Strike Up
the Band

MasterVoices | MasterVoices Orchestra

Music and Lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin
Book by Laurence Maslon and Ted Sperling
Based on the original books by George S. Kaufman (1927) and Morrie Ryskind (1930)
Restored by Tommy Krasker
Orchestrations by Russell Warner, William D. Brohn, William Daly, Dick Hyman, Sid Ramin, Larry Wilcox, and Donald Johnston

Ted Sperling,director and conductor
Alison Solomon,Choreographer
Erin N. Moore, Associate Choreographer
TRACY CHRISTENSEN and Somie Pak, Co-Costume DesignerS
MARC SALZBERG, Sound Designer
Shelby Loera, Lighting Designer

Get ready for another Gershwin powerhouse! This rarely performed gem kicked off a masterful trio that came to include OF THEE I SING (performed by MasterVoices in 2017) and LET ‘EM EAT CAKE (2019). Expect soaring melodies, infectious syncopation, and a healthy dose of silliness!

A pointed satire, the show’s book (by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind) cries out to us from the 1920s about America’s increasing love of money, fear of foreigners, and penchant for war. But the real point is the lush Gershwin score – the overture alone will make you swoon, plus The Man I Love, I’ve Got a Crush On You, and more. Artistic Director Ted Sperling has teamed with writer and theater historian Laurence Maslon to fashion an entirely new edition of the show, just for MasterVoices. Learn More.

Cast of Strike Up the Band

Shereen Ahmed, JOAN FLETCHER
Phillip Attmore, TIM HARPER
Victoria Clark, MRS. DRAPER
John Ellison Conlee, HORACE J. FLETCHER
Lissa deGuzman, MISS MEADE
Claybourne Elder, G. EDGAR SLOANE
Christopher Fitzgerald, GEORGE SPELVIN
Bryce Pinkham, JIM TOWNSEND
David Pittu, COLONEL HOLMES

DANCERS: C.K. Edwards, Fiona Huber, Masumi Iwai, Justin Keats, Cory Lingner, Derek Luscutoff

Casting by Telsey + Company | Read all Cast & Crew Bios.

Running Time: 2 hrs and 30 minutes with intermission

Tickets, priced from $30, are on sale on August 16, 2024, and may be purchased online at carnegiehall.org, by calling CarnegieCharge at 212.247.7800 or in person at Carnegie Hall’s box office at 57^th and Seventh Avenue.

You’re invited to the MasterVoices Benefit!

Join us for an unforgettable evening at Carnegie Hall where the music never stops! After the performance, continue the celebration at our Benefit Reception – honoring JULIANA CHEN for her years of outstanding Board leadership – featuring tantalizing cocktails, light bites, and the chance to mingle with the stars of the show, your fellow patrons, and our visionary Artistic Director, Ted Sperling.

As a Benefit attendee, you’ll enjoy exclusive access to the best seats for this exceptional performance.

 

Reserve your spot today! 

Learn More

STRIKE UP THE BAND was the cause of Kaufman’s famous quip that “satire is what closes on Saturday night.” The original script did just that when it opened in Philadelphia in 1927. But that all changed in 1930 when the show reopened on Broadway, thanks to some musical shuffling (songs cut, songs added, and much more swing) plus an assist from writer Morrie Ryskind – Kaufman’s partner in crime when writing for The Marx Brothers – who described the job as “rewriting War and Peace for the Three Stooges”.

Armed with an encyclopedic knowledge of both versions, Artistic Director Ted Sperling has teamed with writer and theater historian Laurence Maslon to create a new adaptation that brings out the best of both versions. That makes this a historic production, but there’s more – as with our Lady In the Dark, Babes In Toyland, and The Frogs, you may be witnessing the blueprint for future performances of this work, pared down for smaller groups with all the best parts intact.   

Artist Bios

Shereen Ahmed

Previous MV Performance: Iolanthe 2023

Broadway: My Fair Lady. National Tour: Eliza in My Fair Lady. Off Broadway: Franca in The Light in the Piazza (Encores!), Adele in A Man of No Importance (Classic Stage Company). Regional: Claudia in Nine (Kennedy Center Broadway Center Stage), Ellen Olenska in The Age of Innocence (World Premiere). Concert: Eyes of the World PBS live telecast with the Boston Pops, Iolanthe in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Iolanthe (Carnegie Hall),“New Amsterdam,” “Beltline to Broadway,” “The Broadway Show with Tamsen Fadel.” Honors: guest speaker for the United Nations, “40 Under 40” most accomplished Arab Americans in the U.S. Education: B.S. in Criminal Justice from Towson University. @shereen_ahmed

