Rosie O'Donnell & More to Open Provincetown Dream Season During Memorial Day Weekend

Summer 2015 kicks off with star-power in Provincetown this Memorial Day Weekend. Leading off for Producing Artistic Director Mark Cortale's inaugural Broadway @ Town Hall season is comedian-actress Rosie O'Donnell with Sirius XM radio star Seth Rudetsky as pianist and host, for one show only on Sunday, May 24 at 9:00 PM, and featuring opening guest, indie rocker Melissa Ferrick. Rosie's stage credits include the Broadway productions of "Grease," "Seussical," "Fiddler on the Roof," "Love, Loss and What I Wore," and the Encores! production of "No, No, Nanette." In addition to her acclaimed stand-up comedy and film careers, she is perhaps best known on television as the host and Executive Producer of the Emmy Award winning talk/variety series "The Rosie O'Donnell Show," and more recently for her return to daytime television as co-host of ABC's "The View." Memorial Day weekend also includes the one-two punch of Indie Rock star Melissa Ferrick back for her fifth consecutive season with two shows on May 23 at 6:30 PM & 9:00 PM, and the hysterical brand new drag comedy "Designing Women Meets The Golden Gals" starring Varla Jean Merman, Ryan Landry, Olive Another and Liza Lott will open for a summer-long run on May 23 and 24 at 7:30 PM (running through September 5). For Tickets visit www.ptownarthouse.com or call 800-838-3006.

On the big screen, Rosie O'Donnell has starred in "A League of Their Own," "Sleepless in Seattle," "Another Stakeout," "The Flintstones," "Exit To Eden," "Now and Then," "Beautiful Girls," "Harriet the Spy," and "Wide Awake." Rosie can currently be seen in her recurring role as Rita Henricks on ABC Family's "The Fosters." As a tireless crusader for children, she established the Rosie's For All Kids Foundation, which has awarded more than $27 million dollars in grants to over 1,400 child-related non-profit organizations to benefit low income families across the country. Rosie's Theater Kids provides free in-school, after-school and summer instruction in musical theater to the public school children of New York. Recently, Rosie received a milestone in philanthropy when she was awarded the prestigious Isabelle Stevenson Award at the 2014 Tony Awards for her dedication, commitment and unconditional generosity towards arts education and New York City's public schools.

Indie Maverick and major label veteran Melissa Ferrick is an accomplished singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who has shared stages with artists as wide-ranging as Bob Dylan, Paul Westerberg, Weezer and Ani DiFranco. She has released seventeen total albums over the past eighteen years, including Everything I Need, which was named Album of the Year by the Gay and Lesbian American Music Association. With songs that, as CMJ noted, "cut to the bone thanks to their truthful, personal viewpoints," the native New Englander is a powerhouse vocalist and guitarist who has steadily released indie projects since her prior stints on Atlantic and W.A.R. Records, and is a six-time Boston Music Award and GLAMA Winner. A passionate Out artist with a devoted LGBT following, Ferrick is beloved for her magnetic personality, fierce honesty and lightning-speed rhythm guitar style. Among her almost non-stop touring, she teamed-up on the road with fellow folk-rocker Ani DiFranco for her 2011 album Still Right Here (her first studio album in five years) which featured DiFranco on guest vocals and an appearance by guitar virtuoso Kaki King. Her album The Truth Is, released 2013 features Grammy-winner Paula Cole among other guests and won the 2014 Independent Music Award for Alt Country Album of the Year Fan Vote. She is releasing her 12th original studio album in July of 2015.

In last summer's Ptown debut of "The Golden Gals," a parody of the iconic sitcom, Varla Jean Merman (Blanche) matched wits with Ryan Landry (Dorothy). The Examiner of New Orleans called the production of this spoof "gloriously funny exercise in well-crafted comedy," and that "for those that followed the TV misadventures of four elderly Miami women in the classic NBC sitcom, while the action on stage mostly concerns men dressing and portraying women's roles, the fact is these actors are so good they make true believers of audience members." This Memorial Day weekend, the hilarity is expanded exponentially when "Designing Women Meets The Golden Gals" starring Varla Jean Merman, Ryan Landry, Olive Another and Liza Lott opens for a summer-long run.

