Ordway

Executive Producers: David and Mary Choate

This new series brings fresh insight, energy and joy to the songs you love, making every show a warm, humorous and moving portrait of musical theater legends. Conceived and directed by the Ordway’s Vice President of Theatrical Programming and Producing Artistic Director, James A. Rocco, each Broadway Songbook program features a dynamic mix of composer life stories, discussion of what made their work so extraordinary, and performances by an ensemble of renowned artists from the Twin Cities musical theater, jazz and cabaret scenes.

Johnny Mercer is a “great” among “greats.”  In his lifetime, Johnny Mercer wrote more than 1,000 songs.  (Pretty good for a man who never intended to be a songwriter!)

In 1930 when he was fired from a singing job, he heard they were looking for a lyricist and his career began.  Over the next 45 years, he became the world’s most versatile and prolific songwriter. Singers love Johnny Mercer’s lyrics because the words always fall perfectly with the melody.  Mercer learned his craft well and became a poet…a spinner of dreams whose songs are so popular that to this day, they are still among the most requested songs of all time.

His hits include; Moon River, Goody Goody, I’m An Old Cowhand, Jeepers Creepers, Blues in The Night, That Old Black Magic, Come Rain Or Come Shine, The Days of Wine and Roses, Dream and the list goes on.

Join us as we celebrate not only the Broadway Songbook but the greatest hits of Johnny Mercer.

Performers:
Joel Liestman
Jennifer Grimm
Tonia Hughes
Julius Collins
Kersten Rodau
Cameron Wright
Raymond Berg – music director