The document discusses the American Songbook in the Penthouse series at Lincoln Center, which features intimate concerts showcasing a diverse range of singers and songwriters. The series takes place in the 225-seat Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse and explores both established American songwriting traditions as well as new directions from across the Americas. The March lineup includes performances celebrating the songs of Ben Toth, an evening featuring songwriter Shaina Taub, concerts from the Villalobos Brothers and Magos & Limón, a debut from singer Jose Llana, and closing performances from Allison Williams.

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American Songbook
in the Penthouse
By David Clarke
The Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse
If the phrase “American Songbook”
only conjures up names like
Gershwin, Kern, Ellington, or Styne,
it’s time to experience American
Songbook in the Penthouse, a new
initiative of Lincoln Center’s long-
running, annual American Songbook
series. Now in its third season, the
Penthouse series continues to expand
the definition of American Songbook
by exploring a diverse range of
singers and songwriters in established
traditions and those creating new ones
in our own backyard and across the
Americas.
American Songbook in the Penthouse
takes place in the 225-seat, cabaret-
style setting of the Stanley H. Kaplan
Penthouse in Lincoln Center’s Rose
Building on West 65th Street. “We
use the Kaplan Penthouse because
we can take risks here,” says Jon
Nakagawa, Lincoln Center’s Director
of Contemporary Programming.
“The Kaplan allows us to be more
adventurous in the choices that we
make.”
Nakagawa and Charles Cermele,
Producer of Contemporary
Programming, have planned six
Penthouse concerts this March,
showcasing a wide range of artists,
each with something special to offer.
“We picked these acts in particular
because of the size of the venue,”
notes Cermele. “The Kaplan Penthouse
is much more intimate than The Appel
Room [the venue at Jazz at Lincoln
Center where Part 1 of American
Songbook continues this month]. The
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beautiful lights of the city outside of the
window, candles on every table, the
warm atmosphere—it’s almost like being
in someone’s living room.”
Opening the series on March 11 is
In Need of Music: The Songs of Ben
Toth with performances by Cheyenne
Jackson, Lindsay Mendez, Darius de
Haas, Alexandra Silber, and others.
Considered a singer’s composer, Toth
has served as musical director and
vocal coach for an unparalleled list of
Broadway stars: Kristin Chenoweth,
Idina Menzel, Mandy Patinkin, and
Jackson, among them.
March 25 also puts a spotlight on new
directions in musical theater when
singer/songwriter Shaina Taub, a rising
star and 2014 winner of a Jonathan
Larson Grant, offers an evening of her
original songs.
The Penthouse series also explores
“traditional Mexican, Spanish, and
Latin musical forms being brought
into the 21st century,” says Cermele.
The Villalobos Brothers, the first band
from Mexico to play at the legendary
Apollo Theater, will bring their brand of
energetic fiddling, which incorporates
the folkloric melodies of Veracruz,
Mexico, to the Kaplan Penthouse on
March 13. With influences as diverse
as Miles Davis and Mongo Santamaría,
Magos & Limón’s convergence of
jazz (Magos Herrera) and minimalist
flamenco (Javier Limón) comes to the
Penthouse on March 26. The duo’s
concert will be a mix of new material
and familiar songs.
“[When] any American song is
performed in our own way, I think it
helps to give an extended vision or
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perception of it,” Magos conveys. “I
think it’s the beauty of New York—and
it is the beauty of music as well—to
have this flexibility.” She adds, “I think
that’s one of the greatest things about
jazz. It is this generous genre where
you can actually [explore the diversity
of cultures, ideas, and directions].”
“What Magos & Limón do together
is almost like a sexy whisper,” says
Cermele.
Another series focus is on singers
whose material is richly evocative and
filled with personal storytelling. Jose
Llana, praised for his striking portrayal
of former president of the Philippines
Ferdinand Marcos in the smash Off-
Broadway musical Here Lies Love, is
one such storyteller. He makes his
New York City solo concert debut on
March 12.
“I think it’s great that Lincoln Center’s
American Songbook asked someone
of Filipino heritage to perform,” says
Llana. “I was born in the Philippines,
and I moved here as a young child.
My progression as an artist in America
is, to a lot of people, the American
dream. My journey as a singer and
as an actor on Broadway very much
chronicles that.”
Closing out the Penthouse series with
two performances, March 27 and
28, is rising actress-singer Allison
Williams, who is also making her
New York solo concert debut. A star
of the hit HBO series Girls (playing
Marnie Michaels) and seen this past
December in the title role in NBC’s
live musical television event, Peter
Pan Live!, Williams will perform some
of her favorite songs to illustrate her
unfolding life and career journey.
Without a doubt, the breadth of
music and talent offered by this
season of Songbook in the Penthouse
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is stunning. Its eclectic mix of styles
and personalities—served up with
complimentary wine and sparkling water,
no less—invites audiences to explore the
new byways of American song.
David Clarke is Editor-in-Chief of Theatrical
Recordings at and a contributor for
BroadwayWorld.com. He also writes about
theater for Out Magazine’s Out.com and
Houston Press’ Art Attack Blog.
American Songbook is a presentation of
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
American Songbook is sponsored by
Prudential Investment Management.
Major support for American Songbook is
provided by Amy & Joseph Perella.
For information, call CenterCharge,
212.721.6500, or visit
AmericanSongbook.org.
Clockwise from opposite page top:
Allison Williams, Jose Llana, The Villalobos
Brothers, Magos and Limón.
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