McArdle, Kritzer, Bayardelle, Perry & More Featured In BROADWAY DIVAFEST At Engeman Theater 8/21

The John W. Engeman Theater at Northport is pleased to present BROADWAY DIVAFEST tonight, Friday August 21, 2009 at 8pm. BROADWAY DIVAFEST will feature Big Broadway talent in the intimate 400 seat setting of the John W. Engeman Theater at Northport. Tickets are priced at $50 and can be purchased by calling 631-261-2900 or by visiting the Box Office at 250 Main Street, Northport, NY.

There's an old adage that states "Behind every great man, there's a great woman". On Broadway, it might be more appropriate to say "Behind every great musical, there's a great leading lady". Roles like Belle (Beauty and the Beast), Tracy Turnblad (Hairspray), Fantine (Les Miserables), Celie (The Color Purple), Sally Bowles (Cabaret), Fanny Brice (Funny Girl), Nellie Forbush (South Pacific), Donna Sheridan (Mamma Mia) and countless others have changed the face of the Broadway stage and likewise changed the role of women in the world of the Broadway musical. Produced exclusively for the John W. Engeman Theater by New York Casting Director Stephen DeAngelis , five of Broadway's finest female vocalists celebrate the roles and musical selections that underscore the leading lady's influence on "The Great White Way".

Performers scheduled to appear are Carey Anderson (Avenue Q, Mamma Mia), Jeannette Bayardelle (The Color Purple), Marissa Perry (Hairspray), 2 X Drama Desk Award nominee Leslie Kritzer (Legally Blonde, A Catered Affair, Hairspray) and Tony Award nominee and Theatre World Award winner Andrea McArdle (Broadway's original "Annie", Les Miserables, Beauty and the Beast, Starlight Express, State Fair). Musical Director / Accompanist for the evening will be Eugene Gwozdz.

Also starring in the show will be the stunning, glimmering blue art deco Steinway & Sons piano RHAPSODY. Designed by artist Frank Pollaro and inspired by legendary Steinway artist George Gershwin (CRAZY FOR YOU), this piano is a must see for any music enthusiast.

Crafted in tribute to the 100th anniversary of Gershwin's birth, the piano is dyed in brilliant blue and over 400 mother-of-pearl stars have been hand cut into the piano and inlaid in random fashion. The plate is gilded in silver to give the impression that the piano is emanating light when it is opened.
Other distinctive features found on the piano are the first two measures of "Rhapsody in Blue" indelibly imprinted on the plate; the music rack carved into the silhouette of the Manhattan skyline on the backdrop of a New York City night sky mirrored on the Hudson River; the legs decorated with mother of pearl spotlights shining into the deep blue night sky in celebration of Broadway's exciting grand openings.

See it in person now at the Green Room Piano Bar and Lounge and on stage at the John W. Engeman Theater at Northport on Friday August 21!

Tickets are priced at $50 each and can be purchased by calling 631-261-2900 or by visiting the Box Office at 250 Main Street, Northport NY.

For more information, visit www.johnwengemantheater.com.

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