Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!

By: Mar. 28, 2016
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For 99 years, The Drama Book Shop has been a beloved New York institution, serving the theatrical community with the world's largest collection of theatre and film books. On the evening of Sunday, February 14th, The Tony Award-winning Drama Book Shop suffered a burst water pipe, destroying half the shop's inventory and doing extensive damage to the shop itself.

Over the weekend, stars of stage and shop employees gathered for a night of stories and songs to celebrate and benefit the legendary Drama Book Shop at Feinstein's/54 Below. Check out photos from the night below!

The legendary shop has been much-talked about lately, after Lin-Manuel Miranda (of Hamilton fame) launched an internet campaign to bring sales into the flooded shop. In just a few short days, New York's theatrical community joined together to celebrate the shop -- and save it, too. Thanks to Lin-Manuel Miranda's #Ham4Ham video and Twitter campaign encouraging fans to #BuyABook, online sales sky-rocketed and in-store traffic doubled. With support fromHoward Sherman and other theatre luminaries, many customers called in to order "$200 worth of books, doesn't matter what they are".

The lineup featured Alex Boniello (Spring Awakening), Chuck Cooper (Tony Award-winner, The Life, Caroline or Change, Amazing Grace)Bobby Cronin, David Cryer (The Phantom of the Opera, 1776, Chess), composerNancy Ford, Penny Fuller (Applause, Dividing The Estate, A New Brain), Patti Mariano (The Full Monty, Rags, original cast member of The Music Man), Sally Mayes (She Loves Me, Closer Than Ever), Gabrielle Ruiz(Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, If/Then, In The Heights) and The Skvivies. Also featured are Phyllis Blanford, Britt Cryer, Janet Fanale, Kristen Gehling, James Horan, Polly McKie, The NYCity Slickers, Red Wine + Whiskey, Paul Thomas Ryan, Crystal Skillman, Vanessa Spica and Shawn Verrier with Steven Carl McCasland on piano.

The evening also featured various auction and raffle items, including two tickets to HAMILTON, followed by a backstage meet-and-greet with the show's director, Thomas Kail.

Photos by Samantha Mercado-Tudda

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
Drama Book Shop employees Shawn Verrier, Kalyne Coleman, Danny Blanda, Abigail Hardin and Steven Carl McCasland

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
Musical Director and Drama Book Shop employee, Steven Carl McCasland

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
Jean Ann Garrish, Britt Cryer, Polly McKie and Vanessa Spica

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
Paul Thomas Ryan and Sally Mayes

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
The NYCity Slickers

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
David and Britt Cryer

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
Janet Fanale

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
Jean Ann Garrish

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
Crystal Skillman, Bobby Cronin and Ali Stroker

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
Ali Stroker

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
Drama Book Shop employee Danny Blanda

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
Tony Award-winner Chuck Cooper

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
The Story Pirates

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend's Gabrielle Ruiz

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
Phyllis Blanford and Drama Book Shop employee Kalyne Coleman

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
Jeanine Robinson and James Horan with members of the New York City Gay Men's Chorus

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
Penny Fuller

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
The 32-Bar Cut Medley Performers

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
Crystal Skillman and Bobby Cronin

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
Kristen Gehling

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
Composer James Horan

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
Steven Carl McCasland and Tony Award nominee Sally Mayes

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
NYCity Slickers give their regards to Broadway... bluegrass style!

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
NYCity Slickers singers Kimberly Harris, Abigail Hardin and Annie Chadwick

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
Drama Book Shop staff member Kalyne Coleman

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
The Skivvies perform "I Like Musicals"

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
Drama Book Shop Social Media Manager Steven Carl McCasland

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
Original cast member of The Music Man, Patti Mariano

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
Tony Award nominee Sally Mayes

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
Britt and David Cryer

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
Drama Book Shop staff member Shawn Verrier

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
Tony Award winner Chuck Cooper

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
Spring Awakening's Ali Stroker

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
Paul Thomas Ryan with Janet Fanale, Kristen Gehling, Polly McKie and Vanessa Spica, performing the 32-Bar Cut Audition Medley

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
Members of The Story Pirates, the resident theatre company at The Drama Book Shop

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
Alex Boniello

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
Phyllis Blanford

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
Red Wine + Whiskey

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend's Gabrielle Ruiz

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
Penny Fuller sings "One Halloween" from Applause

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
Penny Fuller

Photo Flash: Inside the Drama Book Shop Benefit at Feinstein's/54 Below with Penny Fuller, The Skivvies & More!
Jeanine Robinson leads members of the New York City Gay Men's Chorus



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