Posted on June 28, 2010 at 4:49 pm

We’ve been together for ten years, but Georgia and I have never done a concert of our own work together, largely because I was sure that we’d end up divorced afterwards. Finally, however, we determined to give it a try, and I’m enormously relieved to say it was not only a huge success artistically and financially for the church, but a very emotionally gratifying and powerful evening for us both. It was fantastic as well that we had so many incredible friends on stage and in the audience to share it with us. I turned forty years old eight days after the concert, but I feel like my real party was on stage that night in Pasadena.

ACT ONE
The Me Of The Moment – Tracy Nicole Chapman
music and lyric by Georgia Stitt
[This is a fantastic new song of G’s, written for Susan Egan.]

[We followed up by doing the songs we each wrote for our wedding in 2003.]
These Two – Dan Callaway
music by Georgia Stitt
lyric by Howard Schwartz

In This Room – Lara Pulver & Tracy Nicole Chapman
music and lyric by Jason Robert Brown

[Amy Ryder more or less introduced the world to “Stars and the Moon” 20 years ago, and it was a special thrill to have her sing it with us on this night.]
Stars and the Moon – Amy Ryder
(from the musical “Songs for a New World”)
music and lyric by Jason Robert Brown

She – Dan Callaway & Ty Taylor
music and lyric by Georgia Stitt

The Holy Secret – Lara Pulver
music by Georgia Stitt
lyric by Len Schiff

[Lara Pulver played Cathy in the London premiere of The Last Five Years, and she nailed it again three years later for an audience that only knew her from her equally astonishing Lucille in the Mark Taper Forum production of Parade.]
I Can Do Better Than That – Lara Pulver
(from the musical “The Last Five Years”)
music and lyric by Jason Robert Brown

[Georgia offered a devastating song from her Off-Broadway show “Mosaic.”]
You Never Know – Georgia Stitt
(from the musical “Mosaic”)
music and lyric by Georgia Stitt

Music of Heaven – Jason Robert Brown & Choir
music and lyric by Jason Robert Brown

[Ty Taylor is on the original cast album of Songs for a New World, but he wasn’t in the original cast. In fact, he’s never done the show live at all. And so this was a momentous occasion: Ty and I bringing “King of the World” to life, together, after 15 years.]
King of the World – Ty Taylor
(from the musical “Songs for a New World”)
music and lyric by Jason Robert Brown

[When we put together the choir for the show, we were lucky to get Will Collyer and Robert Yacko to sign on; Will and Robert had both been in the ensemble of Parade at the Taper, and they understudied and went on for the Young and Old Soldier various times. I was overjoyed that they could share those marvelous performances with the audience in Pasadena.]
The Old Red Hills of Home – Will Collyer, Robert Yacko & Choir
(from the musical “Parade”)
music and lyric by Jason Robert Brown

INTERMISSION

with hope and virtue – Choir
music by Georgia Stitt
text from Barack Obama’s 2009 Inaugural Address

Feel The Rain – Choir with Dan Callaway
(from the musical “The Water”)
music by Georgia Stitt
lyric by Jeff Hylton

My Lifelong Love – Allie Trimm
(from the musical “Sing Me A Happy Song”)
music and lyric by Georgia Stitt

What It Means To Be A Friend – Allie Trimm
(from the musical “13”)
music and lyric by Jason Robert Brown

All Things In Time – Jason Robert Brown
music and lyric by Jason Robert Brown

Sonnet XXIX – Dan Callaway
music by Georgia Stitt
lyric by William Shakespeare

[Georgia’s song “This Ordinary Thursday,” the title track to her PS Classics CD, is a very clearly autobiographical song, and I’m always both very proud and deeply embarrassed that she name-checks me several times. So I’ve gotten her back, in my way: “Caravan Of Angels” is a song that talks about what it takes for two people to survive together for ten years, and what gets built in the meantime. It was a lot of fun for us to sing those songs back to back.]
This Ordinary Thursday – Georgia Stitt
music and lyric by Georgia Stitt

Caravan Of Angels – Jason Robert Brown
music and lyric by Jason Robert Brown

Hear My Song – Amy Ryder, Tracy Nicole Chapman, Ty Taylor, Jason Robert Brown & Choir
(from the musical “Songs for a New World”)
music and lyric by Jason Robert Brown

Brand New You – Allie Trimm & Choir
(from the musical “13”)
music and lyric by Jason Robert Brown

The choir: Francesca Baer, Christopher Carother, Robyn Clark, Will Collyer, Cat Davis, Jay Donnell, Scott Douglas, Jesse Einstein, Graham Genton, Julie Garnyé, Lori Jaroslow, Nicole Kaplan, Chil Kong, Tyler Mann, Ashley Marks, Baraka May, Megan McDermott, Eileen O’Donnell, Erin Quill, James Leo Ryan, Amy Ryder, Jennifer Shelton, Ali Stroker, Elissa Weinzimmer, Lizzie Weiss, Robert Yacko, Penelope Yates, David Zack

The orchestra: Peter Kent, Kathleen Robinson, Sharon Jackson, violins; Matt Nabours, viola; Peggy Baldwin, Martha Lippi, celli; Dan Savant, contractor

A million thanks to all for a spectacular night of music. It may be weird for me being a Jewish guy in a Presbyterian church, but I did nonetheless feel blessed.