Raue Center Welcomes Rita Rudner

Raue Center For The Arts is excited to welcome comedian, writer, actress and mom Rita Rudner to the stage! Treat mom to an early Mother's Day featuring quick one-liners and a wickedly funny look at everyday life from this house-filling favorite on May 12, 2018!

"Rita is always great! She's able to make us laugh at ourselves in a way that lingers," says Raue Center Executive Director, Richard Kuranda. "That's why she's had the longest-running solo show in Vegas! Smart, funny and always a great night out! We are lucky to have her at Raue Center!"

Rudner moved to New York at the age of fifteen to become a dancer. She appeared in several Broadway musicals, including the original productions of "Follies" and "Mack and Mabel." In the early '80s, Rudner took a full-time leap from chorus lines to punch lines and was soon a regular guest on both "Late Night with David Letterman" and "The Tonight Show."

Rudner's first solo HBO special, "Rita Rudner's One Night Stand," aired in 1989 and was nominated for several awards, as was her six-part TV series "Rita Rudner," which aired on BBC and A&E in 1990. Rudner's two one-hour specials for HBO, "Born To Be Mild" and "Married Without Children," were ratings standouts in the 1990s.

A house-filling favorite in Las Vegas since she opened her show in June 2000, Rudner is known for her epigrammatic one-liners. With over 1.5 million tickets and more than 2,000 shows, Rudner has become the longest-running solo comedy show in the history of Las Vegas and has been named Las Vegas's "Comedian of the Year" 9 years in a row!

Rudner worked as a writer for the 2001 and 2003 Oscars along with Steve Martin, as well as the 2002 Oscars alongside Whoopi Goldberg. In 2008, "Rita Rudner: Live From Las Vegas" was the first-ever PBS stand-up comedy special. The following year, she performed for President Obama alongside Bette Midler and Sheryl Crow.

In 2012, she wrote and performed "The Rita Rudner Show" for BBC radio and released the Showtime Comedy special "Rita Rudner and 3 Potential Ex-Husbands." Most recently, Rudner performed in "Act Three" by David Ambrose.

Rudner is also the best-selling author of five books. Her work includes nonfiction titles "Naked Beneath My Clothes," "Rita Rudner's Guide to Men," and "I Still Have It... I Just Can't Remember Where I Put It," along with novels "Tickled Pink" and "Turning the Tables." The audio version of "Naked Beneath My Clothes" received a Grammy nomination.

Tickets start at $35 and may be purchased online at rauecenter.org or via the Box Office at 815.356.9212 or 26 N. Williams Street in downtown Crystal Lake.

About Raue Center For The Arts

Raue Center is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of all through the arts. For 16 years, they have provided quality programming - striving to make it pertinent, available and affordable to all. As a painstakingly restored, 1920s regional Showcase Theatre named for its benefactor-Lucile Raue-Raue Center has attracted the finest stars, Broadway shows, musicians and artists. Named on the League of Historic American Theatres, Raue Center is one of the finest examples of restored art and decor in the nation. The 750-seat theatre, located in historic downtown Crystal Lake, IL, is a gathering place for our region's citizens and has become a true destination. For additional information, visit rauecenter.org, facebook.com/RaueCenter and twitter.com/RaueCenter.