PRACTICALLY PERFECT Benefit Evening Held At Playhouse's MARY POPPINS 7/18

PlayhouseSquare is pleased to announce that University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital is presenting "A Practically Perfect Evening," a special celebration to benefit PlayhouseSquare's communication engagement and education programs, planned for the Cleveland premiere of the Tony Award-winning Mary Poppins. On Saturday, July 18, "Practically Perfect Evening" guests will be among the first in Northeast Ohio to experience this magical musical.

"Engagement with the arts is an important part of a well-rounded childhood," said Michael J. Farrell, President of University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital and MacDonald Women's Hospital. "We are proud to support the efforts of PlayhouseSquare and encourage others in the community to join with us to ensure that all of our children can experience quality performing arts and arts learning opportunities."

"We are grateful to Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital for their generous support of our education initiatives," expressed Art J. Falco, President and CEO of PlayhouseSquare, "and we applaud all of their efforts to improve the lives of children."

In addition to prime location seating for the evening's performance of Mary Poppins, tickets for the event include admission to a pre-show cocktail party, an elegant sit-down dinner catered by Sammy's and a post-show reception featuring desserts, dancing and opportunities to mingle with the cast.

The schedule for the evening is as follows:

5:00 p.m. - Cocktail party in the Allen Theatre

6:00 p.m. - Seated dinner in the Allen and Palace Theatres

7:30 p.m. - Mary Poppins performance in the State Theatre

10:15 p.m. - Desserts and dancing with the cast in the Allen Theatre

Tickets and tables are available now by calling 216-348-5268. Individual ticket prices start at $300. Proceeds benefit arts education at PlayhouseSquare, keeping ticket prices for school field trips affordable, providing professional development to help educators integrate the arts into their classrooms, continuing free Broadway enrichment activities, supporting local artists in the creation of new work and much more.

Combining the best of the original stories by P. L. Travers and the beloved Walt Disney film, the Tony Award-winning Mary Poppins is everything you'd hope for in a Broadway musical-and more. Produced by Disney and Cameron Mackintosh, the show includes such wonderful songs as "Chim Chim Cher-ee," "A Spoonful of Sugar," "Let's Go Fly a Kite," and, of course, "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious."

Mary Poppins will play July 17-August 9 in the State Theatre at PlayhouseSquare. The Cleveland engagement of Mary Poppins is part of the KeyBank Broadway Series at PlayhouseSquare. KeyBank is the title sponsor of the KeyBank Broadway Series at PlayhouseSquare. For information, visit www.key.com.

PlayhouseSquare understands its vital role as an educator in our community, and is committed to providing arts learning opportunities of the highest quality to enrich the lives of students, families, teachers and adults. PlayhouseSquare's Community Engagement & Education Department is unique in the performing arts industry for the variety of programs it offers, the partnerships it initiates and the access it provides students, educators and aspiring artists to performing arts professionals. Since its inception in 1998, the Community Engagement & Education Department has offered thousands of events, workshops, classes and more, most with minimal or no fees, to people of all ages from all areas of Northeast Ohio. The generous support of individual and corporate donors and foundations makes it all possible.