Luke Yankee to Present DIVA DISH! APACF Benefit Performance at Fox Pointe Manor, 9/21

Did you ever wonder what it was like to be a part of showbiz history? You know, Ethel Merman teaching you how to make martinis while Paul Newman gave you acting tips. And then, fielding all those annoying telephone calls from reporters the night your Mom won the Oscar? Welcome to the world of Luke Yankee, son of Broadway and Hollywood actress Eileen Heckart. In DIVA DISH, his one-man show playing a one night only benefit performance for the ANAHEIM PERFORMING ARTS CENTER FOUNDATION at Fox Pointe Manor on September 21, 2013, that's exactly what you'll experience. This masterful performer and storyteller invites you into a world you've only dreamed about - full of affectionate, showbiz gossip and behind-the-scenes tales of all your favorite celebrities. This multimedia theatrical event includes never before seen photos of stars like Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren and Bob Fosse, rare video clips and scores of humorous stories.
Yankee, an actor, writer and director who resides in Long Beach and Palm Springs, compiled DIVA DISH after his mother, Oscar, Tony, Emmy winner and Theatre Hall of Famer, Eileen Heckart passed away. "I realized I had this incredibly rich legacy of Broadway and Hollywood memorabilia and I had to do something with it," says Luke. "The only thing I love more than knowing all these stories is being able to share them."
In the first half of the evening, Luke "dishes" about the major divas in his life and his mother's: Marlene Dietrich, George Cukor, Marilyn Monroe, Ethel Merman, Lyndon B. Johnson, Bette Davis, and Ellen Degeneres - to name a few - accompanied by video clips, photographs and even a rare audio tape of Joan Crawford. In the second half, the audience shouts out names in the program as he rattles off hilarious anecdotes about Carol Channing, Paul Newman, Martha Stewart, Lucille Ball, Arthur Miller, Debbie Reynolds - and many more.
Luke Yankee has performed DIVA DISH all over the country (including a six week run at the The Long Beach Playhouse) and on more than 25 cruises worldwide. His critically acclaimed memoir JUST OUTSIDE THE SPOTLIGHT (based on the show, with a foreword by Mary Tyler Moore), has been called "One of the most compassionate, illuminating showbiz books ever written." He will be signing copies of the book after the performance.
DIVA DISH will be presented as a benefit performance for the Anaheim Performing Arts Center Foundation on Saturday, September 21, 2013.
Ticket prices are $95.00 for the show, post-show reception and photo with Luke or $40 for the show. Valet parking will be available. Reservations can be made by calling the APAC Foundation office at 714-554-2711 or by contacting Gigi Fusco Meese at gigi@apacf.org
Come join us for this heartfelt and wonderfully entertaining evening. It's like a party with the biggest names from Broadway to Hollywood - and you're invited to hear the dish...the DIVA DISH!
Proceeds from this event will benefit the APAC Foundation whose mission is to build a performing arts center in Anaheim.