TO LIFE! Event Will Remember Phyllis Kinsler

Coming this month is “TO LIFE!”, a concert performed by Cabaret Favorites from Manhattan to South Florida, and fundraiser for a beloved supporter of cabaret performers everywhere, Phyllis Kinsler. The event will take place on Sunday May 18th at 4pm at the Adolph and Rose Levis JCC in Boca Raton, FL.

It all began with a chance encounter - truly beshert (meant to be) - when Jeff Harnar randomly plucked Phyllis Kinsler out of the audience during a cruise ship show. He serenaded her with “Fever.” Who knew what a friendship would blossom through the almost 24 years that followed? Sadly, at the end of April, the planet changed seismically with the loss of our dear Phyllis Kinsler. As Jeff and Ari Axelrod in particular, and others begin to understand this loss, the joyful memories are indeed a blessing … and  we will share a few of those blessings with a special music-filled spotlight on the angels who surrounded Phyllis during these past months and lifted her heart through daunting health challenges.

On Sunday May 18 at 4pm, join Jeff Harnar, Ari Axelrod, Rachel Matz Hunter, Jessica Jane Rucker, Meri Ziev and Special Guest, Broadway’s Avery Sommers in a musical celebration honoring the remarkable life and cherished memory of Phyllis Kinsler.  The Music Director is the brilliant Phil Hinton.

Phyllis Kinsler is remembered for her years of tireless support and dedication to the artists and audiences of cabaret both in South Florida and New York City.  She championed artists by selling tickets to their shows, facilitating bookings for their shows, organizing Master Classes and always being “front row center” to cheer them on.  To know her was to love her indomitable spirit. For these reasons and more, a special event has been planned. 

Jeff and Phyllis’s friendship created a domino effect connecting performers from the High Seas to Boca Raton, New York to St. Louis, to Florida and beyond. Always at the core of this universe are Jeff and Phyllis. As multiple performers fell into their orbit, a community of caring was created. 

On May 18th, “To Life! A Musical Celebration Honoring the Remarkable Life & Memory of Phyllis Kinsler” was originally intended to be an award ceremony during which the South Florida Cabaret Community, Co-Founded by Meri Ziev & David Meulemans, would present Phyllis with the First Audience Appreciation Award. The concert will now celebrate this accomplished friend of the artist and Leslie Fox, President of the Sisterhood at Temple Beth Shalom, where Phyllis was Vice President and in charge of Entertainment and Communications, will now accepting the award on behalf of Phyllis. Frank Dain, best known from Cabaret Scenes and the American Songbook Association, has gifted our group with the event poster, and a note of special gratitude is offered to Stephanie Owitz, whose generosity made it possible for the performance to take place at the beautiful Adolph and Rose JCC in Boca Raton.

Tickets are $60 VIP/ $30 General Admission and CASH ONLY at the door. Reservations can be made at ToPhyllisWithLove@gmail.com or by calling 561-476-6281.  100 % of all proceeds go toward covering end-of-life expenses for Phyllis Kinsler.  Additional Cash Donations are Welcomed and Appreiciated.