Phillip Attmore

Broadway:  Hello, Dolly!, Shuffle Along…, On the 20th Century, After Midnight, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Off-Broadway: Cheek to Cheek. Encores!: Tap Dance Kid, I Married an Angel, Me and My Girl, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Tours/Regional: Phil Davis in Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Tin Man in The Wiz, After Midnight, Don Lockwood in Singin’ in the Rain, Billy Lawlor in 42nd Street, Spamalot, Stormy Weather, Ray Charles Live!, Fosse. Concerts: Kristin: An Evening with Friends (Roundabout), The Songs of Dorothy Dandridge – The Musical (Carnegie Hall), Nat King Cole at 100 (Nashville Symphony), Phillip Attmore: Moments Musicaux (opening act for Audra McDonald) (Théâtre du Châtelet). Film/TV: “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “The Late Late Show with James Corden,” “Maya and Marty,” “The Tony Awards,” “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” “SYTYCD,” “The Bold and the Beautiful,” “Judging Amy,” “Sisters,” Silent Tongue. Awards: NAACP Theatre Award nominee, three-time Astaire Award winner.

Victoria Clark

Previous MV Performances: The Firebrand of Florence (2009), The Grapes of Wrath (2010), The Mikado (2012), 
Not the Messiah (2014) Dido & Aeneas (2016), Naamah's Ark (2018), Lady in the Dark (2019), Myths & Hymns (2021)

Victoria Clark shares her love for storytelling through acting, directing, and teaching. As an actor Ms. Clark received Tony Awards for creating lead roles in two original Broadway musicals Kimberly Akimbo and The Light in the Piazza.  Other Broadway: Sunday in the Park with George; How To Succeed…; Guys and Dolls; Urinetown; Cabaret, as well as the original Broadway casts of Titanic, The Snow Geese, Gigi (Tony nomination), Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Tony Nomination), and Sister Act (Tony nomination.) Off-Broadway: When The Rain Stops Falling (Lincoln Center Theater, Drama Desk nomination); The Marriage of Bette and Boo (Roundabout); A Prayer for My Enemy (Playwrights Horizons); and Kimberly Akimbo at The Atlantic Theater Company (Lucille Lortel and Outer Critics Circle Awards). Film and television: Pose, The Blacklist, Homeland, Almost Family, Law and Order, The Happening, Cradle Will Rock, One Royal Holiday and others.

As director: Classic Stage Company (The Dance of Death by Ibsen), New York Musical Theater Festival (Newton’s Cradle, Best Director), Village Theatre (Hansel and Gretl and Heidi and Günther), Fredericia Theater in Denmark (The Trouble With Doug) and will direct the groundbreaking 1948 musical Love Life by Alan Jay Lerner and Kurt Weill for New York City Center Encores! in March 2025. In addition Clark has directed two short films Come to Jesus and My First Start. Clark has served as Artist-in-Residence at Duke University and Pace University and served on the faculty at Yale University, where she continues to teach and mentor. She is a graduate of Yale University and attended the Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program at NYU Tisch School of the Arts (Cycle 1) as a director where she collaborated in the development of new work. Clark recently served on Actors Equity Association’s National Council as Eastern Principal Councilor. For more info please go to victoriaclark.me.

John Ellison Conlee

Broadway: THE NAP, THE FULL MONTY (Tony and Drama Desk nominations), THE CONSTANT WIFE, and 1776. Other recent theatre: VENUS, ASSASSINS (Encores), Watson(s) in THE (curious case of the) WATSON INTELLIGENCE (Obie Award), and TUMACHO! Recent film and tv work includes SIXTH REEL, LBJ (Dir. Rob Reiner), COMMAND Z (Dir. Steven Soderbergh),THE GILDED AGE (Recur-HBO), JULIA ( recur-MAX), EMERGENCE (ABC), HIGH MAINTENANCE (HBO), HOUSE OF CARDS (Netflix), BILLIONS (recur-Showtime), UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT (recur-Netflix), and MADAM SECRETARY (recur-CBS). Other credits include PARKS AND RECREATION (recur-NBC), BOARDWALK EMPIRE (SAG Award nomination)(recur-HBO), MURDER BALLAD (MTC and Union Square), THE MADRID (MTC dir. Leigh Silverman), PIG FARM (Roundabout), Ethan Lipton’s LUTHER (Clubbed Thumb), THE BUTTER AND EGG MAN, ONCE IN A LIFETIME, and THE BALD SOPRANO (Atlantic), NURSE JACKIE (Showtime), BROTHERHOOD (recur-Showtime), NCIS:LA, COMMON LAW, MEDIUM, and films, SERENDIPITY, THE REBOUND, and KINSEY. He received his MFA from NYU.

