Be Our Guest with Al Tapper & Tony Sportiello

Al TapperProducer of AMT TheaterAl Tapper wears many hats.  Besides being Producer of AMT, he considers himself a renaissance man whose various careers as a Broadway composer, lyricist, playwright, humorist, baseball maven, leveraged buyout specialist and philanthropist have woven a rich tapestry of distinction and success. He recently won a prestigious Peabody Award for excellence in broadcasting for his exuberant 2013 documentary Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy; this follows his acclaimed 2004 film “Broadway: The Golden Age”. He has written songs and lyrics for numerous musicals, including Sessions, An Evening at the Carlyle, From Where I Stand, National Pastime, All Aboard, The Paparazzi, David and more. He is co-author of two joke books — A Minister, a Priest, and a Rabbi and A Guy Goes into a Bar – and is a notable collector of baseball memorabilia.  His musical National Pastime has played in Cooperstown and his latest documentary on the great hitter Ted Williams is available online.Tony SportielloArtistic DirectorTony Sportiello is a playwright and producer whose work has been seen all over the country and all over the world.  Along with Al Tapper he has written the book for the shows National Pastime, All Aboard, The Paparazzi and Upside Down.  National Pastime has played in New York, Washington, Phoenix, Austin, Wilkes Barre, The Major League Hall of Fame in Cooperstown and Guadalajara, Mexico.  His play Star Power has been performed in London, Tickets, Please! in Los Angeles and Crossed Wires in China.  He produced the musical Sessions, which ran for 300 performances Off Broadway.  The ultimate goal is to have a Broadway show but in the meantime he's looking to work with theater artists and colleagues to help make AMT the ultimate 'regional theater' for Hell's Kitchen, bringing original shows, children's theater, cabaret and more to the area.