Chita Rivera and Danny Burstein Will Be Honored by Encompass New Opera Theatre

Encompass New Opera Theatre will pay tribute to Tony winners Chita Rivera (Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Rink, West Side Story) and Danny Burstein (Moulin Rouge! The Musical, The Drowsy Chaperone, South Pacific) with a musical salute March 20 at The National Arts Club.

Tony winner Sheldon Harnick will present Burstein with the Sheldon Harnick Award for Creative Excellence, while Tony winner John Doyle will present Rivera with the Encompass Outstanding Lifetime Achievement in the American Musical Theatre.

The evening, hosted by Thirteen/WNET and WQXR Radio's Midge Woolsey, will feature recollections and tributes by Harnick, Doyle, George Dvorsky, Tony winner Maury Yeston, and Tony winner Karen Ziemba. The musical entertainment will feature stars of stage and screen.

Beth Ertz is the music director-arranger-pianist, and Richard Pearson Thomas is the associate musical director. ASCAP's Michael A. Kerker and Encompass' Nancy Rhodes co-produce and direct.

The evening will begin at 5:30 PM with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, followed by dinner at 6:30 and the musical program at 7:30, followed by champagne and dessert. The 2022 Gala Chairs are Daniel J. De Siena and Deborah Surdi.

Past honorees include Harnick, John Kander, Charles Strouse, Jerry Herman, Jerry Bock, Joseph Stein, Richard Maltby, Jr., David Shire, John Weidman, Marvin Hamlisch, Alan Menken, Joel Grey, Jeanine Tesori, Barbara Cook, Lee Adams, Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty, Terrence McNally, Christine Ebersole, Estelle Parsons, and Yeston.