The Jazzcat

April 13, 2009 —  Culture Project

(Allan Buchman, Artistic Director), who brought to the stage the successful,

seven season run of the children’s show Maya the Bee, has announced

a special, six-performance run of the acclaimed children’s jazz puppet

show The Cat Who Went to Heaven

at The Harlem School of the Arts Theater (647 St. Nicholas Avenue @141^st

Street). Directed by Will Pomerantz, with music and lyrics by

Nancy Harrow (creator of the Maya the Bee

production), this delightful show is based on the 1931 Newbery Award-winning

Went to Heaven features notable instrumentalists Clark Terry,

Kenny Barron, Frank Wess and the voice of Grady Tate. 

The delightful tale is about the intertwined fates of a struggling Japanese

artist, his housekeeper, a Buddhist priest from the local temple and

Went to Heaven brings together contemporary jazz and the traditional

Japanese art of “Bunraku” puppetry. The full cast includes the singing

voices of Ms. Harrow (as the title cat), Grady Tate (as the Artist),

Anton Krukowski and Daryl Sherman, with Kameron Steele as the narrator.

The puppeteers include Matt Brooks (as the Artist), Melissa Creighton

team includes Jane Catherine Shaw and Amanda Maddock (puppet design

and construction), Amanda Maddock (costume design) and Joseph Silovsky

a perfect introduction to jazz for children,” said Allan Buchman,

Artistic Director, Culture Project. “For more seasoned jazz lovers,

the show is an opportunity to enjoy Harrow’s beautiful score while

will take place at The Harlem School of the Arts Theater, 647 St. Nicholas

Went to Heaven CD was released in 2005 to rave reviews. The show

jazz singer, songwriter, has recorded 15 CDs, the last 5 of which were

her own inventions based on literary subjects – a Willa Cather novel

(titled The Lost Lady, this record was dubbed one of the best

jazz albums of the year by both the Village Voice and Boston Globe),

a novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne, songs based on the life of F. Scott

Fitzgerald, and two CDs based on children’s stories – The Adventures

of Maya the Bee, by Waldemar Bonsels, and The Cat Who

Went to Heaven, by Elizabeth Coatsworth. The Fitzgerald project

directs new plays, musicals, and classical texts in New York as well

as regionally and internationally.  Previously, Will has worked

with Nancy on The Marble Faun

(based on the novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne) and the beloved Maya

the Bee (based on the book by Waldemar Bonsels). Will is currently

producing the reading of Nancy Harrow’s latest opus, My Swan: The

is dedicated to addressing critical human rights issues by creating

and supporting artistic work that amplifies marginalized voices. By

fostering innovative collaboration between human rights organizations

dialogue and policy, encouraging democratic participation in the most

School of the Arts has, since 1964, offered children and young adults

the freedom to discover the artist within them through instruction in

dance, music, theater and the visual arts. HSA’s programs recognize

the intrinsic value of the arts in everyday life, and the ways in which

arts education enhances academic achievement. Every day, HSA helps young

people to develop into self-reliant adults by developing self-confidence,

discipline and their love of the arts. HSA is committed to meeting the

challenges of the 21st century by providing access to new arts education

methodologies and cutting-edge technology in today’s information-driven

global society. Through HSA’s numerous partnerships and artists-in-residence,