International award-winning songstress N'Kenge has been heralded by The New York Times as "a classically trained diva that can stretch from Broadway to Pop, Soul, and Opera". Trained at both The Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music, N'Kenge's vocal and musical range spans 5 octaves and 11 languages.
N'Kenge made her Broadway debut in "Sondheim on Sondheim", and slayed the game on Broadway originating the role of Mary Wells in "Motown: The Musical", which garnered a Grammy Award nomination for Best Musical Theater Album.
On May 7, 2018, as part of the "Broadway at The Pierre" cabaret series in association with Broadway Sings for Pride, a concert was held at Two E Bar/Lounge — the sophisticated saloon located inside the New York City luxury hotel, The Pierre. The concert featured a performance by N'Kenge, backed by pianist and musical director Josh Kight.
N'Kenge performed the song "Poor Sweet Baby" during the concert, where Shefik served as Videographer. "Poor Sweet Baby" is a song from "Snoopy! The Musical". During the performance of "Poor Sweet Baby", the characters Peppermint Patty and Charlie Brown discuss understanding what love is.
"Snoopy! The Musical" is a musical comedy with music by Larry Grossman, lyrics by Hal Hackady, and a book by Warren Lockhart, Arthur Whitelaw, and Michael Grace. The characters are from the Charles M. Schulz comic strip "Peanuts". This sequel to the musical "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" focuses more on the life of Snoopy. Since its premiere, the musical has been a popular choice for regional, international, and amateur theatre performances.
The musical was produced Off-Broadway at the Lamb's Theatre opening December 20, 1982 — directed by Whitelaw, with David Garrison as Snoopy. The show performed 152 performances until it closed on May 1, 1983. The crew included Paul D. Hughes, Martin Markinson, Gene Persson, and Donald Tick as producers, Ronald Melrose as musical director, Marc Breaux returning as choreographer, David Graden returning as costume and set design, Ken Billington returning as lighting designer, James Walsh as general manager, Richard Humleker and C. George Willard as press representatives, and Melissa Davis as production manager. The Off-Broadway received similar reviews to the San Francisco production. Later, when Lorna Luft replaced Peppermint Patty, a new song was written for her, entitled "Hurry Up, Face". This song was used in later productions, including the West End.
A benefit concert presentation of "Snoopy! The Musical" was held at the Peter Norton Symphony Space in New York City, on April 12, 2004 — directed by Ben Rimalower, with Christian Borle starring in the title role, and Broadway star Sutton Foster as Peppermint Patty.
Credits
- Videographer: Shefik
Last Updated: April 29, 2023
