Standard Time with Michael Feinstein

Performers

• 
  And Pianists:
  Alex Rybeck
• 
  With Special Guests:
  Jason Graae
• Jenifer Lewis
• Michael Feinstein, Artistic Director
• Michael Skloff

Bios

• 
  
• 
  
• Jenifer Lewis
  
  Jenifer Lewis's innate ability to consistently captivate an audience stems from her versatile voice, her bawdy sense of humor, and her powerful acting performances honed largely on the Broadway stage in such hits as Dreamgirls and Neil Simon's reprise production of Promises, Promises. Lewis also appeared alongside Meryl Streep in Shakespeare in the Park's summer production of Mother Courage and Her Children. Lewis returned to Broadway to play Motormouth Maybelle in the hit musical Hairspray and immediately after starred in the successful production of Hello Dolly! at The 5th Avenue Theatre. It was while touring with Bette Midler as one of her infamous "Harlettes" that Hollywood came calling. Once there, Lewis garnered two NAACP Image Award nominations as Best Supporting Actress for her memorable portrayal of Tina Turner's mother in What's Love Got to do With It? and for her work in the romantic comedy The Preacher's Wife-both earning her the endearing title of "The Black Mother of Hollywood."
  
  Lewis has appeared in more than 60 motion pictures, displaying her versatility as both a dramatic actress and a comedic star. Her credits include Sister Act, Hereafter, Cast Away, Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion, and Corinna, Corinna. Lewis has provided the voice to characters in such animated films as Cars, Shark Tale, and The Princess and the Frog. Her television appearances include A Different World, Boston Legal, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Friends, Murphy Brown, and 132 episodes of Lifetime's number-one hit series Strong Medicine. Lewis chose the stage to publicly disclose being bipolar, writing and starring in her successful one-woman show Bipolar Bath and Beyond. She also appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show to encourage its diagnosis and proper treatment.

  More Info
  
  
• Michael Feinstein
  
  Michael Feinstein-the multiplatinum-selling, five-time Grammy-nominated entertainer-is one of the premier interpreters of American popular song. He can be heard on The Sinatra Project, his 2009 Concord Records release that celebrates the music of "Ol' Blue Eyes," and seen in the PBS series Michael Feinstein's American Songbook, now available on DVD.
  
  If that weren't enough, Feinstein serves as Artistic Director of the Center for the Performing Arts-a $170 million, three-theater venue in Carmel, Indiana-that opened last January. The theater is home to an annual international Great American Songbook festival, diverse live programming, and a museum for Feinstein's rare memorabilia and manuscripts.
  
  Feinstein has written the score for the new stage musical The Gold Room, and he is working with MGM to turn The Thomas Crown Affair into a Broadway musical. He also is designing a new piano for Steinway called "The First Ladies," inspired by the White House piano.
  
  Feinstein started playing piano by ear when he was five. As a teenager, he played at weddings and parties in Columbus, Ohio. After graduating from high school, he worked in local piano lounges, moving to Los Angeles when he was 20. Through the widow of legendary concert pianist-actor Oscar Levant, he was introduced to Ira Gershwin in July 1977. He became his assistant for six years, giving Feinstein access to numerous unpublished Gershwin songs that he has since performed and recorded.
  
  More than simply a performer, Feinstein is nationally recognized for his commitment to celebrating America's popular song and preserving its legacy for the next generation. He serves on the Library of Congress's National Recording Preservation Board, ensuring the survival, conservation, and increased public availability of America's sound-recording heritage.

  More Info
  
  
•