Rue McClanahan News

Tony Award Winner Len Cariou (Sweeney Todd, A Little Night Music) and Rue McClanahan (The Women, TV's 'The Golden Girls') have just been added to the Broadway Backwards concert benefiting the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center.

On Monday evening, February 23 at 8:00pm, the Broadway community (and beyond) is coming together for one of the most important events of the year - Defying Inequality: The Broadway Concert -- A Celebrity Benefit for Equal Rights, a one-night only concert event at the Gershwin Theatre

Tony Award Winner Len Cariou (Sweeney Todd, A Little Night Music) and Rue McClanahan (The Women, TV's 'The Golden Girls') have just been added to the Broadway Backwards concert benefiting the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center.

On Monday evening, February 23 at 8:00pm, the Broadway community (and beyond) is coming together for one of the most important events of the year - Defying Inequality: The Broadway Concert -- A Celebrity Benefit for Equal Rights, a one-night only concert event at the Gershwin Theatre (222 W. 51st Street). The special star-studded evening will feature performers from stage & screen - from Saturday Night Live to Spring Awakening - all to benefit Family Equality Council, Empire State Pride Agenda, Equality California, Garden State Equality, and The Vermont Freedom to Marry Task Force. 100% of the profits from this spectacular event will be donated directly to Family Equality Council, Empire State Pride Agenda, Equality California, Garden State Equality, and The Vermont Freedom to Marry Task Force, five charitable organizations working to promote equality and protect civil rights for the gay and lesbian community. Defying Inequality: The Broadway Concert, A Celebrity Benefit for Equal Rights, is produced by 4Good Productions, the same presenters of the 2005 event Broadway's Celebrity Benefit for Hurricane Relief at the Gershwin Theatre. Featuring over 200 Broadway performers, the 2005 event raised more than $200,000 in just one night. Special thanks to the producers of Wicked and the Nederlander Organization for generously donating the Gershwin Theatre for the evening.For tickets and information, please contact Ticketmaster at (212) 307-4100 and visit www.defyinginequality.com.

What is the best way for man about to turn 30 to cling to his fleeting youth? The answer: try to recreate something that was cool when he was 24! For one night only Back Stage Bistro Award winner Tom D'Angora brings his critically acclaimed super hit Divas I've Done back to NYC. Divas I've Done played sold out runs in LA, Boston, Provincetown, and 21 weeks Off-Broadway Upstairs at Studio 54 and at Theater Row.

Westchester Broadway Theater is Proud To Present Dan Goggin's 'MESHUGGAH-NUNS!' The Ecumenical Nunsense. February 12 - MARCH 21, 2009 Book, Music, Lyrics & Direction by Dan Goggin With the ?Nunsense' shows, the creator, Danny Goggin, has lifted the human spirit as he has made millions laugh. Meshuggah-Nuns, is the fifth variation in the popular 'Nunsense' series. For the last 26 years, the Little Sisters of Hoboken have entertained audiences in theatres around the globe, making 'Nunsense' an international household name. Meshuggah-Nuns, has The Sisters aboard the ship Golden Delicious on a 'Faiths of All Nations' cruise. Due to rough seas, the actors of the onboard musical, Fiddler On The Roof, succumb to sea sickness. Miraculously, the nuns survive the rolling waters unscathed, after Sister Julia put Dramamine in the brownies! The ship's captain, knowing of the Sisters' show-business savvy, urges them to concoct a variety show with Howard, who plays Tevye, the only actor who still has his sea legs. The four singing nuns now become an ecumenical, co-educational quintet. The show has a variety of music, with songs ranging in style from pop to country to gospel blues. Many of the jokes are delivered in the Laugh- In comedy format. There are sing-alongs, and even a puppet named Sister Mary Annette who performs a saucy Mae West number. It promises to be a laugh-filled funfest, with a mix of musical madcap, sprinkled with saintly sight gags and ubiquitous jokes. From the rousing opening number, 'Anchors Aweigh', to the hysterical, 'Say it in Yiddish', and 'Matzo Man,' to the touching, 'A Love Like This', the show will lift your spirits. It is a sweet natured celebration of Catholic and Jewish traditions.

Playhouse on the Green, a 54-year-old not-for-profit theater company in residence at a beautiful 228-seat jewel-box theater in the heart of downtown Bridgeport, presents a staged reading of Quitting Time, a new dramatic play by Jack Rushen, on Sunday, February 15 at 7PM. The reading is part of the 'Page to Stage' New Play Reading Series, an ongoing Playhouse program that supports Connecticut playwrights and introduces audiences to their latest creations. An audience talkback with Rushen moderated by 'Page to Stage' Series curator Mark S. Graham takes place following the reading. The cast includes Bob Adrian of New York City, Frank Piazza of Bridgeport, Guy A. Fortte of Bridgeport, Richard Weidlich of Greenwich, and Cindy Hannah of Wilton. Mark S. Graham directs. Quitting Time is the story of Charlie Valesky, a sixty-year-old foreman in a helicopter factory. As his company waits for a stalled government contract, Charlie may lose his job. His workers don't respect him, retirement age is looming, and he is haunted by the memory of his only son who was killed in the World Trade Center. After his wife dies, Charlie's one desperate need is to hold on to his job. As intense feelings of anxiety haunt him, the play asks the question 'Will Charlie ever find peace?' Quitting Time examines the fragility of the 'American Dream', the desperate need we all have for respect, and the powerless feeling of trying in vain to make sense of tragedies we can do very little about.

