Stephanie J. Block Joins Seth Rudetsky Concert Series at Fort Lauderdale's Parker Playhouse

Mark Cortale, producer of the acclaimed Seth Rudetsky Broadway Concert Series, will present Stephanie J. Block, this year's Tony Award® winning Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her title role in The Cher Show, performing live at the Parker Playhouse on Saturday, February 22 at 8 PM. The series, co-presented by the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, delivers intimate evenings of incredible music and hilarious conversations hosted and music directed by Sirius XM Radio star Seth Rudetsky, whom the New York Times dubbed "The Mayor of Broadway." Ms. Block follows her fellow Tony Award® winner Kelli O'Hara's recent January season opener. Next up on April 3 will be Santino Fontana, this year's Tony Award® winner as Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his starring role in Tootsie. For tickets and information, please visit ParkerPlayhouse.com and Ticketmaster.com; by phone at 954.462.0222; in person at the Parker Playhouse box office Tuesday through Saturday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. and at the Broward Center's AutoNation Box Office in Holiday Park at 707 N.E. Eighth Street in Fort Lauderdale.

Stephanie J. Block, who won this year's Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her starring role in the current Broadway hit musical The Cher Show, joins Seth Rudetsky on Saturday, February 22 at 8 p.m. She also starred in the New York Revival of Falsettos (Tony Award Nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical, Outer Critics Award Nomination, Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical), Little Miss Sunshine (Drama Desk Nomination for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical), The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Tony Award Nomination for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical and Drama Desk Award Nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Musical), Anything Goes, By The Way, Meet Vera Stark, 9 to 5: The Musical (Drama Desk nomination for Best Actress in a Musical), Wicked, The Pirate Queen and The Boy from OZ. She starred in the First National Touring Company of Wicked as Elphaba (Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Actress, Carbonell Award for Best Actress in a Musical). Block's regional credits include Funny Girl (Robby Award Winner-Best Actress), Crazy For You (L.A. Ovation Award Nominee), Oliver (Critics Award-Best Actress), James Joyce's The Dead, Triumph Of Love, The Grass Harp, South Pacific, The Will Rogers Follies and the world premiere of Wicked. Television credits include Rise, Orange Is The New Black, Homeland and Madam Secretary. She has sung with numerous symphony orchestras around the U.S. Her solo concert has been critically acclaimed in NYC and London. Her voice can be heard on the original cast recordings of The Boy From OZ, The Pirate Queen and 9 To 5: The Musical (Grammy Nomination) and, of course, her own album, This Place I Know. She is a proud member of The Musical Theatre Guild and has been a member of Actors Equity since 1995.

The series culminates on Friday, April 3 at 8 p.m. with Santino Fontana who currently stars on Broadway as Michael Dorsey in the stage musical adaptation of the film Tootsie, for which he was awarded this year's Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. He was previously nominated for a Tony Award for his starring role as Prince Topher in Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella on Broadway. Fontana originated the role of Tony in the Broadway production of Billy Elliot and was awarded the 2010 Drama Desk Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his work in the revival of Brighton Beach Memoirs. He has also appeared on Broadway in the revivals of Sunday in the Park with George, The Importance of Being Earnest, Hello, Dolly!, Moss Hart's Act One and in the Encores series productions of 1776 and Kurt Vonnegut's God Bless You Mr. Rosewater. He provided the voice of Prince Hans in the Walt Disney Animation Studios film Frozen which he will reprise in the upcoming Frozen 2, and starred on television in the CW romantic musical comedy-drama Crazy Ex-Girlfriend as well as appearances in Fosse/Verdon, Mozart in the Jungle, Shades of Blue and Submissions Only among other television and film appearances. In 2005, as a member of the Essentials, Fontana co-wrote the musical comedy Perfect Harmony and originated the role of Philip Fellowes V. In 2006, he starred as Hamlet in The Guthrie Theatre's performance of the Shakespearean classic, before moving to New York City to star as Matt in the Off-Broadway revival of The Fantasticks. He is married to actress Jessica Hershberg.