Claybourne Elder

Claybourne Elder is a Drama Desk, SAG, Lucille Lortel and Grammy Award nominated actor that can currently be seen as John Adams in HBO’s “The Gilded Age”, and in the upcoming Hallmark Original, Deck the Walls. On Broadway he received acclaim as Andy in the Tony Award-winning revival of Company starring Patti Lupone, as well as in Bonnie and Clyde, Sunday in the Park with George, and Torch Song. Other New York stage performances include Hollis Bessemer in Sondheim’s Road Show at the Public Theater, One Arm at New Group, Do I Hear a Waltz? at New York City Center, Allegro at Classic Stage Company, and Venice at The Public Theater.

Lissa deGuzman

Lissa deGuzman is thrilled to be honoring Gershwin’s legacy with MasterVoices. Currently, she can be found in Oz as the Elphaba Standby in Wicked on Broadway. Other credits include Broadway: King Kong, Aladdin. National Tour: Wicked (Elphaba), Aladdin (Jasmine). Regional: Muny (Dawn in Waitress), Drury Lane (Ella in Cinderella), Cape Playhouse (Guenevere in Camelot). Endless gratitude to DGRW and my wonderful family & friends. Salamat! @lissadeguz

Christopher Fitzgerald

Previous MV Performances: Knickerbocker Holiday (2011), The Mikado (2012), Babes in Toyland (2017) Let 'Em Eat Cake (2019)

Christopher Fitzgerald was nominated for the Tony Award for his performance in the Broadway musical Waitress, for which he won both the Drama Desk Award and the Outer Critics Circle Awards. He was previously nominated for Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for his performance in Young Frankenstein, and Tony and Outer Critics Circle Awards for his work in Finian’s Rainbow, for which he won the Drama Desk Award. He also received Drama Desk Award nominations for Amour and Saturday Night. Other Broadway performances include the recent revivals of Spamalot and Company, An Act of God, Chicago and the original cast of Wicked.  On film he starred in the Lionsgate feature “Girl Most Likely” opposite Kristin Wiig and Annette Bening. His recent credits include Godless (Netflix), Happy! (Syfy), Let Them All Talk (HBOMax), and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon).

Bryce Pinkham

Previous MV Performances: Knickerbocker Holiday (2011), Of Thee I Sing (2017) Let 'Em Eat Cake (2019)

Currently: The Voice of Stolas on HELLUVA BOSS. Broadway: GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE (Tony, Grammy, Drama Desk Nominee),HEIDI CHRONICLES (Outer Critics’ Circle, Drama League Nominations), OHIO STATE MURDERS, HOLIDAY INN, THE GREAT SOCIETY, GHOST, and BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON (No awards, but people said they really liked them.)  TV and Film: JULIA (HBO), EVIL, THE COMEDIAN, THE GET DOWN, MERCY STREET, PROVEN INNOCENT, PERSON OF INTEREST, THE GOOD WIFE, BLACKLIST. Bryce co-founded a charity for under-resourced kids in Madagascar www.zaraaina.org. Bryce studied acting and bio-writing at the Yale School of Drama and Boston College, but he is most proud of his permanent role as Winnie and Wilder’s Dad and Scarlett Strallen’s husband.  Follow @theBryceCapades

David Pittu

Previous MV Performance: The Firebrand of Florence (2009), Of Thee I Sing (2017), Lady in the Dark (2019) Let'Em Eat Cake (2019)

Broadway:  LoveMusik (Tony & Drama Desk nominations, Outer Critics’ Circle Award), Is He Dead? (Tony nomination), The Front Page, The Coast of Utopia, Never Gonna Dance.  Other recent theater:  Girl from the North Country at the Public, Murder on the Orient Express (as Hercule Poirot) at Hartford Stage, MasterVoices’ productions of Lady in the Dark (City Center) and Let ‘Em Cake (Carnegie Hall). City Center/Encores: Of Thee I Sing, Bells Are Ringing, It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, it’s Superman, Big River.  Other notable theater: wrote and starred in What’s That Smell: The Music of Jacob Sterling (OCC nominations: Best Off Broadway musical and Best Actor in a Musical), Twelfth Night (Delacorte, St Clare Bayfield Award), Equivocation (MTC, Lortel & OCC nominations), Celebration and The Room (Lortel and Drama Desk nominations).  Recent film & TV:  Halston, Uncoupled, Capote and the Swans, FBI, Sharper, American Horror Stories, The Plot Against America.  David is also an award-winning audiobook narrator.

