Numbers From BILLY ELLIOT & More Performed At MTC's Spring Gala 5/18 In NYC

Manhattan Theatre Club will present its Annual Spring Gala on Monday, May 18, 2009, at Cipriani 42nd Street, 110 East 42nd Street. The show will include numbers from this season's most celebrated Broadway shows, including Billy Elliot, Hair, Shrek The Musical, and West Side Story as well as numbers from the fantastic musicals Ain't Misbehavin' and The Devil's Music: The Life and Blues of Bessie Smith. The show will be hosted by two-time Tony, Emmy, SAG, American Comedy and Drama Desk Award winner, Christine Baranski.

MTC will honor Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) for its longtime support of and commitment to the organization.

The evening will include appearances from David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik and Kiril Kulish, all Tony-nominated for the title role in Billy Elliot, Miche Braden recreating the title role from the Off-Broadway musical, The Devil's Music: The Life and Blues of Bessie Smith, Allison Case from Hair, Brian d'Arcy James and Sutton Foster, both Tony-nominated for their roles in Shrek the Musical, accompanied by Tony-nominated composer Jeanine Tesori and associate orchestrator John Clancy, and Haley Carlucci and Matthew Hydzik from West Side Story.

As a special treat, Tony Award-winning director Richard Maltby Jr. will also present THE FINALE from his award-winning musical Ain't Misbehavin' which premiered at Manhattan Theatre Club in 1978. Featured in the cast will be Patrice Covington, Starr Domingue, Arthur Marks, Tony Perry and Teresa Stanley.

Baranski has appeared extensively at Manhattan Theatre Club in such shows as Sally and Marsha; It's Only a Play; Regrets Only; Lips Together, Teeth Apart; and The Loman Family Picnic. Her Broadway credits include Boeing-Boeing, The Real Thing, Rumors, Hurlyburly, and The House of Blue Leaves.

All monies raised from this annual event, including a silent auction, will benefit MTC's play and musical theatre development programs and its extensive educational outreach programs.

The Chair of the event is David C. Hodgson of General Atlantic LLC. Vice-chairs are Peter A. Bridgman of PepsiCo., Inc., Joseph H. Gleberman of Goldman, Sachs and Co., Joseph T. Healey of Sextant Search Partners, LLC, and Susan and Peter J. Solomon of Peter J. Solomon Company.

This black-tie benefit event begins at 7PM with cocktails and a silent auction, followed by dinner at 8PM and Gala Performance at 9:15PM. Tables of ten are available for $35,000, $25,000, $15,000 and $10,000; individual tickets are available for $2,500 and $1,000. For tickets and further information, call (212) 399-3000, ext. 4346 or visit www.manhattantheatreclub.com/gala.