Open Arts Alliance Partners with Wallace Center to Offer: “Broadway by the Year”

Members of The Wallace Center (formerly the Senior Center) are enjoying a weekly class, “Broadway By the Year,” taught by Open Arts Alliance instructor, John Curtis.

Open Arts Alliance and the Wallace Center both call 299 Greenwich Avenue home, so the collaboration is ideal.

Left to right: Mary Jenkins, Eileen McLaughlin, John Curtis, Myra Waine, Adele Rota and Judy Berg. Sept 18, 2025 Photo: Leslie Yager

From the golden age of Rodgers & Hammerstein to beloved classics by Cole Porter, the Gershwins, and beyond, this 8-week program meets on Wednesdays at noon to explore the rich history of American musical theater from the 1920s to today.

Mr. Curtis leads sing-alongs, shows film clips, and shares stories about Broadway’s most iconic songs and shows for a heartwarming, educational, and musical trip down memory lane.

Last week the instructor John Curtis gave an exciting presentation on the career highlights of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, the iconic songwriting duo who were active from 1919 to 1943.

They wrote music and lyrics for 28 stage musicals and over 500 songs, creating enduring works for Broadway, film, and well-known Broadway musicals, including Pal Joey and On Your Toes, with memorable songs including “My Funny Valentine” and “The Lady is a Tramp.”

Of course the Depression caused a devastating blow to the Broadway theater world, but Rodgers and Hart made the move to Hollywood where they made songs for movies in 1930. Then, working for MGM Studios in 1934, their song “The Bad In Every Man” was sung by Shirley Ross in Manhattan Melodrama.

They wrote Blue Moon in 1934. Over the decades recordings of the song by a variety of artists, each with a different twist. Elvis Presley recorded his version in 1954. Then, in 1961 it became an international number-one hit by the doo-wop group The Marcels.

OAA’s John Curtis leads his class at The Wallace Center called Broadway By the Year. Sept 16, 2025 Photo: Leslie Yager

A highlight of last week’s class came when Mr. Curtis belted out an impressive rendition of “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” from Pal Joey, a musical about a manipulative nightclub performer that premiered on Christmas day, 1940, opening on Broadway at the Barrymore Theatre.

After Lorenz Hart died in November 1943, Richard Rodgers partnered with Oscar Hammerstein who he had collaborated with earlier on Oklahoma! Their partnership produced many hit musicals including Carousel, South Pacific and The King and I.

Several Wallace Center members stayed after class to talk some more about the musicals, songs and movies.

“The Broadway by the Year program is such fun,” said Adele Rota. “John Curtis is an engaging instructor and is so enthusiastic about sharing his knowledge of Broadway Musicals. I love listening to these tunes as well as singing along!”

Mary Jenkins said she thought she knew a lot about the history of musical theater until she met Mr. Curtis.

“OAA’s John Curtis provides such clear and detailed information about the talents who created it,” she said. “It helps that he has film clips of performances, but he really brings the magic of musicals to life when he sings.”

Judy Berg said she too was enjoying learning about the rich history of the Broadway musical.

“The class is entertaining and brings back a host of good memories of the plays I have seen and the people I have seen them with,” Berg said. “My parents had the LPs of many of the Broadway shows and I find I know the words to many of the songs.”

“John’s enthusiasm for this subject is uplifting – and we enjoy his talent as well,” she added. “I am finding that many of the songs I know came from musicals – I didn’t know that!”