In addition to lead-off star Rosie O'Donnell, the new Broadway @ Town Hall concert series will feature Tony and Emmy Award winning star Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka, with Rudetsky as pianist/host, performing two shows only August 10 at 6:00 PM and 8:30 PM. Superstars Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker will perform on stage together for the first time in nearly two decades on August 17 at 6:00 PM and 8:30 PM, also accompanied by Rudetsky. History-making six time Tony winner Audra McDonald will perform with special guest Will Swenson, accompanied by Rudetsky, for one show only on August 24 at 6:30 PM. McDonald will perform in Provincetown on the heels of a Tanglewood engagement in July as well as a Williamstown run in Eugene O'Neill's "A Moon For The Misbegotten" with Will Swenson. Last but not least Tony winner and star of "30 Rock," "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" and "Ally McBeal" Jane Krakowski also joins Rudetsky for one show only on August 30 at 6:30 PM.

The groundbreaking, original Broadway @ The Art House series returns to its annual summer home for its fifth season with another stellar lineup of Broadway's brightest stars, each featuring the series' long-time host and Sirius XM radio star Seth Rudetsky at piano, except where otherwise noted. Two Time Tony Nominee and star of Broadway's "Cinderella" Laura Osnes makes her series debut on June 27 and 28 at 7:00 PM. Two-Time Tony-Winner and star of TV Land's new hit series "Younger," Sutton Foster returns to the series on July 3 at 7:00 PM and July 5th at 5:00 PM and 7:00 PM (the star will also be premiering her new art show at A gallery in P-town this summer). Star of Broadway, Stand-up Comedy, and TV's "Orange is the New Black" Lea DeLaria performs July 11 and 12 at 7:00 PM. TV's original Star Search winner and Tony-nominated Broadway star Sam Harris returns to the series on July 24 and 25 at 7:00 PM. Cabaret star Roslyn Kind (kid sister of Barbra Streisand) performs with Alex Rybeck at piano and directed by Richard Jay-Alexander on July 31 and Aug 1 at 7:00 PM. Norm Lewis, Tony-nominee for "Porgy and Bess" and star of Broadway's "Phantom of the Opera," will perform August 7 and 8 at 7:00 PM. Kerry Butler, Tony nominated star of "Xanadu" and "Rock of Ages" performs August 14 and 15 at 7:00 PM. Broadway & cabaret performer and Sirius XM radio personality Christine Pedi performs August 22 at 8:30 PM for one show only. Cabaret legend and Ptown favorite Marilyn Maye returns for her fifth season with Billy Stritch at the piano, on August 25 - 29 at 7:00 PM. Broadway stars Alice Ripley & Emily Skinner who created the roles of Daisy & Violet Hilton in the original production of "Side Show" join forces with Rudetsky on September 1 and 2 at 7:00 PM.

The Art House is also now offering a special Broadway Season Pass to audiences for an overall savings of $315 for audiences wishing to purchase tickets for the entire combined Broadway @ The Art House & Broadway @ Town Hall concert series. The Broadway Season Pass allows purchasers to choose & reserve seats in the theaters' VIP Sections, and to transfer tickets to friends in cases where the ticket purchaser can't attend. For more information, please visit www.ptownarthouse.com or call 800-838-3006.

And, in addition to the aforementioned Memorial Day performances by rock star Melissa Ferrick on May 23 and the opening of the summer-long run of hysterical new drag comedy "Designing Women Meets The Golden Gals" on May 23 & 24, Varla Jean Merman will also debut her brand new solo show "Varla Jean's Big Black Hole" from June 28 through September 7 with Gerald Goode at the piano. Next up, Well-Strung, The Singing String Quartet returns for a fourth consecutive summer to debut their all new show "Summer Lovin'" directed by Richard Jay-Alexander from June 30 through September 2. RuPaul's Drag Race stars will invade the town all summer long: Drag Race reigning champion Bianca Del Rio will debut her "Rolodex of Hate" for P-town audiences from August 10 through September 3; Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon returns with cohort Major Scales in the all-new show "Jinkx Monsoon's The Inevitable Concert" to run from July 15 through September 18; Drag Race star Courtney Act will present "Boys Like Me" from June 30 to August 20; and Jinkx Monsoon and Peaches Christ will bring their "Return to Grey Gardens" to the venue from August 21 to September 20. For tickets and information on The Art House and Town Hall 2015 Summer Seasons, visit www.ptownarthouse.com or call 800-838-3006.

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