The acclaimed series will kick off Sept. 26 with The Music of Alan Menken. Menken's numerous stage compositions include Little Shop of Horrors; Beauty and the Beast; A Christmas Carol; King David; God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater; Real Life Funnies; The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz; Weird Romance and Der Glockner von Notre Dame. His film credits include "The Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast," "Aladdin," "Newsies," "Pocahontas," "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," "Hercules" and "Home on the Range."
A concert version of William Finn's Romance in Hard Times will be presented Oct. 31. Finn, who is currently represented on stage this season with The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, is also the composer of Falsettos, A New Brain and Elegies: A Song Cycle. Romance in Hard Times was originally mounted in 1989 at the Public Theater.
The fall "Broadway Close Up" season will conclude Nov. 28 with Bound for Broadway VI, an evening of songs from and interviews with the writers of developing shows.
All concerts will be held at the Merkin Concert Hall, 129 West 67th Street. Visit www.kaufman-center.org for more information.
* The current "Broadway Close Up" series continues May 2 with Ensembles in the Spotlight. Hosted by Forbidden Broadway creator Gerard Alessandrini, the concert will focus on Broadway's show-stopping trios, quartets and other ensembles. Audiences can expect to hear tunes from West Side Story, Les Misérables and Dear World. The concert season ends June 6 with Bound for Broadway V. Miss Saigon and Cats star Liz Callaway will be the concert's host.
