It’s an 89-year-old gem that has been fully restored and reconditioned to its original grandeur.
“We can’t even guess the famous fingers that have touched these keys,” said Eileen P. Monaghan, Merryall Center for the Arts co-president. “Gayle Martin Henry and Skitch Henderson both played on our 1927 Steinway Grand,” she said, “along with a host of other great performers.”
As the Merryall Center opens its 65th season May 7, it will celebrate the Steinway’s restoration with a special evening. Merryall’s Steinway has been completely restored, thanks to a generous contribution from William Ham Hubbell and William Hale Hubbell of Miami, secured by Mark Malkin, Merryall’s treasurer.
Tom Morris and Jessica Smith will provide the entertainment, first in a cabaret setting and then in a concert performance.
Morris is a music director and conductor. A classically trained pianist, he has been playing for musicals since a young age. He has worked on many area musical productions, including Godspell, Sweeney Todd, City of Angels, Dogfight, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Cabaret, Legally Blonde, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
Smith is a graduate of The Boston Conservatory with a degree in vocal performance, and has spent more than 15 years working as a professional singer, voice teacher, director and performing artist. Directing and vocal directing credits include shows such as Godspell, The Odd Couple, Merrily We Roll Along, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, The Snow Queen, You're A Good Man Charlie Brown, Seussical, Oliver, Durang! (An Evening of one Acts), A New Brain, and more. She is continually working on new projects, singing at events and theaters in Fairfield County, writing short plays and monologues, and developing her vocal sound and point of view through musical storytelling and character development. Smith has performed for many years as a regional actor, with appearances throughout Western Connecticut, and as a professional singer performing jazz and musical theater at various venues, as well as serving as cantor for area churches.
Individual tickets are $25, on line or at the door. Full season subscriptions, for 10 performances, are $180; partial subscriptions, for five performances, are $100.
The Merryall Center, at 8 Chapel Hill Road, New Milford, has been providing entertainment, enlightenment and enrichment in the Litchfield Hills since 1951.
For more information, or to order tickets or subscriptions, visit www.MerryallCenter.org.