Ryan, Byram Among Upcoming Sterling's Upstairs Performers

On Friday, June 9 and Saturday, June 10, 2006, the legendary Vitello's Restaurant in Studio City, CA will open Sterling's Upstairs, an all new supper club that will present the best of Broadway, cabaret and nightclub artists.

In advance of Broadway's 60th Annual Tony Awards® to be televised live June 11, 2006 on the CBS Television Network, the June roster of headliners at Sterling's Upstairs will begin with an opening Gala Benefit titled Broadway: Our Way and will be hosted by 4-time American Comedy Award nominee Los Angeles Ovation Award winner Kathy Buckley, the star of theatre, television and nightclub best known as America's first hearing-impaired comedienne. Her highly acclaimed autobiographical one woman show Don't Buck With Me! played to sold out audiences in Los Angeles at both the Tamarind and Tiffany Theatres. After its combined 7 month run in Los Angeles, the show appeared for a limited engagement on Broadway as Now Hear This! at the Lamb's Theatre and was met with acclaim.

Partial proceeds from the Gala Benefit opening will be donated to the Culver City's No Limits Theatre Group whose mission is specifically designed for deaf and hard-of-hearing children. No Limits provides a comprehensive auditory speech and language development program that enhances a deaf child's self-esteem through the theatrical process, as well as increasing public awareness of the needs and talents of oral deaf children.

A resident of Glendale, CA, Buckley will be joined by a select group of popular Los Angeles-based Broadway musical theatre stars such as Bernadette C. Peters (Grease), Eydie Ayson (Little Shop of Horrors, Fiddler on The Roof). Joan Ryan (Ruthless! The Musical, Footloose, The Music of Andrew Lloyd Weber) will also be on the bill with additional performers to be announced. Ryan serves as the artist-in-residence at Sterling's Upstairs.

Two-time Grammy Award nominee and Broadway star Amick Byram (The Phantom of The Opera, Les Miserables and co-star with Glenn Close in Sunset Boulevard), will then headline the club June 16, 17, 23, and 24. He has sung on over 100 episodes of "The Simpsons." Byram has just recorded his first solo CD, "Encounter" and has performed on many motion picture soundtracks including Shrek, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Pocahontas, Hercules, Mulan, El Dorado, and all three Matrix movies. As an actor, television audiences know him as Ian Troi, Counselor Troi's father from "Star Trek, The Next Generation." Additional television guest roles include "Ally McBeal," "Kristin," "Frasier," "Friends," "Saved By the Bell," and "Superior Court," on which he appeared as a series regular for 3 seasons playing attorney Darrell Guillary.

Ryan completes the month of June when she takes center stage June 30 and July 1. In addition to her critically acclaimed starring role as Judy Denmark/Ginger DelMarco in the Los Angeles premiere of Ruthless! The Musical at the Canon Theatre, she has also starred in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Nunsense II, Angry Housewives, Nite Club Confidential, Suds, Duets For Five, Elegies – Stories From The Quilt, Hidden Broadway, the West Coast premiere of Stephen Sondheim's Anyone Can Whistle, Leonard Bernstein's MASS, The Taming of The Shrew, Cyrano De Bergerac and A Doll's House. Television audiences will recognize Ryan from her roles on "The Young and The Restless," "Saved By The Bell," and "Chicago Hope," among others. She has also released a self-titled solo CD.

In addition to the upcoming opening of Sterling's Upstairs, Vitello's also offers outdoor dining, a luncheon buffet, and a unique variety of carefully selected wines. Widescreen plasma televisions are located throughout the restaurant. Live opera (a long-time feature at Vitello's) is still performed in the restaurant's downstairs Green Room four nights a week, as well as jazz and a classic movie and dinner night.

For over 30 years, Vitello's has been known for its outstanding Italian cuisine, romantic atmosphere and superior service. It is also known world-wide as one of the most legendary restaurants in the United States.

All performances will be presented twice nightly on Fridays and Saturdays with 6:30 pm and 9:00 pm seatings. A four-course, prix-fixe menu is set at $25.00 per person, with a *$40.00 entertainment cover charge.

Vitello's is located at 4349 Tujunga Ave. Studio City, CA. Valet Parking is available. For reservations, call 818-769-0905. Additional information may be obtained by visiting www.vitellosrestaurant.com.

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