Jackson, Benanti, Neuwirth, Pasquale Lead MTC's AN INTIMATE NIGHT, 1/24

Manhattan Theatre Club will present its annual Winter Benefit, an evening of cocktails and dinner followed by a special one-night-only cabaret-style show featuring some of the biggest stars of musical theatre on Monday, January 24, 2011 at The Plaza (58th Street & Fifth Avenue).

MTC's Artistic Director Lynne Meadow will direct the show which will feature performances by Tony Award winner Laura Benanti (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown), Cheyenne Jackson ("30 Rock"), two-time Tony Award winner Bebe Neuwirth (The Addams Family), and Steven Pasquale ("Rescue Me").

MTC Board member Fiona Kirk and Christine Daley are co-chairs of the event.

The evening's creative team will include: John Lee Beatty (Set), Aaron Spivey (Lighting), Dan Gerhard (Sound), and Joel Silberman (Musical Director).

The Winter Benefit begins with cocktails at 7 PM followed by dinner at 8 PM with the performance beginning at approximately 9:15 PM. All proceeds from this annual event will support MTC's mission as a leading non-profit theatre company producing contemporary plays on and off-Broadway.

Individual tickets for MTC's Winter Benefit, including cocktails, dinner and the show are available for $2,500 and $1,500. Tables of ten are also available for $25,000, $20,000, and $15,000. Tickets can be purchased at www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com/WinterBenefit or for more information, call (212) 399-3000, ext. 4145.

---
Lynne Meadow, since 1972, has overseen hundreds of productions and accepted every major theatre award on behalf of MTC. Director: Donald Margulies' Collected Stories, The Loman Family Picnic, Charles Busch's Our Leading Lady and The Tale of the Allergist's Wife (Broadway, national tour), David Greig's The American Pilot, Ron Hutchinson's Moonlight and Magnolias (MTC, ALLIANCE THEATRE), Leslie Ayvazian's Nine Armenians (Drama Desk nomination, Best Director), Alan Ayckbourn's Woman in Mind (Drama Desk nomination, Best Director) and A Small Family Business (Broadway), David Rudkin's Ashes (The Public, Obie Award), premieres by Marsha Norman, Simon Gray, Howard Brenton, etc. Graduate of Bryn Mawr, Yale School of Drama. Recipient of numerous awards including the Mr. Abbott Award, Margo Jones Award, etc. Taught at Yale, Fordham, NYU, etc.

Laura Benanti can now be seen on Broadway in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. She was honored with the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award, and a Drama League nomination for her portrayal of Louise/Gypsy Rose Lee in the Patti LuPone revival of Gypsy. She previously starred in the Encores! production. Broadway: The Sound of Music (Maria, opposite Richard Chamberlain), Swing! (Tony nomination: Best Featured Actress), Into The Woods (Cinderella; Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk, LA Ovation and Tony nominations), Nine (Claudia, opposite Antonio Banderas; Outer Critics Circle, Drama League nominations), The Wedding Singer (Julia Sullivan), In The Next Room, or The Vibrator Play (Lincoln Center). Encores: Gypsy (Louise), Wonderful Town (Eileen). Benefits: The Secret Garden (Lily), Hair, Pippin (Catherine) and Children of Eden. Off-Broadway: Why Torture Is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them; Time and Again (Julia, MTC). LA Opera: A Little Night Music (Anne). Williamstown: The Winter's Tale (Perdita, opposite Kate Burton). Film: Falling for Grace (Princess Alexandra), Take the Lead. Television: "Open Books" (CBS), "Life on Mars" (ABC), "Eli Stone" (ABC), "Starved" (FX). Recordings: several Broadway cast recordings, as well as "NEO," "The Stephen Schwartz Album" and "The Maury Yeston Songbook." Laura studies voice with her mother Linda Benanti, a former Broadway performer. She was raised in Kinnelon, NJ with her sister Marielle, by her mother and father, Dr. Salvatore Benanti. She is married to actor Steven Pasquale.

