Stephen C. Widom Cultural Arts at Emanuel will present “The Joint Is Jumping” at Emanuel, featuring Jimmy Roberts at the piano, on Sunday, Nov. 12 at 3:00 p.m. at Temple Emanuel of Great Neck.
Jimmy Roberts has honed a lifetime of musical influences into an afternoon you won’t soon forget.
Singer, pianist, and composer of “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change,” the second longest-running Off Broadway musical ever, Jimmy draws on his vast knowledge of classical and popular music to take you on a journey through lyrics and melody.
In a voice the New York Times called “rhythmically perceptive,” he locates the emotional center of a song, whether comedic or dramatic. He is known for telling stories through songs and becoming the character he sings about.
Whether it’s a Broadway hit or a tune you’ve never heard, each receives the trademark “Jimmy Roberts treatment.”
At the keyboard, he uses his classical training to create unique blends of the Great Masters with the Broadway Masters.
Thus, “My Funny Valentine “finds new meaning when it intertwines with Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata.”
Likewise, “Send In the Clowns” and “Bach’s Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” suddenly seem made for each other, an arrangement which prompted Stephen Sondheim to write appreciatively to Jimmy, “Bach is as good company as one could ask for.”
Finally, all of this will be leavened with his New York Times-published poems, brief observations about life in the city along with images from his deepest memories. So, join us on Nov. 12, as Temple Emanuel is transformed — part cabaret, part concert. The joint will truly be jumping at Emanuel!
Jimmy Roberts composed the music for “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change,” the second longest-running Off Broadway musical ever. The show received both the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations as Best Musical when it opened in 1996.
It has since played in all 50 states as well as over 25 countries around the world. Two additional scores, “The Thing About Men” (Best Musical 2003, Outer Critics Circle) and “The Velveteen Rabbit,” a children’s musical, received rave reviews and recognition.
His latest musical, “Welcome to the Big Dipper,” is scheduled to open at the prestigious York Theatre in New York in 2024.
Jimmy is also a sought-after performer. In entertaining programs that combine classical and popular music, he has delighted audiences with his wit and his special way with a song. Recent engagements include Merkin Concert Hall, the Time Warner Center, the 92nd Street Y, Steinway Hall, and the National Arts Club.
SCW Cultural Arts at Emanuel, presented Jimmy, playing and singing in two recent video programs: “S’Wonderful, S’Marvelous, S’Gershwin,” and “Songs I Wrote…Songs I Wish I Wrote.”
A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with noted pianist, Constance Keene, Jimmy Roberts is also a poet, and several of his poems have appeared in The New York Times.
Admission is free. Please call 516.482.5701 and let us know that you are planning to attend so that we can prepare accordingly.
Temple Emanuel of Great Neck is located at 150 Hicks Lane, Great Neck, NY 11024.
