Following on the heels of her historic solo debut at Carnegie Hall, Marilyn Maye was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual Encompass New Opera Theatre gala at The National Arts Club. Also receiving an honor—The Sheldon Harnick Award for Creative Excellence—was the songwriting team of Marc Shaiman (music) and Scott Wittman (words). Presenting the award to Maye was noted writer, critic and author, 
Will Friedwald, while songwriter Richard Maltby, Jr presented Shaiman and Whitman their award.
Serenading Maye was a bevy of cabaret, jazz and Broadway stars: Klea Blackhurst, Gabrielle Stravelli and Joshua RIchman, Melissa Errico, Steve Ross, Sandy Stewart and Bill Charlap, Sidney Myer and Alex Rybeck, plus operatic tenor Oswaldo Iraheta.
Representing and serenading Shaiman and Wittman were Hairpray’s Annie Golden and Derek Klena as well as NaTasha Yvette Williams and Adrianna Hicks from Some Like It Hot, plus J. Harrison Ghee, Devon Hadsell and Gabie Campo.
Marilyn Maye, about to turn 95 on April 10, has long been a national treasure. Over a long career, which started while she was a young child in Kansas, she went on to perform over 76 times on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson,” release over 15 albums and 7 hit singles, and star in musical theater, playing Mame and Dolly Levi, among other major roles.
Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman are the composer an
d lyricist for the musical, Hairspray, which went on to win the Tony for best original score, a Grammy, and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics. Their new hit collaboration is Some Like It Hot. Among other projects are producing the original music and lyrics for the Golden Globe, Emmy, and Grammy-nominated show “Smash” for NBC.
Encompass New Opera Theatre, co-founded by Artistic Director Nancy Rhodes, is dedicated to the creation, development and production of adventurous new music theatre and contemporary opera, as well as the revival of important musical works by American and international composers.
Enjoy this photo gallery of images by Maryann Lopinto:
