Davis Gaines and Vicki Lewis Lead MACK & MABEL Benefit for Musical Theatre West

Paul Garman, Executive Director/Producer, has announced a benefit concert version of Jerry Herman's rarely performed musical MACK & MABEL presented by Musical Theatre West at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center for one night only, Monday, May 20 at 8pm. Jerry Herman, composer/lyricist of the musical theatre classics Hello, Dolly!, Mame, and La Cage aux Folles, famously declared that MACK & MABEL is his own favorite score, and the New York Times says, "the songs remain among the most felicitous in Mr. Herman's canon."

MACK & MABEL will star Davis Gaines as Mack Sennett, Vicki Lewis as Mabel Normand, with a special guest appearance by David Burnham. The production has an award-winning creative team, headed by Emmy Award-winning director Larry Carpenter and Emmy Award-winning and Grammy Award-winning musical director John McDaniel. This special event is benefitting Musical Theatre West's Education and Outreach programs.

In MACK & MABEL, famed silent film director Mack Sennett reflects on his artistic legacy - his Bathing Beauties, the Keystone Cops, and of course, Mabel Normand, the waitress from Flatbush that he turned into a movie star. Set against the backdrop of the early days of cinema, this rarely seen musical gem depicts the bittersweet love story between two of film's early icons. Based on an idea by Leonard Spigelglass, with the original book by Michael Stewart, revised by Francine Pascal, MACK & MABEL features one of the best scores from Jerry Herman (Hello, Dolly!, Mame, La Cage aux Folles) including the songs "I Won't Send Roses," "Time Heals Everything," and "Tap Your Troubles Away."

Davis Gaines (Mack Sennett) performed the title role in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera more than 2,000 times on Broadway, in Los Angeles, (where he remains LA's longest-running Phantom), and in San Francisco, (where he received the Bay Area Critics' Award for Best Actor). He starred in Musical Theatre West's productions of Spamalot, Man of La Mancha (Ovation Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical) and 1776. He also appeared at the Mark Taper Forum in Parade with T.R. Knight, and most recently as Hannibal Lecter in the cult hit Silence: The Musical. Gaines is a frequent singer of our National Anthem for the Los Angeles Lakers, Clippers, Kings and Dodgers.

Vicki Lewis (Mabel Normand) is perhaps best known for her role as Beth the secretary on the hit NBC series "NewsRadio." She starred as Velma Kelly in the Broadway and Las Vegas productions of Chicago and played Gloria Thorpe in the Encores productions of Damn Yankees and Pal Joey. She received the Ovation Award for her performance in the world premiere of Michael John Lachuisa's Hotel C'est L'amoure at The Blank Theatre in Los Angeles. At Reprise Theatre Company, she appeared in How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying (Ovation Award nomination), I Love My Wife, My One and Only, City of Angels, and more. TV recurring and guest roles include "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "The Middle," "Bones," "Dirt," "Grey's Anatomy," "Seinfeld," and "Home Improvement," and her voice can be heard in Pixar's animated blockbuster "Finding Nemo."

David Burnham (Frank) was last seen on Broadway in Wicked playing Fiyero, a role that he originated in the developmental workshops of the show. He is an original Broadway cast member of the musical The Light In The Piazza, winning the Helen Hayes Award for Best Actor and the Best Actor Garland Award for his performance in the national tour. He also performed the role on the Tony Awards and in the PBS telecast "Live From Lincoln Center." David first gained acclaim when, after a two-year search, he was chosen to replace Donny Osmond as Joseph in the national tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and he also toured nationally as Peter in Jesus Christ Superstar. Last year, he starred in the new Off-Broadway show The Best Is Yet to Come: The Music Of Cy Coleman, and he was the voice of the Prince in the Warner Bros. animated feature "The King And I."

Director Larry Carpenter is the recipient of four DGA Awards and three Daytime Emmy Awards for his work on television's One Life to Live. He was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for 1989's Starmites. In addition to his theater and television work, he currently serves as the Executive Vice President of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, the labor union for professional stage directors and choreographers.

Musical Director John McDaniel is perhaps best known as the two-time Emmy winning musical sidekick to Rosie O'Donnell during the six year run of "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" on NBC. He has served as the musical director on several Broadway productions, including the revival of Annie Get Your Gun (winning a Grammy Award for producing the cast album) and the recent Catch Me If You Can.

MACK & MABEL will be performed one night only on Monday, May 20 at 8pm. This event is benefitting Musical Theatre West's Education and Outreach programs, and tickets are on sale now at www.musical.org and by phone at 562-856-1999 x4. Tickets are $60 for VIP seating (includes a post-show reception), $50 for prime seating (no reception), and $40 for reserved seating. Tickets may also be purchased in person at the Musical Theatre West Box Office located at 4350 E. 7th Street, Long Beach, CA 90804 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Musical Theatre West performs at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center located at 6200 E. Atherton Street, Long Beach, CA 90815.