CABARET STYLE PERFORMANCES WITH BROADWAY ACTORS TO FEATURE THE MUSIC OF ANDREW SUSSMAN

CHAMBERSBURG. Funded by a grant from the PA Partners in the Arts, these cabaret style shows will weave together 20 original songs by local composer Andrew Sussman, culled from several musicals he has written as well as collaborations with jazz and cabaret singers over the years. Featured performers include Broadway actress Mary Jayne Raleigh and highly acclaimed cabaret singer Jim Van Slyke. Pianist Brian Helman will be music director. Student Holly Culbertson will appear as Pollyanna. There will be two performances of the show – a matinee performance on Sunday, March 20, at 3:00 pm and an evening performance on Saturday, March 26, at 7:00 pm. Both shows will be held in Thomson Chapel, Wilson College, 1015 Philadelphia Ave., Chambersburg, PA. As part of each performance, the composer will be available to discuss his work. 

Mary Jayne Raleigh has appeared extensively in New York and throughout the country, most notably, in "Les Miserables" (Broadway and National Tour), Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular, and The Sondheim Celebration at The Kennedy Center. Other credits have included regional productions of "The World Goes Round," "Man of LaMancha," "Oliver!," "A New Brain," "Side Show," and "I Love You… You’re Perfect… Now Change!"

The New York Daily News has called tenor Jim Van Slyke "one of the best new voices to come along in years". He has performed on concert stages throughout the country and Europe, played leading roles in musical theatre and opera productions (including Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville and Sparky in Forever Plaid), performed with the Washington Opera and as a featured singer at the White House, toured with a USO Big Band Revue, and received critical acclaim for his cabaret performances in New York and Washington, DC. (www.jimvanslyke.com )

Music director-pianist Brian Helman was music director for Shenandoah University’s Theatre Department and accompanist for Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre for seven years. He has also worked at Circle in the Square Theatre and Don’t Tell Mama’s Club in NYC and has accompanied Tony Award Winner Gretha Boston, and teaches piano at the Cumberland Valley School of Music.

Holly Culbertson, a student at the Cumberland Valley School of Music who was featured in Chambersburg Community Theatre’s productions of "The Secret Garden" and "Annie" will also make an appearance as Pollyanna, performing songs from the Sussman musical.

Composer Andrew Sussman’s songs have been performed and/or recorded by Rene Marie, Nancy Reed, Gwen Howard, the DC Cabaret Network, Chicago Cabaret Professionals, and others across the country. His musicals, which have been produced in New York City and Pennsylvania, include "Pollyanna: A New Musical," "Abbey Victoria: A Musical Daydream," "A Touch of Bourbon," and "Follow Your Dreams" as well as songs for "Phoenix: The Burning of Chambersburg" and "A Love Divided". Sussman lives in Waynesboro, PA and is Executive Director of the Cumberland Valley School of Music.

Admission to each show is $10. Students (K-12) admitted FREE. Call 717-261-1220 or visit www.andrewsussman.com or www.cvsmusic.org for more information.

The PA Partners in the Arts (PPA) program is an initiative between local arts organizations and the PA Council on the Arts (PCA), a state agency. State government funding for the arts comes through an annual appropriation by PA’s General Assembly and from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. PPA is administered in this region by the Council for the Arts in Chambersburg.