The two performers join the previously announced Rebecca Luker and David Garrison, who will also interpret the works of the late lyricist in The Wit and Wisdom of Ira Gershwin. Conceived by artistic director Rob Fisher, the concerts are part of the 92nd Street Y's famed "Lyrics & Lyricists" series. Fiddler on the Roof's Sheldon Harnick will host the performances, which feature Fisher and Chris Fenwick on piano. The June 12 and 13 concerts will be held at 8 PM, the June 14 performances at 2 and 8 PM.
The concerts will include the songs Ira Gershwin wrote with his brother George as well as his subsequent collaborations with Burton Lane and Kurt Weill. In a statement, artistic director Fisher said, "There’s a certain joie de vivre in Ira’s work with George, which comes partly from George’s music. They were a perfect team for the 20 years they worked together, and although he never found an equally perfect partner, he continued to grow and develop as a lyricist. I’m interested in how he was a different lyricist with different composers, and in how the music changed his approach to words."
Darius de Haas has appeared on Broadway in Marie Christine, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Carousel, Rent and The Gershwins' Fascinating Rhythm. He created the title role in Running Man for which he received an Obie Award, and his other theatrical credits include The Bacchae, Saturn Returns, Children of Eden, Once On This Island and I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky.
Ivy Austin appeared on Broadway in the short-lived musical Raggedy Ann. Her other theatrical credits include productions of South Pacific, Candide and Sweeney Todd. She made her Carnegie Hall debut in "Ira Gershwin—The Art of the Lyricist" and appeared at Town Hall in Sweet Adeline and Love & Hard Times. Her film credits include "High Strung" and "Grease 2." Austin is also a producer of musical events.
The 92nd Street Y is located in Manhattan at 92nd Street and Lexington Avenue. Tickets, priced at $45, are available by calling (212) 415-5500. Visit www.92Y.org for more information.