C.K. Edwards

C.K. Edwards – Broadway: Shuffle Along, After Midnight and Billy Elliot. National Tours: Disney’s Frozen (u/s Olaf & Weselton) and Book of Mormon (Doctor). Off-Broadway: Songs About Trains (The New Ohio Theatre), Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope (Encores!) and I ❤️ Bob(The Joyce Theater). Regional: Guys & Dolls (Sky Masterson, Sharon Playhouse), The Scottsboro Boys (Roy, Signature Theatre), Anything Goes(The MUNY), and Sophisticated Ladies (Duke, NJ PAC). @ckedwardz

Fiona Huber

Fiona is thrilled to be performing at Carnegie Hall! She led the second national tour of ‘An American in Paris’ as Lise Dassin and is currently based in New York City. She was last seen dancing on the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards and can also be spotted on the latest seasons of Saturday Night Live & The Tonight Show. Fiona was born in Atlanta, GA where she was classically trained at Atlanta Ballet and graduated from both the Pre-Professional and Conservatory programs before graduating from Butler University with a Bachelor of Science in Dance Arts Administration. Credits: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Ensemble U/S Veruca – National Tour), An American in Paris (Lise Dassin – National Tour), A Chorus Line (Cassie – The Wick Theatre), The Pointe (Raina – Broadway Bound Festival) Eternal love to my incredibly supportive family, friends, and agents at Bloc! @fionasfun

Masumi Iwai

Masumi is very excited to be making her debut in the iconic Carnegie Hall! Born and raised in Japan, Masumi moved to NYC to pursue a career in musical theater. Broadway: Funny Girl (Dir. Michael Mayor, Choreo. Ellenore Scott, Ayodele Casel), National Tour: The King and I. Other favorite credit includes FLY (La Jolla Playhouse, Dir. Jeffrey Seller, Choreo. Andy Blankenbuehler), Crazy For You (Patsy at Asolo Theatre), 42^nd Street (Maltz Jupiter) Mamma Mia (NSMT) Education: Osaka University of Arts, Peridance International Dance School. Much love to all my friends and family for supporting me on this journey. @mmmasssun

Justin Keats

Carnegie Hall Debut! Broadway: Paramour, Escape to Margaritaville. National Tour: Moulin Rouge (Dance Captain/Swing). NYC: Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Regional: The MUNY, La Jolla Playhouse, Pioneer Theater, Sac. Music Circus, Alabama Shakespeare Festival. Walt Disney Entertainment and Norwegian Cruise Line. BFA Dance Performance-University of CA, Irvine. Instagram: @ForKeatsSake

Cory Lingner

Carnegie Hall debut! Credits include: Broadway – Carousel (Enoch Snow Jr), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (OBC), An American In Paris (Adam u/s), & On The Town (Chip/Ozzie u/s). Off Broadway/International – Disney on Classic (Harmony Japan), Stardust Road (York Theatre Co.), Once Upon A Mattress (Transport Group), Kiss Me, Kate (Drayton Entertainment), I Married An Angel (NYC Encores), & Jazz at Lincoln Center. TV – SNL, Tony Awards, GMA, Today Show, Macy’s Day Parade, & Hulu’s The Battery’s Down. Regional – Sacramento Music Circus, MUNY, La Mirada, Music Theatre Wichita, Lyric Theatre OKC, & City Rep OKC. BFA from the University of Oklahoma. Huge thanks to Ali Solomon, my family & friends, and Nicolosi & Co. Socials: @corylingner

Derek Luscutoff

Derek Luscutoff  – he/him – is ecstatic to be performing in this Gershwin production!  National Tour: My Fair Lady. Regional: Cinderella at Paper Mill Playhouse, 42nd Street at Goodspeed Musicals, Mamma Mia! at North Shore Music Theatre, An American in Paris at The Phoenix Theatre Company, Don Lockwood in Singin’ in the Rain (Rivertown NOLA). Cruise: Swing! on Norwegian Cruise Line. BA in Political Science from UC Berkeley. Proud Hispanic/Latino & queer artist!  When not performing, Derek enjoys teaching, creating new works, and directing/choreographing. Many thanks to the creative team, MasterVoices, BWA Agency, friends, family, & Daniel! www.DerekLuscutoff.com @derekluscutoff

