Groff, Clark, Sudduth and More Visit Beechman's 'THE AFTER PARTY' Tonight 12/12

The Laurie Beechman Theatre, located within The West Bank Café (407 West 42nd St.), is pleased to continue our Friday night soiree, THE AFTER PARTY. Now going strong it's third, THE AFTER PARTY is billed as "a weekly schmoozefest for the theatrically inclined."

Every Friday from 10:30 pm until the wee hours, pros from Broadway and aspiring stars alike belt it out on the stage of The Laurie Beechman Theatre. Join hosts Brandon Cutrell (MAC & Bistro Award winner) and Alysha Umphress (XL Star) with Ray Fellman (Captain Louie) at the piano for this weekly party in the theatre district. There is no cover charge for this event. Come and sing yourself as the mic is always open, or sit back and enjoy a cocktail with friends. Located just blocks from the Great White Way, you never know who might drop in.

Tonight Friday, December 12th, they welcome the cast of PRAYER FOR MY Enemy, including Tony Award winner Victoria Clark, Tony Award winner Michelle Pawk, Tony Award nominee Jonathan Groff, Skipp Sudduth, Theatre World Award winner Cassie Beck, and Zachary Booth. All will be in attendance and Jonathan Groff and Skip Sudduth will perform. The evening will also feature performances by former Bette Midler "Harlette" and Hairspray's Charlotte Crossley and The Larry King Orchestra's Larry King. All will be on hand to greet fans.

The Laurie Beechman Theatre is located downstairs, within The West Bank Café, 407 West 42nd St. at 9th Avenue . There is a full bar and bar menu available, and reservations are not necessary for this event. THE AFTER PARTY highly recommends audience members arrive early. Seating is first come, first serve. Priority seating may be given to those who wish to order from the menu and/or the bar.

Jonathan Groff's Broadway credits include Spring Awakening (Theater World Award, and Tony and Drama Desk Noms) and In My Life. Off-Broadway: PRAYER FOR MY Enemy (Playwrights), Hair (Delacorte Theater), Spring Awakening (Atlantic). Tours/Regional: The Sound of Music, Honk!, and Bat Boy.

Skipp Sudduth's Broadway credits include South Pacific, Twelfth Night, The Iceman Cometh, On the Waterfront, and The Grapes of Wrath (also at London's National Theatre). Off-Broadway: PRAYER FOR MY Enemy (Playwrights), 10 Million Miles, Writer's Block, The Big Funk and Marisol. TV includes Officer John "Sully" Sullivan in the Emmy Award-winning "Third Watch" (six seasons), "Criminal Minds," "Law & Order: SVU," "Oz," "Trinity," "Homicide: Life on the Street." Film: Ronin, Flawless, Money Train, Clockers, American Cuisine, Drunkboat (TBR). TV directing: "Third Watch," "ER," "Criminal Minds," and "Women's Murder Club."

Charlotte Crossley, Hairspray's Motormouth Maybelle, is the world's oldest living Harlette, from Bette Midler's legendary back-up group ("Back up, girls!"). She started with Miss M in 1973 after stints in Hair and the original Broadway cast of Jesus Christ Superstar. The Harlettes (FTH) had their own album on Columbia, now found on eBay and in rare record shops! In Hollywood, she appeared in the Sister Act movies and on "The Oscars" (helping Robin Williams "Blame Canada"). She has recorded with Barry Manilow, Luther Vandross and a galaxy of divas. Currently on Broadway in Hairspray as Motormouth Maybelle, Charlotte also appeared on Br
oadway in The Color Purple (Church Lady/Doris). Winner: 2005 NAACP Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actress (Hairspray- 1st national tour). Please visit www.myspace.com/charlocrossley.

Larry King is an accomplished singer/pianist, bandleader and musical director who has performed over four decades at such legendary music venues as The Rainbow Room, The Copacabana, Alice Tully Hall and The Oak Room at the Algonquin. The Larry King Orchestra is a fixture on the Manhattan scene and has performed at a variety of social and corporate events including the 50th Anniversary of CBS News, The Cable and Broadcasting Hall of Fame and special events for Tim and Nina Zagat, New York University and The Real Estate Board of New York. Larry King Productions provides premium music and entertainment services for clients of The Russian Tea Room, Le Cirque, Hotel Plaza Athenee, Loews Regency Hotel, The Metropolitan Club, Le Parker Meridien, The Prince George Ballroom, Bouley Restaurant and many more leading NYC event locations. Larry has worked with a wide range of megatalents including Mary Cleere Haran, Maxene Andrews of the Andrews Sisters and former Harlette and Hairspray star Charlotte Crossley. His new classic jazz cd "Very Early" will be released early in 2009. Please visit www.LarryKingMusicNY.com.

Brandon Cutrell is a Bistro Award and two-time MAC Award winner. New York credits: Broadway By The Year at Town Hall, The 2nd Annual Broadway Unplugged at Town Hall, Pippin (with Ben Vereen and Rosie O'Donnell), La Gioconda at TheatreSource, David Friedman's King Island Christmas, and Liz Swados' Waiting For Lefty. National: Theatre of the Stars, Goodspeed Musicals, the Human Race Theatre and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. For nearly two years, Brandon was the original host of the MAC Award nominated show, Mostly Sondheim. In December of 2005, Brandon made hi
s debut in the world-famous Oak Room at The Algonquin Hotel. In June of 2006, Brandon made his solo debut at Feinstein's, New York's legendary nightclub on Park Avenue. Currently, Brandon can be seen every Friday night at The Laurie Beechman Theatre on 42nd Street as the host of The After Party, a weekly open-mic, musical theatre soiree. Brandon's self-titled debut cd was released on June 4th, 2007 at Feinstein's and is now available on iTunes and at www.BrandonCutrell.com.

Alysha Umphress, a graduate of The Boston Conservatory, made a splash at the Chelsea bar, XL, winning their American Idol-type competition, XL Star. She recently opened for Diana Krall at the Fujitsu Jazz Festival, soloed along side Carlos Santana at San Francisco's Fillmore Auditorium and performed with the Boston Pops. Regional roles include the Witch in Into the Woods, Trina in Falsettos and Winnifred in Once Upon a Mattress. Alysha is the recipient of two Bay Area Theatre Critics Awards for her work in Rags and FAB! She has belted out the National Anthem for The Oakland A's, San Francisco Giants, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings and San Jose Sharks.

Bistro Award winner Ray Fellman recently made his Off-Broadway debut when he was handpicked by Stephen Schwartz to musical direct his off-Broadway musical, Captain Louie. Other Musical Director credits include The Tutor by Wood/Gerle (59 E. 59th), Reluctant Pilgrim (The Barrow Grou
p), Blood Drive: A Musical Triptych by Sheinkin/Derfner (workshop at the O'Neill Theater Center) and Amahl and the Night Visitors (national tour directed by David Aiken). Ray has been seen behind the piano in The Storefront Theatre's New Mondays (with Bill Russell and Emily Skinner), No Reservations (starring Brandon Cutrell with special guests Karen Mason and Shoshana Bean), Broadway Downtown (with Kristy Cates) and We Miss Nancy: The Storefront Sings Lamott (with Liz McCartney). He has also served as accompanist for Utah Festival Opera Company, The Opera Company of Brooklyn , Mid America Productions at Carnegie Hall (with John Rutter) and A Yuletide Celebration with the Indianapolis Symphony starring Judy Kaye. As a singer, Ray has sung with some of the finest opera companies in the country, including Florida Grand, Glimmerglass and New Orleans operas. Ray holds degrees in piano and voice from the Indiana University School of Music.

Photo by Peter James Zielinski