Center for the Arts to Present Neil Berg's "100 Years of Broadway"

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Center for the Arts at the University at Buffalo will present "100 Years of Broadway" at 8 p.m. on March 24 in the Mainstage Theatre in the Center for the Arts on the UB North (Amherst) Campus.

Neil Berg's widely acclaimed "100 Years of Broadway," a musical revue of Broadway's most celebrated shows, features a dazzling cast of five Broadway stars accompanied by an all-star New York band.

"100 Years of Broadway" recreates the biggest moments from the biggest shows of the century, featuring the actual stars of shows such as "The Phantom of the Opera," "Les Miserables," "CATS," "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Jekyll & Hyde." These amazing performers light up the stage with songs from the hit shows in which they starred, as well as other notable Broadway shows. Berg presents brilliantly revived arrangements of Broadway classics, as well as fantastic numbers from Broadway's newest hit shows.

Past productions of this popular show have featured Bernadette Peters, Betty Buckley, Liz Callaway, Ben Vereen and Alex Santoriello among others. Along with musical director and pianist Neil Berg, this production will feature Rob Evan (Jekyll & Hyde, "Jekyll & Hyde"), Mandy Gonzalez (Amneris, "AIDA"), Rita Harvey (Christine, "The Phantom of the Opera"), William Michals (The Beast, "Beauty and the Beast") and Danny Zolli (Jesus, "Jesus Christ Superstar").

Berg is the composer/lyricist of the hit off-Broadway musical "The Prince and the Pauper," which ran for two years at the Lamb's Theater in New York City. The New York Times described it as "...soaring on the wings of theatrical fun."

Two of Berg's new musicals have been selected for the prestigious New York Musical Theater Festival: "The Man Who Would Be King," a musical realization of Rudyard Kipling's novella, and "Tim and Scrooge," the sequel to "A Christmas Carol." Berg is widely sought to write family musicals. His latest family musicals, "Fiona: The Mother Goose Musical" and "Threads" recently played to sold-out houses at the Helen Hayes Theater in Nyack, N.Y. Works in development include "Temptation" with collaborators Michael Leeds and three-time Emmy-nominated songwriter John Forster. He also currently is writing the new musical "Twelve," a rock musical about the Apostles.

Tickets for 100 Years of Broadway are $35, $27, and students $24. Tickets are available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday in the Center for the Arts Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations, including Kaufmann's. To charge tickets, call 852-5000; in Canada, call 1-416-870-8000. For group sales, call 645-6771. For more information, call 645-ARTS. The Center for the Arts is a Ticketfast location. Students (of any school) must present valid student ID at the Center Box Office to receive discount.