Alison Solomon, Choreogrpaher

ALISON SOLOMON (Choreographer) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (National Tour), Grease (Bucks County Playhouse), Sweeney Todd (Signature Theatre), Sunday in the Park with George (Pasadena Playhouse), Into the Woods (Guthrie Theatre), Fiddler on the Roof (Philadelphia Orchestra), Straight White Men (Westport Country Playhouse), Swing! (ONU). Broadway Associate: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Gigi, Beautiful – The Carole King Musical, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, I Married an Angel, Sweet Charity with Sutton Foster. Commercials featuring: Lauren Froderman (SYTYCD), Gillian Murphy (ABT), Ashley Bouder (NYCB), NFL Super Bowl, Odell Beckham Jr., Eli Manning, the NY Giants, Lord & Taylor. . www.alisolomon.com @AliSolomonNY

Erin N. Moore, Associate Choreographer

Erin N. Moore is a versatile artist, working across genres and mediums. A graduate of Ailey/Fordham, she began her career as a concert dancer at Philadanco, and soon transitioned to theater and tv/film.  Select credits: HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, Netflix’s A Very Murray Christmas, and Fosse/Verdon, American Dance Machine’s inaugural company. Broadway: Follies, After Midnight, and Shuffle Along. Classical: The Metropolitan Opera, and San Francisco Symphony (soloist).  Most recently can be seen on PBS’ Great Performances, Celebrating 50 years of Broadway’s Best.  Erin’s broad skill set has seamlessly led her into creative roles, ranging from working as an associate choreographer to teaching master classes at conventions, to working as a movement coach to prepare actors for roles. She is excited to be working with Master Voices for the first time! @mooregranola

Tracy-Christensen, Co-Costume Designer

Tracy Christensen has collaborated with Ted Sperling and MasterVoices previously on The Grapes of Wrath, The Frogs, Iolanthe, Anyone Can Whistle, The Pirates of Penzance, Babes In Toyland, Let ‘em Eat Cake, and Lady in the Dark.  Other projects include the recent 25^th Anniversary reunion concert of Ragtime, Into the Woods, directed by Ted Sperling for HALO, the Broadway revival of Sunset Boulevard starring Glenn Close, Candide at Carnegie Hall with John Lithgow, Souvenir (Broadway), Love’s Labour’s Lost at the Folger Theater (Helen Hayes nom.), Carousel for London’s English National Opera, plus the premieres of Beaches the Musical (Theater Calgary), and Kate Hamill’s adaptation of Pride & Prejudice at the Cherry Lane Theatre. Faculty: SUNY Purchase and Southern Methodist University. www.tracychristensen.com.

Somie Pak, Co-Costume Designer

Somie Pak is thrilled to reunite with MasterVoices as co-costume designer with Tracy Christensen. Her first MasterVoices piece was The Frogs as the associate costume designer. Recent select design credits include: O.K! (WP Theater), Burning Man: The Musical, Estella Scrooge (Silver Telly Award Winner), Mary Stuart (Henry Hewes Award Nominee), Mélange (MTV/Logo). www.somiepak.com

Marc Salzberg, Sound Designer

MasterVoices: Babes in Toyland, Anyone Can Whistle.  Broadway: Camelot  (co-design with Beth Lake), My Fair Lady (also London, UK and US tours), The Great Society (co-design with Paul James Prendergast), Oslo, Golden Boy (Tony nomination), Awake and Sing! (the latter three co-designed with Peter John Still), Fiddler on the Roof (1981 revival), Larry Gelbart’s Mastergate. Off-Broadway: The Hard Problem, Forever Plaid, Intimate Apparel. He sat behind the mixing desk as Production Soundman at the Vivian Beaumont Theater at New York’s Lincoln Center for 20 years, mixing 29 shows, including South Pacific, The Coast of Utopia, and The Light in the Piazza. 

Shelby Loera, Lighting Designer

Shelby Loera is thrilled to be back with MasterVoices designing Strike Up the Band. She is a New York based lighting designer and associate. Select designs: A Little Night Music (University of Michigan); Sweat (Capital Rep); Titanic (NYU); The Frogs (Jazz Lincoln Center); Sister Act (The Muny); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Capital Rep); House of Bernarda Alba (University of Michigan); Camelot (The Muny); The Sound of Music (The Muny – first female lighting designer in 2021); Elf the Musical (John Engeman); Your Alice (BAM Fisher). Select associate: Big Gay Jamboree (Orpheum Theatre); Sunset Boulevard (The Kennedy Center); 42^nd Street (Goodspeed); Verdi’s Rigoletto (OSA); Next to Normal (WCP); Dreaming Zenzile (ArtsEmerson); The Muny in St. Louis. She also designs and associates for live events independently and with Livesight, Inc.  USA 829. Shelbyloeradesign.com

Click here to read the press release for Strike Up the Band.
Click here to read the press release for the 2024-2025 Concert Season.