Showcase Cabaret Brings To Life the David Yazbek Songbook

He was mesmerized by every song he heard, moving to the rhythm of the music, eyes closed as he absorbed the performances and mouthed the lyrics. Yes, this man knew every song by heart but, then again, he should. Because this man wasn't just any audience member. He was David Yazbek, and he was witnessing his songbook coming to life through 12 juniors from Carnegie Mellon University's School of Drama. David Yazbek helped students fine tune their performances, prepared with the help of faculty member Gary Kline. Yazbek wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musicals "The Full Monty," "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown," "The Band's Visit" and "Tootsie." The students presented "Give Them What They Want" at the Greer Cabaret Theater in Pittsburgh on Sunday night. Yazbek, an American writer, musician, composer and lyricist, wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musicals "The Full Monty," "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown," "The Band's Visit" and "Tootsie." No stranger to Broadway's elite, Yazbek was thrilled with what he saw in the student performances, calling them "some of the best I've heard" in the business.