Playhouse on the Green, a 54-year-old not-for-profit theater company in residence at a beautiful 228-seat jewel-box theater in the heart of downtown Bridgeport, presents a staged reading of Quitting Time, a new dramatic play by Jack Rushen, on Sunday, February 15 at 7PM. The reading is part of the 'Page to Stage' New Play Reading Series, an ongoing Playhouse program that supports Connecticut playwrights and introduces audiences to their latest creations. An audience talkback with Rushen moderated by 'Page to Stage' Series curator Mark S. Graham takes place following the reading. The cast includes Bob Adrian of New York City, Frank Piazza of Bridgeport, Guy A. Fortte of Bridgeport, Richard Weidlich of Greenwich, and Cindy Hannah of Wilton. Mark S. Graham directs. Quitting Time is the story of Charlie Valesky, a sixty-year-old foreman in a helicopter factory. As his company waits for a stalled government contract, Charlie may lose his job. His workers don't respect him, retirement age is looming, and he is haunted by the memory of his only son who was killed in the World Trade Center. After his wife dies, Charlie's one desperate need is to hold on to his job. As intense feelings of anxiety haunt him, the play asks the question 'Will Charlie ever find peace?' Quitting Time examines the fragility of the 'American Dream', the desperate need we all have for respect, and the powerless feeling of trying in vain to make sense of tragedies we can do very little about. This is a free reading, with a suggested contribution of $10. Seating is on a first come, first served basis; no reservations necessary. Playhouse on the Green is located at 177 State Street, Bridgeport, Connecticut, 06604. Free parking is nearby. For information, please visit the newly redesigned website www.playhouseonthegreen.org.

What is the best way for man about to turn 30 to cling to his fleeting youth? The answer: try to recreate something that was cool when he was 24! For one night only Back Stage Bistro Award winner Tom D'Angora brings his critically acclaimed super hit Divas I've Done back to NYC. Divas I've Done played sold out runs in LA, Boston, Provincetown, and 21 weeks Off-Broadway Upstairs at Studio 54 and at Theater Row.

Back in Pictures celebrates the songs that were originally written for the masterpieces of the Golden Age of Hollywood, featuring music from Casablanca, Easter Parade, A Star Is Born, Pennies From Heaven, Disney, Meet Me In St. Louis, Gentlemen Prefer Blonds, The Wizard of Oz and many more. Back in Pictures is showing at the Reprise Room, 245 West 54th Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenue, New York, from April 7, 2008 through January 5, 2009.

Pittsburgh CLO's production of A Musical Christmas Carol will make musical memories once again at the Byham Theater from December 5 - 21. The talented cast will feature returning audience favorites as well as several new faces, including previously announced Pittsburgh native Tom Atkins as Scrooge.

The third annual Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS benefit evening 'Salon: Six Degrees of Broadway Cares' took place on Monday, October 27th.

Terri White will be performing on Tuesday, October 28, 2008 at 8:30 pm at the Irdium Jazz Club. There is a $25 cover charge; food is $10. Those who print out this article will receive $10 off.

Two time Golden Globe Award nominee Chris Noth (Sex and the City), Bistro Award winner Tony DeSare and actress Traci Jai Edwards (Legally Blonde) have been added to the roster of talent for third annual Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS benefit evening 'Salon: Six Degrees of Broadway Cares' scheduled to take place Monday October 27th.

After extensive development in New York at the York Theatre and the Vineyard Theatre, the world premiere of the musical 'The Medium at Large' took place Sunday afternoon, October 19, 2008, at the Village Players Performing Arts Center in Oak Park, Illinois, just over Chicago's western border. Starring Tony Award nominee John Herrera (Neville in 'The Mystery of Edwin Drood') as the titular spiritualist, the show shows promise in negotiating a tricky premise and an even trickier payoff.

Two time Golden Globe Award nominee Chris Noth (Sex and the City), Bistro Award winner Tony DeSare and actress Traci Jai Edwards (Legally Blonde) have been added to the roster of talent for third annual Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS benefit evening 'Salon: Six Degrees of Broadway Cares' scheduled to take place Monday October 27th.

Back in Pictures celebrates the songs that were originally written for the masterpieces of the Golden Age of Hollywood, featuring music from Casablanca, Easter Parade, A Star Is Born, Pennies From Heaven, Disney, Meet Me In St. Louis, Gentlemen Prefer Blonds, The Wizard of Oz and many more. Back in Pictures is showing at the Reprise Room, 245 West 54th Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenue, New York, from April 7, 2008 through January 5, 2009.

Ghosts. Romance.Mischief. New York City, 1938. What if those who have passed on have never really left us at all? It's possible! Join Bruce, a medium-at-large, as he plays matchmaker for a pair of sisters in this world and the next, and set skepticism aside for an evening of romantic high jinks. As one sister says to the other, 'You've dropped your friends, you're secretive, you're defensive, you're mysterious, you're hostile...it's got to be love.'

BABALU-CY will now play a special schedule from September 27th thru October 12th it will playSaturday & Sunday @ 3pm. THERE WILL BE NO WEDNESDAY PERFORMANCES IN OBSERVANCE OF ROSH HASHANAH & YOM KIPPUR.

Come out and witness this rare appearance of author & showbiz personality Rue McClanahan.