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MUSICALS & PLAYS



    

Impact Is a Theatrical Journey That Packs Quite a Punch 

"Moving, sorrowful, hopeful and ultimately enlightening, Amy Engelhardt’s Impact is a monologue with music, detailing the 1988 terrorist bombing of PanAm Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland and events that tied her to the attack. Engelhardt’s personal connections to the tragedy led her, unexpectedly, to new depths of her art, and gave her a renewed hope for humanity."  
"Engelhardt’s delivery is truthful and conversational
—beautifully non actor-y..." 
- NiteLifeExchange

"beautiful... devastating... affirming... heartbreaking"

"I laughed and cried and sometimes at the same time.
I encourage anyone who has lost the ability to know
the good of humanity among all the evil in the world to watch IMPACT."


"Girl In The Garden was so moving. I never allowed myself to process this properly. That song did it for me. 😘"

"Maybe this play is what I needed to give myself permission to write about it. Or maybe the permission to give myself permission NOT to write about it."


"They always say comedians are the best at drama. Amy Engelhardt is no exception... This career funny lady’s one act personal journey in the shadows of The Lockerbie/PanAm Flight 103 bombing was incredibly moving and emotionally introspective."

"...she conveys her transformation of that experience over the years into something positive and hopeful....bringing such beauty and inspiration to such a tragic event...an astonishing piece of theater."

"thank you for reminding us that no one is really gone as long as we tend their flame"

"IMPACT is an exceptional work of multimedia storytelling...  a journey that begins with horrific, indiscriminate violence, weaves in the most moving musical tribute I have ever heard, and ends in community and grace."


"powerful, thoughtful, kind and compelling"

"Her words, lyrics, insights and her steadfast commitment to bear witness are profound and powerful. I encourage everyone to watch this."

"her formidable powers of song and story connect us"


LOOK BACK, ACT FORWARD




READ ABOUT IMPACT ON HVY.COM



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Watch the Promo Video for BASTARD JONES
(Originally a PLAYBILL exclusive)

Off Broadway Alliance Awards
Nominee: Best New Musical 

Drama Desk Award
Nominee: Best Leading Actor in a Musical
Chita Rivera Award
Nominee: Best Male Dancer, Off Broadway
EVAN RUGGIERO
 Clive Barnes Award
 Nominee: ELENA WANG - Bastard Jones
WINNER - EVAN RUGGIERO - Bastard Jones
Read about it in PLAYBILL



NEW YORK TIMES
"...catchy songs, reminiscent of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s poprock catalog... 
Bastard Jones' nonjudgmental approach to sex and disability, and its brash 
desire to entertain, are winning." 


TIME OUT NY  - ✪✪✪✪
"Ladies can’t keep their hands off the illegitimate but well-favored hero of Marc Acito and Amy Engelhardt’s ribald new musical comedy. Bastard Jones is randy yet ingenuous; it’s like a very bawdy Disney movie, with hummable pop music to match. If this smartly plotted and irrepressible musical moves beyond the Cell, the show has legitimate potential."


FORBES
"A sold out sensation, Acito and Engelhardt manage to imbue this shagadelic 
rock musical comedy with sweetness and soul."

STAGEBUDDY
"If I could fill this review with synonyms for “brilliant” it still wouldn’t be enough, or do justice to just how good Bastard Jones is... Through all the rollicking and romping in the style of a British farce there is brilliant comedic timing, 
catchy, powerful songs and outstanding physical comedy."

BROADWAYWORLD
"The lovably silly and immensely tuneful version offered by Amy Engelhardt (music/lyrics) and Marc Acito (book/lyrics/direction) is a decidedly American, pop rock charmer."


REVIEWSHUB
“Engelhardt’s music is tastefully varied, making bold choices even in comedic numbers. 
The lyrics seem to inject adrenaline into the satire of yesteryear, adding a little modern obscenity to keep things fresh...This adaptation highlights the joy of sexuality, and leads 
by example with a talented, diverse cast.” 


THEATERSCENE.NET
"A ribald, raucous and bawdy pop rock musical by Marc Acito and Amy Engelhardt (of the Grammy Award winning a Capella group The Bobs)…The bouncy rock score by Engelhardt to witty lyrics by Acito and Engelhardt has discernable influences in Gilbert & Sullivan, Cole Porter and 60’s British pop songs. The clever songs have pertinent and revealing titles...Sophisticated and off-color, naughty but nice, it proves to be a sharp and irreverent entertainment."



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TRIPTYCH is a trio of 10-minute musicals set on the M42 Crosstown Bus 
 in the years 1985, 2000 and 2017.
Follow three friends across Manhattan as their relationships 
to each other and the City change and grow. 

TRIPTYCH was commissioned by the New York Transit Museum as part of their PLATFORM Series and premiered in October 2017. It was performed on the deconstructed bus exhibit in the museum. Production photos are by Kevin Albinder.










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 "An exciting new musical in the tradition of “Hair” and “Rent." Wonderful in the true sense of the word, full of wonder, for wonder is an underlying theme. This sense of wonder and of hope is also conveyed with the emotionally expansiveness of Sipos’ music... This is an uplifting musical."
- South Sound Arts


 
In Ithaca, NY with composer Peter Sipos and astronomer/author Ann Druyan Sagan:
"I really believe your ‘Contact’ has a place on Broadway and all around the planet.”
Summer 2009

 
Caitlin Frances with Jill Tarter, on whom the character of Ellie Arroway was based, and as Ellie in the CenterStage production of CONTACT


 
BLESS THIS JOURNEY TO THE STARS  -   STAR STUFF


 
FAITH OR PROOF  -  THEY CAN'T TOUCH ME

 TO THE HEART OF THE GALAXY

I could cite equations overblown/And rage against the odds that we're alone
And never feel and see what's right in front of me... CONTACT
Breathe in, receive....CONTACT
Breathe out, believe.... CONTACT
 
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 "It's a load of fun to watch these folks bring this story to lusty life!" - Theatre Puget Sound
"A thoroughly entertaining musical... transforms the classic into something new and fresh."
-  Federal Way News



 









INCIDENTAL MUSIC/SPECIAL MATERIAL

MOTHER, MAY I - Strand Theater, Baltimore dir. Rain Pryor
HOLLYWOOD NURSES - Chashama NYC
THAT SINKING FEELING - Free Associates, Chicago
THE DOG AND PONY SHOW - Free Associates, Chicago
THE EGG GAME - Present Company, NYC
THE NEW NORMAL John Raitt Theater, Hollywood
THE PEZ SHOW (Hollywood/NYC/Rooftop Comedy online) 
TELL ME WHO YOU ARE (podcast)
CORONA DIALOGUES (Active Voice Productions)
HOOKED ON PHONICS 

AWARDS/HONORS


Manhattan Association of Cabarets (MAC) 
Dottie Burman Award for Songwriting 

Nautilus Studio Composer/Librettist Residency (LA)

National Winter Playwrights Retreat 2020

NAMT Writers Residency Grant (Bastard Jones)

Billie Burke Ziegfeld Award
SemiFinalist

Bethany Arts Commission Resident (NY) 2021
(The Completely True...)