“It’s a New World: Celebrating Ira Gershwin”
Cabaret vocalist Bob O’Hare makes his first pandemic-era appearance, and his first live-stream appearance ever, in his MetropolitanZoom debut with “It’s a New World: Celebrating Ira Gershwin,” on Sunday, September 19th at 2 PM (ET). Originally planned as a tribute to the Gershwin brothers, O’Hare found himself identifying so strongly with Ira Gershwin’s wise and witty lyrics, which resonated with him both for their Great American Songbook classic beauty and for their continued relevance to his own life and to our current pandemic/Covid world, that he changed course and built his concert around Ira exclusively. Dedicating the performance to Ira Gershwin also allowed a larger exploration of his lyrical catalog and the host of collaborators with whom he worked during his illustrious career. Harold Arlen, Kurt Weill, Vernon Duke, Jerome Kern - they’re all represented, along with a generous offering of Ira’s classic contributions to the stunning songs he wrote with his brother, George. The repertoire covers everything from such well-known favorites as “Love is Here to Stay,” “S’Wonderful,” “My Ship” and “Long Ago and Far Away,” to hidden gems like “Dissertation on the State of Bliss.”
The show is directed by multiple MAC award winner and Broadway and television veteran Eric Michael Gillett.
Tom Nelson is the music director, with Tom Kirchmer on bass and Peter Grant on drums.
This is the fourth cabaret show for this creative team. The other three shows have all garnered critical praise as “dynamic, “smooth” and “exquisitely arranged.” Cabaret Hotspot said of O’Hare’s last show: “The first thing I noticed about O’Hare was his beautifully toneful voice. The voice itself has a smooth creamy, velvet sound, reminiscent of a golden age crooner. His phrasing and musicality support the lyric in an intimate way, as every phrase seems quietly spoken to the listener. The communication is direct and the feelings are palpable. “
Proceeds from the performance will benefit South Mountain TheaterWorks of Maplewood, NJ, of which O’Hare is the Corporate Secretary and sits on the Board of Directors. South Mountain is an IRC 501(c)3 non-profit corporation and was founded in 2005 with a mission of producing theatrical and concert events, showcasing the wealth of both professional and amateur talent residing within the surrounding community.
In the last few years, South Mountain has expanded its mission purview to include television production, resulting in the 2015 debut of the hit PBS show “Drive-By History” (now in its 5th season and being broadcast on all 3 NY Metropolitan area PBS affiliates), and its spin-off (debuting fall 2021 on NJPBS) “Drive-By History Eats.”
All ticket holders to the show will receive a post-show viewing link to enjoy the show again, or to view if unable to attend the live stream.
Visit the link https://metropolitanzoom.ticketleap.com/bob-ohare-091921/dates/Sep-19-2021_at_0200PM for tickets.
Piano Tom Nelson
Bass: Tom Kirchmer
Percussion Peter Grant
Music Director: Tom Nelson
Director: Eric Michael Gillett
THREE TICKET TYPES
1. General Admission: Best seats in the house
2. VIP Meet & Greet: Join other VIPs and chat with the performing artist at end of the show in a breakout room
3. Backstage Pass: Includes Meet & Greet and additional time after in performing artist’s backstage
YOU WILL RECEIVE THE ZOOM LINK IN THE CONFIRMATION EMAIL AFTER YOU PURCHASE YOUR TICKET.
TIME OF SHOW:
London 7 pm
N.Y.C. 2 pm
Chicago 1 pm
Denver 12 pm
L.A. 11 am
GET INTO THE ACT AND HAVE EVEN MORE FUN:
The performing artists will see all of you, so give them a great show... put on your cameras, dress up, and be ready with snacks and drinks.
This exciting and unique performance will allow you, the audience, to participate by affecting the performance with your appearance and reactions. The virtual nightclub experience will be as powerful in your mind as an action-packed movie or a well-written novel with entertainment value. With our high-quality production, you will be transported to a nightclub experience. We want you to take part in this exciting, new platform and participate and 'get into character' as a good audience should. Let us show you how.
Download the latest version of Zoom at their download center https://zoom.us/download
Go to https://metropolitanzoom.com/audience to learn more about good audience-ship, please watch the instructions on:
Accessing the show at showtime
Rules of conduct
Suggestions to get into the act and optimize your experience
Snack and drink suggestions
Sound and lighting on your end
Full video recording disclaimer
Go to https://metropolitanzoom.com/audience to learn more about getting into the act.
MetropolitanZoom Management
VIRTUAL DOORS OPEN 30 MINUTES BEFORE THE SHOW: PLEASE ARRIVE EARLY. WE HAVE PRE-SHOW ENTERTAINMENT AND A RECEPTIONIST WAITING TO GREET YOU.
*** VIP AND BACKSTAGE PASS HOLDERS
Please wait until after the end of the show to be brought into the VIP room. You will be asked if you want to join it and you must click on YES to access the VIP Room. Once you’ve entered, please UNMUTE your microphone so you can interact with the performing artists. It is very important that when you sign into Zoom, that you make sure your name is correct on the Zoom screen. Sometimes, people enter the zoom room as "Joe's iPhone" or "Jane's Ipad." We will not be able to separate you from the crowd unless your name is correct and we can identify you. To update your name on the screen, mouse over your name on the participant list and Click to RENAME yourself correctly. We cannot be held responsible if you were left out of the VIP Meet & Greet if it's not clear to us who you are. Thank you for your assistance in advance.