Media Contact: Molly Sommerhalder

Email: msommerhalder@marcuscenter.org Phone: 414-273-7121 x399

For Immediate Release

The Marcus Performing Arts Center presents “Live at Royal Albert Hall [Revisited]: The Everly Brothers Reunion Concert” Singers Lee Lessack and Johnny Rodgers Re-visit the Iconic 1983 Concert Tuesday, August 20, 2019 - Marcus Performing Arts Center presents “Live at Royal Albert Hall [Revisited]: The Everly Brothers Reunion Concert,” a re-creation of the iconic 1983 reunion concert featuring award-winning recording artists Lee Lessack and Johnny Rodgers. Lessack and Rodgers will perform all the masterpieces heard that night, include “All I Have to Do Is Dream,” “Devoted to You,” “Bye Bye Love,” “Cathy’s Clown,” “Wake Up Little Susie” and many more. After a decade of not speaking to each other, British guitarist Albert Lee was able to bring the Everly Brothers back together in 1983, for what he thought would be a one-off concert at London's Royal Albert Hall. That the reunion lasted for another 26 years was an unexpected, but pleasing, bonus. Marcus Performing Arts Center will feature “Live at Royal Albert Hall [Revisited]: The Everly Brothers Reunion Concert,” starring Lee Lessack and Johnny Rodgers on Friday, October 18 at 7:30 pm in Wilson Theater At Vogel Hall. Tickets will go on sale this Friday, August 23 at 12:00 pm and can be purchased in person at 929 North Water Street, online at Ticketmaster.com or MarcusCenter.org or by phone at 414-273-7206. Groups of 10 or more can purchase early and can call Group Sales at 414-273-7121 x210 or x213. This performance is part of the MC Presents series and is sponsored by The Fitz at the Ambassador Hotel. LEE LESSACK’s graceful Lyric baritone vocals and sophisticated and engaging persona have made him a shining star on the international concert scene. Billboard Magazine calls his singing “vocal romanticism of a high order.” He has toured extensively in the United States and Europe and has released eight recordings since 1995, the latest being “Live in Central Park [Revisited]: Simon and Garfunkel” with Johnny Rodgers. His repertoire includes favorites from the classic and new American Songbook, as well as French artists such as Aznavour and Piaf. In 2005, he released In Good Company to great acclaim. Intimate and impeccably produced, the album features outstanding duets with music notables such as Michael Feinstein, Maureen McGovern, Amanda McBroom, Ann Hampton Callaway and Stephen Schwartz. In Good Company earned a MAC and Bistro Award for Best Recording of the Year. For a discography, visit: https://tinyurl.com/y7nmndtm

In 1996, Lessack founded LML Music (www.LMLmusic.com ), which now has a catalog of over 100 of the country’s top live recording artists and performers. In 2008, he founded LML Music Presents, representing performers for concert bookings internationally. His clients include theater icon Chita Rivera as well as songwriter, Amanda McBroom and jazzbird, Jane Monheit. (http://lmlmusicpresents.com) JOHNNY RODGERS is an internationally celebrated singer-songwriter, pianist, Broadway veteran, and recording artist who is described by Stephen Holden, from The New York Times, as an entertainer “who has show business in his bones” with “fused elements of Billy Joel, Peter Allen and Johnny Mercer.” As an Ambassador of American Music, Johnny Rodgers dazzles audiences with his Americana mélange of original songs and classic favorites. He tours for the US State Department to places such as the Middle East, North Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands. Rodgers has toured Russia and performed with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra, with Igor Butman and his Jazz Orchestra as well as for the US Embassy Independence Day Celebration and the Grodno Jazz Festival in Minsk, Belarus. Rodgers has been Music Director and accompanist for Liza Minnelli performances and tours and starred in and wrote the song “I Would Never Leave You” for Liza’s Tony Award®- winning Liza’s At The Palace, filmed and released by PBS television. Johnny has earned New York’s Nightlife, Bistro and MAC awards for his critically lauded performances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Jazz At Lincoln Center, Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel, Feinstein’s at Loews Regency, and other premiere clubs. His songwriting has been recognized with Billboard and ASCAP Foundation awards. Visit http://johnnyrodgers.com .

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ABOUT THE MARCUS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER Established in 1969, the Marcus Performing Arts Center is the premier performing arts community gathering space in Southeastern Wisconsin. As the Marcus Center celebrates its 50th anniversary, it continues to build bridges between diverse members of our community through high-quality arts entertainment in the region and the state. The touring Broadway series, sponsored by Associated Bank, is recognized as bringing the best of Broadway entertainment to Milwaukee for the past 20 years and provides opportunities to educate, entertain and engage audiences. The Marcus Center is also the home to the Milwaukee Symphony, Milwaukee Ballet, Florentine Opera, First Stage plus a variety of other important community and family events throughout the year. For more information about events visit the Marcus Center website at www.MarcusCenter.org. The Marcus Center is a private non-profit 501(c) 3 corporation and is a dedicated veterans memorial in Milwaukee. ABOUT THE FITZ AT THE AMBASSADOR HOTEL The Fitz, located in the iconic Ambassador Hotel, is one of three reimagined dining entities opened in late June 2017. The Fitz joins Gin Rickey and Deco Café as part of the Ambassador's "Trifecta of Dining Excellence". The Fitz features a menu of bold, creative flavors, crafted with influences from yesteryear by the culinary expertise of award winning Chef Jason Gorman. The Fitz’s name is a nod to F. Scott Fitzgerald and his energy and creative storytelling throughout the roaring twenties, the decade during which The Ambassador Hotel was founded. The Fitz offers breakfast, lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch, each of which celebrates the rich history of the hotel with Gorman's contemporary take on the classics. Guests of the Ambassador Hotel, the Fitz, Deco Café' and Gin Rickey are all welcome to take advantage of complimentary parking at the hotel and complimentary shuttle service to and from the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts.