr Cultural
Center
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Address (click address for map)
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Subscriptions
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$120, mini 4 shows-$108, 3 shows-$90
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Reserved all 3 shows-$75 / General- $60
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Individual Tickets
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$35 with discounts to subscribers
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$30, $20
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Order Tickets
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phone:520.400.5439; on line click here
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phone: 480.596.2660;
on line click here
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Chamber Music PLUS SW appreciates
your consideration for support. Tickets and grants cover 80% of our
budget.
Your support is much appreciated. Thank You
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