Cheyenne Jackson currently appears on NBC's "30 Rock," Fox's "Glee" and will soon be seen on HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm." He has also been seen in "Family Practice," "Life on Mars," "Lipstick Jungle," "Ugly Betty", "Law and Order" and "It Takes a Village." Jackson's film credits include Curiosity, Hysteria, Photo Op and the Academy Award nominated film United 93. He'll next appear in the indie films Smile and The Green. His first Broadway role was in All Shook Up, earning him the Theatre World Award. Jackson has also appeared in productions of Finian's Rainbow, Damn Yankees, Xanadu, The Agony & The Agony, Altar Boyz, Aida, Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Cartells, On the 20th Century, and The 24 Hour Plays. Jackson is an ambassador for amfAR and serves as national ambassador for The Hetrick-Martin Institute. He recently released a debut CD titled "The Power of Two" with Michael Feinstein.

Bebe Neuwirth. Broadway: A Chorus Line, Sheila; Little Me, Monique; Dancin', Principal; Sweet Charity, Nickie (Tony Award); Damn Yankees, Lola; Chicago, Velma (Tony Award, Astaire Award, Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, Drama League Distinguished Performance of the Year) and Roxie; Fosse, Principal. Off-Broadway: Everett Beekin (Lincoln Center), Here Lies Jenny (Zipper Theater), Ashley Montana... (Flea Theater), Writer's Block (Atlantic Theater). Regional: A Chorus Line, Cassie; West Side Story, Anita; The Taming of the Shrew, Katherine. London's West End: Kiss of the Spider Woman, Aurora/Spider Woman. TV: "Cheers," Lilith (two Emmy Awards); "Wild Palms," Tabba Schwartzkopf; "Dash and Lily," Dorothy Parker (Emmy nomination); "Law & Order: Trial by Jury," D.A. Kibre; "Bored to Death," Caroline. Cartoon voices: All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 (and series), Another Goofy Movie, "Aladdin" (series), various PBS children's shows. Film: Green Card, Summer of Sam, Celebrity, Liberty Heights, Bugsy, Jumanji, The Faculty, Adopt a Sailor, The Paint Job, Fame, etc. Concerts: Bebe Sings Weill and Kander & Ebb, Stories with Piano. Revue: Upstairs at O'Neals', Cabaret: Verboten. Recipient of the 2006 Rolex Dance Award, 2007 Dance Magazine Award. Honorary Ziegfeld Girl.

Steven Pasquale most recently starred on Broadway in Neil LaBute's reasons to be pretty. A regular on the theater scene, Pasquale's credits include Archibald Craven in The Secret Garden (World AIDS Day Concert), Henrik in A Little Night Music (opposite Victor Garber, Natasha Richardson and Vanessa Redgrave), Captain Taylor in A Soldier's Play (Second Stage, opposite Taye Diggs), Tom in the Neil LaBute off-Broadway hit, Fat Pig, Robbie in the Ahrens/Flaherty/McNally musical A Man of No Importance (Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations), Beautiful Child, The Spitfire Grill, Spinning Into Butter, Andrew Lippa's The Wild Party and he created the role of Fabrizio in Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas' The Light in the Piazza. Television audiences have followed him for five seasons as Sean Garrity on the FX hit show "Rescue Me." His other television credits include a recurring role on HBO's Emmy and Golden Globe Award winning drama "Six Feet Under" and Sofia Coppola's "Platinum." His film credits include the role of Dallas in Alien vs. Predator: Requim, Aurora Borealis which premiered at the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival, and Jonathan's Segal's The Last Run. His solo album, "Somethin' Like Love", was released by the Grammy nominated record label PS Classics. He currently resides in Manhattan with his wife, Tony Award winning actress Laura Benanti.

For more information on MTC, please visit www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com.

More Articles by This Author...