Cranford High School is about to get a taste of Broadway when Rupert Holmes, the Tony Award-winning composer behind The Pina Colada Song, takes the stage alongside students for a one-night-only concert on November 20. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show begins at 7 p.m. at the school, located at 201 West End Place in Cranford, New Jersey.
The event, first reported by TAPinto Cranford, will showcase Cranford High School vocal ensembles alongside local performers, with music spanning Broadway, Disney, and beyond. Holmes himself said the concert will feature hits from Broadway to Billboard and beyond, and he’s hoping the night draws in Broadway lovers, pop music fans, and anyone who simply enjoys a good show, according to the same report. He also said he plans to perform his classic Billboard No. 1 record, the Pina Colada Song.
Holmes isn’t walking into unfamiliar territory. He has a personal connection to Cranford High School through his goddaughter, Melody Jennings, who is one of the student performers slated to appear that night alongside fellow student Lola Clifton, per the outlet’s reporting. Holmes said he has been impressed by the school’s performing arts ensembles and productions, and noted he collaborated with the original creators behind Cranford High’s three most recent musicals — Urinetown, Chicago, and Les Miserables.
A Broadway Resume Decades in the Making
Holmes has written nine Broadway shows over his career, including the Tony Award-winning The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Curtains, and Pirates! The Penzance Musical, according to TAPinto’s reporting. A Manhattan School of Music alumni profile notes that Holmes won two Tony Awards for The Mystery of Edwin Drood in 1985 — Best Book and Best Original Score — and that he also adapted Pirates of Penzance for Broadway alongside Joseph Joubert. He has also won five Drama Desk Awards and is a New York Times bestselling author, per TAPinto…