Betty Buckley to Open Centenary Stage Company's 2013-14 Season, 9/21

Broadway's legendary leading lady Betty Buckley will kick off Centenary Stage Company's new season with a memorable performance to highlight a grand theatrical celebration. FromCATS to SUNSET BOULEVARD, she has dominated the stage like no other, and CSC brings the "Voice of Broadway" to the Lackland Center on Saturday, September 21st at 8 PM for the 2013-2014 Season Opening Gala. In her new Broadway revue Ah Men! The Boys of Broadway, Buckley sings some of her favorite songs sung by male characters from Broadway shows, including numbers from Sweeney Todd,West Side Story, Guys and Dolls, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, Pippin, Mame and La Cage Aux Folles. Buckley won a Tony Award for her performance as Grizabella, the Glamour Cat, in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats, and also starred in Triumph of Love, Sunset Boulevard, 1776,Pippin and many more Broadway hits. She's recorded a dozen albums, including the Grammy-nominated concert recording Stars and the Moon: Betty Buckley Live at The Donmar, and starred in such TV series as Eight is Enough, HBO's Oz and the 2010 miniseries The Pacific.

The Season Opening Gala with Betty Buckley will begin with a pre-show reception at 6:30 PM in the Kutz Black Box Theater of the Lackland Center. This year's reception will include some surprise entertainment to accompany specialty custom brews provided by Hackettstown's own Homebrew University and a selection of New York style hors d'oeuvres. A silent auction will take place throughout the evening lead by the Old Souk Trading Company and a cash bar will be available in the lobby. The performance by Betty Buckley will begin at 8 PM in the Sitnik Theater of the Lackland Center, and a limited VIP "Meet and Greet" with the artist will happen during the on-stage post show reception. CSC representatives will also be selling 50/50 tickets throughout the evening to benefit CSC's Arts Education Programs and the Young Audience Series that tours to schools throughout the state.

Tickets for the performance of Betty Buckley are $40 in the Orchestra and $35 in the Balcony. Tickets for the pre-show reception with Orchestra seating are $60. Special VIP tickets, which include the pre-show reception, the performance with orchestra seating, and the post-show "Meet and Greet" will be offered at $100. All proceeds from the evening will benefit the CSC Arts Education Programs. To purchase tickets or to find more information on any of the events listed, visit www.centenarystageco.org or call (908) 979-0900. The David and Carol Lackland center is located at 715 Grand Avenue in Hackettstown.

The Season Opening Gala with Betty Buckley's Ah Men! The Boys of Broadway is sponsored by Heath Village and Panther Valley Pharmacy and Gifts.

To continue the New York theatre excitement, this season three plays from past CSC seasons will make their debuts in New York City. The captivating drama Breakfast with Mugabe, which was produced at CSC in the opening season of the Lackland Center, is performing at the Pershing Square Signature Center Theatre from August 11 - October 6, as a co-production between CSC and Two Planks Productions. The critically acclaimed 2013 CSC World Premiere production of The English Bride, developed through CSC's Women Playwrights Series, will also be moving to New York this fall as part of the 59E59 Theatre season, running Oct 23 - Nov 17. "A must-see-event" says theatre critic Rick Busciglio of New Jersey Footlights. And also developed in the Women Playwrights Series, The Unfortunates by Aoise Stratford was part of the 2013 Fringe Festival in New York Aug 9-25 with actress Diana Cherkas reprising her performance as Mary Kelly.

Photo Credit Myriam Santos