Multi-Talented Vanessa Williams Returns To Scottsdale

Vanessa Williams, multi-faceted star of Broadway, film, music videos and television, brings her award-winning talents to Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, April 7, at 8 p.m.

She and pianist/commentator Seth Rudetsky will perform songs from the great musicals, interspersed with a candid interview and commentary as part of the series "Mark Cortale's Broadway @ Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts" at the Center's Virginia G. Piper Theater.

Williams, who last performed at the Center in 2015, is one of the most respected performers in entertainment today. She has sold more than four million albums worldwide, and her acting skills have earned widespread critical praise, including a Golden Globe, a Grammy and an Oscar for "Best Original Song" for her platinum single, "Colors of the Wind" from the Disney film Pocahontas.

In 1994, Williams took Broadway by storm when she replaced Chita Rivera in Kiss of the Spider Woman ("Whenever she's onstage, the temperature in the Broadhurst Theater shoots up about 20 degrees." - The New York Times), and she was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance as the Witch in the revival of Into the Woods ("The most wickedly appealing witch it's possible to imagine." - Variety). In 2013, she starred as Jessie Mae Watts in the Tony-nominated play, The Trip to Bountiful. She was nominated for an Emmy for her role as diva Wilhelmina Slater on ABC's Ugly Betty.

She is also an author whose well-received 2012 memoir, "You Have No Idea," written with her mother, Helen, explores the ups and downs of fame, Hollywood, love and loss. And she branched out into clothing design with her V. by Vanessa Williams line on Evine.

A strong advocate for equal rights, especially concerning the gay community and minorities, Williams was honored in 2008 with the Human Rights Campaign Ally for Equality Award for her humanitarian contributions.

Seth Rudetsky was born in the town of North Woodmere on Long Island, New York, and graduated with a degree in piano performance from Oberlin College in 1988. He then launched a career as pit pianist for such shows as Ragtime, Les Misérables and Phantom of the Opera. He found a knack for commentary, and expanded his career to include arts broadcast journalism, with two shows on Sirius XM that feature interviews with major Broadway stars, and deconstructions of major musicals: Seth's Big Fat Broadway and Seth Speaks. He also writes the Onstage & Backstage column for Playbill magazine, and is a composer, with the score for the musical, Disaster!, to his credit.

In June of 2016, Rudetsky and his husband, James Wesley, co-produced a recording of "What The World Needs Now" with Idina Menzel, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Carole King and Audra McDonald. The song went to No. 1 on iTunes, and has raised more than $100,000 to benefit the Orlando nightclub shooting victims. On Inauguration Day 2017, the couple started Concert For America, an evening of entertainment with stars of film, television, music, comedy and Broadway, raising funds for five national organizations working to protect civil rights.

Tickets:
$89 (M $81) / $69 / $59

Premier Series Sponsors: Lee and Peter Larson
Presenting Series Sponsors: Linda and Sherman Saperstein

SCOTTSDALE ARTS

Through its partnership with the City of Scottsdale, the nonprofit Scottsdale Arts (formerly known as Scottsdale Cultural Council) creates diverse, inspired arts experiences and educational opportunities that foster active, lifelong community engagement with the arts. Since its founding in 1987, Scottsdale Arts has grown into a regionally and nationally significant, multi-disciplinary arts organization offering an exceptional variety of programs through three acclaimed divisions - Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA) and Scottsdale Public Art - serving more than 400,000 participants annually.

SCOTTSDALE CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

Since 1975, Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts has provided a stage for a wide range of artists and genres, creating shared, inspiring experiences for the community that celebrate artistic excellence and cultural awareness. Today one of the premier performing-arts halls in the western United States, the Center presents a diverse season of music, dance, theater, comedy and film from around the world.

LOCATION AND PARKING

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts is located at 7380 E. Second St. in downtown Scottsdale. Free parking is available in the public parking garage located to the west of Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts on Wells Fargo Avenue. Additional free parking is available at the Old Town Parking Corral at East Second Street and Brown Avenue and at the Civic Center Library parking garage located on Drinkwater Boulevard at East Second Street.

ACCESSIBILITY

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts offers performance accommodations to enhance audience members' experience, including: American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation or live audio description with two weeks advance notice. Assistive-listening devices and wheelchair seating are also available. Visit www.ScottsdalePerformingArts.org/visit/accessibility/ or contact the Member and Patron Services Box Office at 480-499-TKTS (8587) [TDD: 480-874-4694] for further details. Please inquire about services when ordering tickets.

TICKET DISCOUNTS

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts offers a variety of ticket discounts for Scottsdale Arts members at the Friends level and above, groups of 10 or more and those purchasing packages to four or more events in one order. The Center provides free tickets to selected events for eligible students, teachers and active-duty military and veterans, and 50-percent off tickets to selected events for patrons 29 and under. Visit www.ScottsdalePerformingArts.org/visit/tickets-discounts/ or call 480-499-TKTS (8587) for more information.

THE STORE

The award-winning Store at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts supports the mission and diverse programs of the nonprofit Scottsdale Arts. The Store's unique selection of merchandise includes artist-made jewelry, stylish furnishings for home and office, unique creations by Arizona artists, fair-trade and upcycled/recycled global crafts, music, books, greeting cards and imaginative toys. Purchases are tax free, and members receive a 10 percent discount. Gift wrapping and shipping are also available. The Store is open seven days a week: Monday - Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon - 5 p.m.; and throughout most evening events. Phone: 480-874-4644