Idina Menzel Joins Roundabout Spring Gala, Honoring John Lithgow

by BWW News Desk Dec. 6, 2018

Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director/CEO) announces Idina Menzel will join the 2019 Gala evening celebrating John Lithgow with The Jason Robards Award for Excellence in Theatre on Monday, February 25, 2019 at the Ziegfeld Ballroom. Menzel will perform a unique concert created exclusively for the special occasion.

Roundabout is thrilled to welcome back Idina Menzel, following her acclaimed sold-out run in Joshua Harmon's Skintight at the Laura Pels Theatre in Summer 2018. Menzel is perhaps best known on Broadway for originating the role of "Maureen" in RENT, winning a Tony Award as "Elphaba" in Wicked and her illustrious live concert career.

Last winter, John Lithgow delighted Roundabout audiences with his critically acclaimed play John Lithgow: Stories By Heart. John made his Broadway debut and earned his first Tony Award in the 1973 production of The Changing Room and since then, has performed continuously on stages across the globe. A six-time Emmy Award winner, Lithgow is best known for his television roles in "3rd Rock from the Sun," "Dexter" and "The Crown."

The Jason Robards Award for Excellence in Theatre is named after the late Jason Robards for his longstanding relationship with Roundabout and memorable body of stage work. It is given to those who have made an indelible impact on both Roundabout and the theatre world.

Roundabout Theatre Company's 2019 Gala will begin at 7:00PM with the Robards Award presentation along with dinner and a live auction, followed by Menzel's special musical performance.

Gala Tickets range from $2,500 - $10,000 and include seating for the dinner and performance, and an invitation to the private cocktail party with Roundabout artists starting at $3,500. Gala Tables start at $25,000 and include an invitation to the private cocktail party and a table of ten for dinner and the performance.

To purchase tickets or a table to Roundabout's 2019 Gala, contact Natalie Rohr, 212-719-9393 x369 or natalier@roundabouttheatre.org. For more information: www.roudabouttheatre.org/gala

All proceeds from the 2019 Gala benefit Roundabout Theatre Company's many programs including Education at Roundabout. There will also be an online auction in the two weeks leading up to the 2019 Gala.

Education at Roundabout serves over 20,000 students and their teachers in New York's public schools throughout all five boroughs. Since 1996, Education at Roundabout has offered nationally recognized programs that use the stimulating power of the arts to inspire and engage. The deep impact and breadth of our work is a result of programs and curricula curated specifically to reach students, teachers, early career professionals, and our audiences. Beginning in 2016 and building on our long partnership with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), Roundabout established the Theatre Workforce Development Program providing a three-year program for 18-24 year-olds from underrepresented communities with trade skills training and job placement, bringing a new generation into the field. roundabouttheatre.org/education

GALA CREDITS: The Gala's Co-Chairs are Diane and Tom Tuft & Johannes (Johs) Worsoe, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG). The Vice-Chairs are: Bank of America, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Roxanne and Scott Bok, Michael Cohen, Colliers International NY LLC, Samantha Rudin Earls and David Earls, Susan and Ed Forst, Sylvia Golden, Kiendl and John Gordon, Jeanne and Tom Hagerty, Stephanie and Ron Kramer, Tom and Kitty Patterson Kempner, William M. Lewis and Carol Sutton Lewis, Janet and Marvin Rosen, Jennifer and Owen Thomas. The Auction Chair is Sylvia Golden and the Auction Committee includes Wendy Barker, Robert Burden and Carmen Grossman and Nicole Kramer.

The Gala performance is sponsored by Taylor W. Lawrence, a Private Artist Reception is sponsored by American Airlines and the Education Paddle Raise is sponsored by Capital One.

Roundabout Theatre Company celebrates the power of theatre by spotlighting classics from the past, cultivating new works of the present, and educating minds for the future. A not-for-profit company, Roundabout fulfills that mission by producing familiar and lesser-known plays and musicals; discovering and supporting talented playwrights; reducing the barriers that can inhibit theatergoing; collaborating with a diverse team of artists; building educational experiences; and archiving over five decades of production history.

Roundabout Theatre Company presents a variety of plays, musicals and new works on its five stages: Broadway's American Airlines Theatre, Studio 54 and Stephen Sondheim Theatre, and Off-Broadway's Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre, which houses the Laura Pels Theatre and Black Box Theatre.

American Airlines is the official airline of Roundabout Theatre Company. Roundabout productions are supported, in part, with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Roundabout's 2018-19 Broadway season includes True West by Sam Shepard, directed by James Macdonald, starring Ethan Hawke and Paul Dano; Kiss Me, Kate, directed by Scott Ellis, starring Kelli O'Hara, Will Chase and Corbin Bleu, and Arthur Miller's All My Sons starring Annette Bening and Tracy Letts, directed by Gregory Mosher.

Off-Broadway in 2018-2019, Roundabout's season includes Apologia by Alexi Kaye Campbell, directed by Daniel Aukin, with Stockard Channing; Merrily We Roll Along by Stephen Sondheim and George Furth, directed by Noah Brody in a Fiasco Theater production; Toni Stone by Lydia R. Diamond, directed by Pam MacKinnon, with Uzo Aduba; and Usual Girls by Ming Peiffer, directed by Tyne Rafaeli and Something Clean by Selina Fillinger, directed by Margot Bordelon at Roundabout Underground.