Laura Benanti, Megan Hilty, Chita Rivera and More to Join WEST SIDE STORIES: Celebrating NYC in the 1970's

Laura Benanti (My Fair Lady), Megan Hilty (TV's "Smash"), and musical theatre legend Chita Rivera (West Side Story) will be making appearances in WEST SIDE STORIES: Celebrating NYC in the 1970's, a Virtual Fundraiser for the Hudson Guild of Manhattan.

The concert will feature the talents of Kate Baldwin (Hello Dolly!), Tony Award® winner Nikki M. James (The Book of Mormon), Andy Karl (Pretty Woman, Groundhog Day), Kara Lindsey (Newsies, Wicked), Orfeh (Pretty Woman, Legally Blonde), Lauren Patten(Jagged Little Pill, Fun Home), TV/Broadway actress Martha Plimpton ("Raising Hope," "The Real O'Neals"), Sabrina Sloan (Hamilton, Motown) and her Schuyler Sisters from the San Francisco production of Hamilton, The Skivvies (Nick Cearley & Lauren Molina), Emmy Award® winner Holland Taylor, comedian Bruce Villanch, cast members of Sing Street the Musical, stars from "RuPaul's Drag Race," the super-charismatic queer a cappella band of the New York City Gay Men's Chorus, TONEWALL, and more to be announced soon.

WEST SIDE STORIES will air via YouTube on Friday, August 21, 2020, which is Global Senior Citizens Day, and will directly benefit the Hudson Guild and their food assistance programs for senior citizens and low-income families. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, funds are now desperately needed, as many of the food programs these seniors and families rely on have been shut down. The Hudson Guild thankfully has the infrastructure in place to keep some of these programs going, however they are quickly running out of funds, and money is needed immediately to continue to provide meals and groceries as the crisis continues.

The concert is directed by Feinstein's/54 Below's original programming producer Robert W. Schneider with musical direction and editing by Tony and Emmy Award® winning producer Michael J Moritz Jr (From Broadway with Love: A Benefit for Orlando). Rounding out the production staff are Casting Director Robin Carus, Associate Director Benjamin Nissen, Managing Producer Jeff Perri, and Special Material Producer Yoni Weiss.

A link for viewing the concert, along with more cast members, will be released shortly.

For more information about the Hudson Guild, please visit www.hudsonguild.org.