Michael Colby (http://www.michaelcolby.com/) is the librettist/lyricist of such musicals as CHARLOTTE SWEET (Drama Desk Award nomination), TALES OF TINSELTOWN, NORTH ATLANTIC (Show Business Award), SLAY IT WITH MUSIC, MRS. McTHING, THEY CHOSE ME!, and LUDLOW LADD. He was chief writer for the Drama Desk Award-winning New Amsterdam Theatre Company, and has been a frequent writer for The NY Festival of Song as well as the Theatre By the Blind. Among the personalities for whom Mr. Colby has written material are: Linda Lavin, Tony Randall, Tovah Feldshuh, Savion Glover, Dina Merrill, Susan Stroman, Michael Feinstein, Jack Gilford, Andrea Marcovicci, Kristin Chenoweth, Bruce Adler, Cliff Robertson, Lainie Kazan, Jane Powell, Eric Stoltz, Julie Wilson, Alison Fraser, Mary Cleere Haran, Stephanie Pope, Donna McKechnie, & Cicely Tyson. Michael’s MEESTER AMERIKA, was acclaimed as “Best Score [of the New Jersey theatre season]” and “A superb celebration of Yiddish Theatre… Show music of the highest order,” by Peter Filichia, The Star-Ledger.
Leah Horowitz (http://www.leahhorowitz.com/) has Broadway credits including Les Miserable (Cosette), The Woman in White, Fiddler on the Roof, White Christmas, La Cage Aux Folles, and Thoroughly Modern Millie. Regional credits include Meet Me in St Louis (Rose), West Side Story (Maria), and Marry Me a Little. Leah does extensive work on jingles and has recorded demos for Barbie, Zest, Visa, NY Lotto. You might recognize her voice singing “Mm, mm, good!” on Campbell’s Soup TV spots.
Jonathan C. Kaplan (http://www.jonathanckaplan.com/) won The Theatre World Award and was nominated for a Tony® Award playing "Jason" in Falsettos. Other roles include Peter in The Diary of Anne Frank (Broadway; starring Natalie Portman & Linda Lavin), Benjamin in The Graduate (National Tour), and Mitchell in The Loman Family Picnic (Manhattan Theatre Club). Films include Loving Leah and Life with Mikey. TV appearances include Law and Order: CI, Law and Order: SVU, and As the World Turns.
Michael Lavine (www.michaellavine.net) has musically directed the Outer Critic's Circle Awards, Broadway Cares Teddy Bear Auction (as he's done the past 13 years) and the Astaire Awards earlier this year. He co-produced the American premiere recording of “Honk!” which he has musically directed twice. Michael musically directed the Comden and Green musical “Billion Dollar Baby” at the York Theatre in New York City starring Kristin Chenoweth, Marc Kudisch and Debbie Gravitte (cd available) and the Burton Lane/Alan Jay Lerner musical “Carmelina”, also at the York with Debbie Gravitte. He shared the stage with Mimi Hines and Peter Howard (his mentor) at the Kennedy Center in a Rodgers and Hart revue, “This Funny World”.
Neva Small (http://www.nevasmall.com/) has distinguished herself as a singer and actress in theaters, in concert halls across America, on film, and on television. Her signature role of Chava in the film version of “Fiddler on the Roof” remains a classic. Recently returning to the spotlight after raising a family, Neva starred with Michael Feinstein in “Michael Feinstein: Now & Then” at Carnegie Hall, released her best selling first solo CD, “Neva Small: My Place in the World”, and was a guest artist with the Walla Walla Symphony.
Neva Small’s cabaret show “Not Quite An Ingenue” is so successful it transferred to an Off-Broadway theater where it is currently being performed. Neva has appeared on television in Law & Order, Law & Order Criminal Intent, the TV movie “Hijacking of the Achille Lauro” and is an accomplished writer, producer and performer of children's educational programs.
Sara Louise Lazarus, Director
Sara Louise Lazarus is an award winning theatre and cabaret director. In New York, she directed Tovah Feldshuh's one-woman Off-Broadway show, “Tovah Out Of Her Mind,” the revival of “Babes In Arms” at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall, the world premiere of Terrence McNally's “Plaisir D'Amour,” and “Ludlow Ladd” starring Kristen Chenoweth.
At the 92nd Street Y, Sara co-wrote and directed “The 1959 Broadway Songbook” for their Lyrics and Lyricists series. She staged two Harvard Hasty Pudding Shows, and “She Loves Me” at Yale.
Ms. Lazarus is currently on the faculty of Circle In The Square Theatre School, and holds her own private classes for Broadway actors in New York City. Sara has taught workshops for Yale, the University of New Hampshire, and Penn State.
Sara may best be known to local New Jersey audiences for producing and directing “Stars Over Millburn,” a benefit for Paper Mill Playhouse, and is on the staff of Paper Mill's Summer Conservatory, where she teaches and has co-directed the New Voices concerts, “Paper Mill Goes Platinum,” and “Thoroughly Modern Musicals.”
On Broadway, Stuart created the roles of The Mayor of Whoville in “Seussical” and Goldberg in “The Wild Party” (original cast recordings as well). He was Bela Zangler in the National Tour of “Crazy for You”, Buzz Richards in the revival of “Applause” with Stefanie Powers, Mendel in “Falsettos”, the Baker in “Into the Woods” and Charlie in “Tintypes”.
Stuart Zagnit’s off-Broadway credits include Seymour in the original “Little Shop Of Horrors”, “A Dybbuk” at The Public Theatre, “Lucky Stiff”, “All In The Timing”, “The Grand Tour”, and “The Majestic Kid”. Stuart also received critical acclaim for his performance as the title character in “Kuni-Leml”.
Regional audiences have seen Stuart in “Windy City” at the Walnut St. Theatre in Philadelphia, “Breakin' Up Is Hard To Do” (the Neil Sedaka Musical) in Albany and Florida, “Enter Laughing” at Berkshire Theatre Festival, “The Sound Of Music” at Sacramento Music Circus, to name a few.
On television, Stuart has been featured on all three of the “Law & Order” programs, “All My Children”, “One Life To Live”, and can be seen in the independent feature film, “Christmas Present”.
For several years Stuart was Dentist #4 in the hilarious Trident Gum 'Four out of five dentists' commercials, and frequently lends his voice to animated cartoons and commercial tags. He lives in New York with his wife, composer and author Carolyn Sloan and son Sam.
The Forum Theatre Arts Center (http://www.forumtheatrearts.com/) is a nonprofit performing arts organization and has been the Cultural Arts Center of central New Jersey since 1928, when it was built as a theatre and vaudeville tryout house, then soon after as a neighborhood movie house. The Forum Theatre has presented hundreds of American and World Premieres with an emphasis on musical theatre, as well as numerous A-list concerts.
The Forum Theatre is located at 314 Main Street, Metuchen, NJ 08840. Phone: (732) 548- 5600
Congregation Neve Shalom, Producer
For 75 years, Congregation Neve Shalom (http://www.neveshalom.net/) has been providing religious services and Jewish Education for its Conservative Egalitarian members. Neve Shalom maintains a vibrantly active and welcoming community with educational programs, religious services and lay leadership. Neve Shalom's annual Suzy Schwartz Concert, and Book and Author Events are well-known to surrounding residents for their ability to draw well-known and famous performers, authors, and lecturers.
Congregation Neve Shalom is located at 250 Grove Ave, Metuchen, NJ 08840. Phone: (732) 548- 2238
For tickets, requests for interviews or more information about “They Changed Broadway” call (732) 548-2238 EXT. 24 or visit http://www.theychangedbroadway.blogspot.com/.
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