CHESTERTOWN, MD—Acclaimed Broadway director, author and producer Mark Bramble will stage his second “Showstoppers” event to benefit Horizons of Kent County on Saturday evening, July 19. “Showstoppers II: A Night of Broadway’s Best,” will feature songs from beloved musicals that include Matilda, Jersey Boys, Cats,Phantom of the Opera, Evita, Bye Bye Birdie, Motown, 42nd Street and Once. In addition to local talent, the production will feature the expertise of two of Bramble’s Broadway colleagues — renowned tap dancer and choreographer Karen Prunzik and musical director Paul Masse — and a performance by international recording artist Daryl Davis.
The show will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Decker Theatre, Gibson Center for the Arts on the Washington College campus. A dessert reception will follow. Tickets are priced at $100 for premium seating, $50 for general orchestra, and $25 for balcony seats. They can be purchased online at www.horizonsatradcliffecreek.org or by calling 410-778-9903.
A Kent County native who followed his passion for theater to a stellar career on Broadway and beyond, Mark Bramble produced his first ShowStoppers to benefit Horizons in 2011. “I had such a wonderful time three years ago working with the Horizons children and getting to know so many talented people in Kent County,” says Bramble. “I felt the glow of that experience for many months afterward and I am delighted to be back, producing another ShowStoppers fundraiser. Horizons provides some amazing educational and cultural opportunities for children who otherwise might lose their way during the summer months. Education is the single most important thing we can offer our young people, and it should be made available toeveryone. ShowStoppers is going to be a great night out. I hope we will pack the house to support the Horizons kids.”
The son of Marnee Kintner Bramble and the late David A. Bramble, Mark Brambleattended Chestertown Middle School, where eighth-grade English teacher Honey Wood introduced him to musical theater during a class trip to see Oliver! at Wilmington’s DuPont Playhouse. After his high school years at The McDonogh School in Baltimore, he studied at Emerson College and New York University before launching his career as an apprentice to producer David Merrick.
Bramble worked with the legendary Merrick on more than 20 Broadway shows, culminating in their triumphant collaboration on 42nd Street. He co-wrote the book for that Tony-award winning musical, directed its 2001 Broadway revival, and has directed the show on stages around the world, from Shanghai to Vienna. He also wrote the book for The Three Musketeers and Barnum, a production that earned him an Outer Critics Circle Award for best musical and netted 10 Tony nominations. Bramble has been nominated for three Tony Awards and earned a Laurence Olivier award for his work on 42nd Street.
Serving as choreographer for this year’s show will be Bramble’s longtime friend and colleague Karen Prunzik, a veteran dancer and instructor who made her Broadway debut at age 22 as the original Anytime Annie in the Tony Award-winning production of 42nd Street. She later appeared in the revival of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Prunzik was a protégé of famed tap dance artist Paul Draper and, early in her career, was a member of the legendary Kenley Players summer stock company, where she worked with stars such as Gene Kelly, Ann Miller, Tommy Tune and Mickey Rooney. Her film credits include A Chorus Line and Tap.
In 2007, she opened Karen Prunzik’s Broadway Dance Studio in Robinson Township, Pennsylvania, which quickly became one of the nation’s top studios for training in musical theater. One of the special acts in ShowStoppers II will be a tap routine choreographed by Prunzik and performed by two of her top students.
Broadway professional Paul Masse is returning for his second ShowStoppers performance as musical director. Masse has played in many Broadway orchestras and conducted Kander & Ebb’s Tony-nominated Broadway production of The Scottsboro Boys, the Tony Award-winning revival of the Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, and Avenue Q.
Yet another special guest talent will be the renowned boogie-woogie pianist Daryl Davis, who will play a medley of jazz-influenced music on Broadway. An international recording artist, composer, author and actor, Davis has worked with a host of artists that include Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, The Platters, Percy Sledge and Sam Moore.
Among the many local favorites on stage will be Lester Barrett Jr., Peyton Chance, Karen Somerville, Peggy Hayes Bradley, and Jim and Diane Landskroener. Julie Lawrence, founder and director of the Chester River Youth Choir, is directing the ShowStoppers chorus, which includes members of the Chester River Chorale.
As he did in 2011, Bramble is paying tribute to his mother, Mrs. David A. “Marnee” Bramble, by naming her honorary chair of the event. This year’s event also will honor the memory of longtime Horizons board president and tireless advocate L.T. Goodall, who lost a long and valiant battle to cancer in February.
Now in its nineteenth year in Kent County, the Horizons program provides six weeks of academic and cultural enrichment for children from low-income Kent County families. Selected by their public school teachers and administrators, they work on their reading, math and science skills to avoid the loss of progress known as “summer slide.” They also learn to swim and engage in a variety of other activities that build social skills, citizenship and confidence.
“We are so grateful that Mark is giving his time and expertise to work with the children again,” says Connie Schroth, the academic program director for Horizons of Kent County. “It’s a highlight of the summer for the students who participate, and for their parents. He builds such warm, positive relationships with the children, who know him as ‘Mr. Mark.’ It’s an unforgettable experience for them, and they see first-hand what can be achieved if you follow your dream, as Mark himself has done.”
For more information on Horizons or Showstoppers, call 410-778-9903.
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