About Parker Playhouse: The neo-classical Parker Playhouse is a Fort Lauderdale landmark. One of the city's first entertainment venues, it was built by Dr. Louis Parker and opened its doors on February 6, 1967. During its early years, the playhouse earned its reputation presenting theatrical seasons featuring legendary Broadway stars. In 2005, the Broward Center for the Performing Arts assumed management of the 1,168-seat, fully-equipped theater and, over the years, it became a venue of note for every kind of artistic activity - theater and Broadway, music, concerts, dance of all genres, comedy, conversations, celebrations and educational programming that is curriculum-driven and aligned with Florida state standards. Parker Playhouse is undergoing a $30 million transformation to take the iconic venue into the 21st century. For more information on the Parker campaign, visit ParkerPlayhouse.com/Support.

Seth Rudetsky is the afternoon host on Sirius/XM Satellite Radio's On Broadway as well as the host of Seth Speaks on Sirius/XM Stars. As an author, he penned My Awesome/Awful Popularity Plan and the sequel The Rise And Fall Of A Theater Geek (Random House) as well as three volumes of Seth's Broadway Diary featuring inside scoop and hilarious stories from all of the stars he's worked with. He co-wrote and co-starred in Disaster! (NY TIMES "critics pick") which also premiered to rave reviews in London. In June 2016, he and his husband, James Wesley, co-produced a recording of "What The World Needs Now" with stars like Idina Menzel, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Carole King, Audra McDonald which went to number one on iTunes and raised more than $100,000 for the Orlando shooting victims (and is still raising money. Buy it!). Seth and James have a foundation called Your Kids Our Kids that presented Concert For America; a series around the country featuring stars like Barry Manilow, Stephanie Mills, Vanessa Williams, Tina Fey, Randy Rainbow and Audra McDonald that raised money for 5 non-profits that have been working relentlessly since the 2016 presidential election. They also present Voices for The Voiceless, a yearly star-studded concert for You Gotta Believe which helps older foster children find families, even if they've aged out of the system. If you want to hang out with Seth and James and a bunch of Broadway stars performing up a storm, come on one of their cruises! In October 2020 their Transatlantic Crossing sails to England, in February 2020 they journey to the Caribbean, and in June 2020 to The Adriatic and Greek Isles. More info at SethsBroadwayVacations.com.

Mark Cortale (Producer) co-produced the critically acclaimed new Off-Broadway musical Midnight At The Never Get at The York Theatre last fall, which received 3 Lucille Lortel Award nominations including Best Musical and 2 Drama Desk Nominations including Best Score. He produced Deconstructing Patti on Broadway at the Nederlander Theatre with Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS starring Patti LuPone and Seth Rudetsky. He created the Broadway @ concert series in 2011 at The Art House in Provincetown where he serves as Producing Artistic Director. The series, featuring creative partner Seth Rudetsky as music director and host, just wrapped its ninth season this summer and guest artists over the years have included Patti LuPone, Audra McDonald, Sutton Foster, Megan Mullally, Christine Ebersole and Jessie Mueller. The Broadway @ series also premiered in 2013 in New Orleans, in Australia (Sydney & Melbourne) with Megan Mullally and in London's West End with Patti LuPone at the Leicester Square Theater. The series has since travelled to cities that include Chicago @ The Steppenwolf, Beverly Hills @ The Wallis, Fort Lauderdale @ The Parker Playhouse, San Francisco @ The Herbst Theater and Scottsdale @ Scottsdale Center for the Arts. In the 2018/19 the series launched in Boston @ the Huntington Theatre with Chita Rivera and at The Town Hall in New York City with six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald. Mark produced the feature film Varla Jean and the Mushroomheads and also produces the singing string quartet Well-Strung, which he co-founded. Info at www.markcortalepresents.com.