NY Pops Celebrate Alan Menken at 35th Birthday Gala

Five more artists will join the star-studded line-up for the New York Pops’ 35th Birthday Gala, “Part of His World: The Songs of Alan Menken” at Carnegie Hall.

Kerry Butler (currently of Mean Girls, recently of Disaster!) and a set of Muses from Disney’s Hercules — Cheryl Freeman (The Civil War), Roz Ryan (Scandalous), Vaneese Thomas, and Lillias White (The Getdown) — will add their voices to this very special one-night-only concert, which will be celebrate the musical career of eight-time Oscar winner, 11-time Grammy winner and Tony Award winner Alan Menken.

Previously announced performers include many alums of Menken’s beloved work. Some of the stars of stage and screen who’ll be appearing that evening will be Michael Arden, Roger Bart, Jodi Benson, Ashley Brown, Nick Cordero, Susan Egan, Harvey Fierstein, James Monroe Iglehart, Adam Jacobs, Judy Kuhn, and Patina Miller.

Menken, who was born in New York City in 1949, is perhaps most widely known for his musical scores for Walt Disney Animation Studios films. After graduating from NYU with a Musicology degree, he saw his first major career success when he wrote the music for Little Shop of Horrors, collaborating with LGBTQ community member, playwright and lyricist Howard Ashman. The powerhouse duo continued writing and producing music for animated Disney films such as Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid until Ashman’s death in 1991.

Today, Menken continues to see success with Broadway adaptations of some of his biggest Disney hits, including The Little Mermaid (which opened in 2007 and has gone on to tour the globe), the still-running Aladdin, and the forthcoming stage version of Hercules. He also composed music for the currently running A Bronx Tale: The Musical and broke a record when he became the first songwriter in 13 years to have three new Broadway shows running simultaneously (Sister Act, Newsies: The Musical,, and Leap of Faith).

The 35th Birthday Gala is scheduled to take place on Monday, April 30, at 7pm in in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall. For tickets and more information about “Part of His World” visit newyorkpops.org.

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