Dan On Broadway: August 2019

Monday, August 26, 2019

A Captivating Tune, Lost In A 'Failed' Show . . .

In 1997 I saw the musical Steel Pier on Broadway with Gregory Harrison, Karen Ziemba and Daniel McDonald. It was a beautiful show with an unusual story. It was melodic and nostalgic and romantic. And it was a Kander and Ebb show, so the music was terrific. Since the story revolved around the marathon dances of the 1930s, the dancing was also first rate.
One particular song, Dance With Me/The Last Girl stayed with me over all these years. Here's how it was performed on the Today Show while Steel Pier attempted to attract an audience during what was a very busy year for musicals, as I recall. Titanic won best musical that year while Chicago took best revival of a musical. In fact, Chicago and Titanic dominated the awards while Steel Pier was left in the dust. It closed after a relatively short run.
But this number remains as fresh and captivating as the moment it was first performed!

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Dan Cirucci, the founder and editor-in chief of the Dan Cirucci Blog and Dan On Broadway, is one of the most widely honored public relations professionals in his field and a public relations consultant to numerous organizations and individuals.

He's also indulged a lifelong passion for New York, Broadway, the theatre and the musical stage.

Over a period of more than five decades he's seen more than 240 Broadway shows and has witnessed some of the greatest performances by Broadway's legendary stars including Ethel Merman, Mary Martin, Bernadette Peters, Rex Harrison, Richard Burton, Angela Lansbury, Raoul Julia, Kelli O'Hara, Lena Horne, Julie Andrews, Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Julie Harris, Carol Channing, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Patti Lupone, James Earl Jones, Tommy Tune, Elaine Stritch, Kevin Kline, Audra McDonald, Chita Rivera, Bette Midler and many, many others.

For many years he served as a Lecturer in Corporate Communication at Penn State University. A former President of the Philadelphia Public Relations Association (PPRA) he has lectured at Rowan University, Temple University, The College of New Jersey and Arcadia University. He has conducted workshops on public relations for thousands of participants throughout the nation and has taught countless others the art of public speaking. He has also advised numerous lawyers, judges, public officials and political candidates. Cirucci is a prolific writer and his op-ed pieces have appeared in the Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia Inquirer, Courier-Post and other publications.

A native of Camden NJ, Cirucci is a former President of the Philadelphia chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators. Cirucci served as Associate Executive Director of the Philadelphia Bar Association for nearly 30 years. He currently serves as Chair of Penn State University's Professional Advisory Board for the Corporate Communication major at Penn State Abington.

He received his MA degree from Rowan University and his BA from Villanova University. He has been named a Distinguished Alumnus of Rowan's public relations program and was inducted into the Philadelphia Public Relations Hall of Fame in 2003. He received the E. A. "Wally" Richter Leadership Award from the National Association of Bar Executives' Communications Section. The Award is the Section's highest honor. He has also been honored by numerous other local, state and national groups.

Cirucci's other passions include politics, the popular culture, books and authors, art, communication, music, movies, dining and travel.