Nanette Fabray to Headline Damsels Dialogues in L.A.

Tony- and Emmy Award-winning actress Nanette Fabray will headline the cast of The Damsel Dialogues, a new musical revue by Dick De Benedictis in which five women (and one guy) bare their souls in song and dance. 

Miriam Nelson will direct and choreograph a cast that also includes Rena Petrello (As You Like It, California Shakespeare Company), Sandra Purpuro (Broadway: Grease), Catrina Quintanilla, Shannon Watson (1776 at Performance Riverside) and Irene Ryan Award-nominee Michael Falcone.  Opening night, previously announced for March 3, has been rescheduled for March 9 at the Whitefire Theatre in Sherman Oaks, CA. 

"Comic and poignant, Damsels is made up of 23 original songs and five monologues that cover such diverse but universal topics as love, motherhood, divorce, work, therapy, plastic surgery, relationships and sex," sate press materials.  Composer Dick De Benedictis, the recipient of ten Emmy nominations as well as ASCAP Awards for Most-Performed Themes and Underscore, is best known for his work on TV movies and series such as Perry Mason, Matlock, Diagnosis Murder, Columbo and others.  Miriam Nelson's choreography can be seen in films including Cover Girl, Double Indemnity, The Jolson Story, Duffy's Tavern, Breakfast at Tiffany's and Blake Edwards' 10.

In vaudeville from the age of six, Nanette Fabray made her first film appearance as one of Bette Davis' ladies-in-waiting in The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939). In 1953, she played her most famous screen role as a Betty Comden-like playwright in MGM's The Band Wagon with Fred Astaire and Jack Buchanan; their classic musical number "Triplets" was included in That's Entertainment!  Fabray made her Broadway debut in Let's Face It! in 1941, going on to perform in By Jupiter; Bloomer Girl; High Button Shoes; Make A Wish; Love Life, for which she won the Tony Award, and Mr. President, which garnered her a second nomination.  Fabray became a household name with her appearances on Caesar's Hour, for which she won three Emmys.  Additional television credits include regular roles on One Day at a Time and Coach, in which she played the mother of real-life niece Shelley Fabares; a recurring role on Mary Tyler Moore; frequent guest spots on The Carol Burnett Show; and appearances on Burke's Law; Love American Style; Maude; The Love Boat; and Murder She Wrote.  Ms. Fabray has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Performances of The Damsel Dialogues are scheduled Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2:30 pm, March 9 through April 7.  Three preview performances take place on Friday, March 2 at 8 pm; Saturday, March 3 at 8 pm; and Sunday, March 4 at 2:30 pm.  Tickets are $15.00 for groups, students and seniors, and $25.00 general admission.  The Whitefire Theatre is located at 13500 Ventura Blvd. in Sherman Oaks (three blocks east of Woodman, on the corner of Sunnyslope).  For reservations and information, the public should call (818) 991-1485 or visit www.whitefiretheatre.com.