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McKay, Chase and Harriell Sign On for All-Star Elvis Costello Concert, Oct. 31

Nellie McKay (the album Get Away From Me, the upcoming The Threepenny Opera), Will Chase and Marcy Harriell (both of Lennon) have signed on to a concert honoring Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Elvis Costello. Brilliant Mistake: Broadway Sings Elvis Costello will be presented on Monday, October 31st at 8 PM at John Jay College's Gerald W. Lynch Theater (899 10th Avenue, between 58th and 59th Streets).

In addition to those three stars, Tony Award-winner Norbert Leo Butz (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), Justin Bond of Kiki & Herb, Kevin Cahoon (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), comedian Mario Cantone (Laugh Whore), Gavin Creel (Thoroughly Modern Millie), Raul Esparza (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), Eden Espinosa (Brooklyn), 4-time Tony Award-winner Audra McDonald (Ragtime), Matthew Morrison (The Light in the Piazza), Adam Pascal (Rent), Billy Porter (Ghetto Superstar), Anthony Rapp (Rent), Molly Ringwald (Cabaret), Sherie Rene Scott (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), Traci Thoms (film version of Rent), Daphne Rubin-Vega (Rent) and Patrick Wilson (The Full Monty) will join special guest Elvis Costello (who will sing a few songs himself) for an evening of song and celebration to benefit Friends In Deed, the crisis center for people with HIV/AIDS, their families and friends.

A partial song list for the concert follows:

"The Judgement" sung by Norbert Leo Butz and Will Chase
"Alison" sung by Anthony Rapp
"Everyday I Write the Book" sung by Daphne Rubin-Vega
"God Give Me Strength" sung by Raul Esparza
"Indoor Fireworks" sung by Patrick Wilson
"So Like Candy" sung by Sherie Ren� Scott
"Veronica" sung by Gavin Creel & Adam Pascal
"Pump it Up" sung by Mario Cantone

Brilliant Mistake, which takes its name from the opening track of Costello's critically-acclaimed 1985 album King of America, is produced by Tony Award-winng producer Jeffrey Seller (Avenue Q, Rent), and is directed by Jason Eagan with musical direction and arrangements by Tom Kitt.

Grammy Award-winner Elvis Costello's career spans more than 25 years. He is perhaps best-known for his performances with The Attractions, The Imposters, and for recent concert appearances with pianist Steve Nieve. He also has enjoyed acclaimed collaborations with Burt Bacharach, Paul McCartney, The Charles Mingus Orchestra, and T. Bone Burnett, among other artists.

In 2003, Elvis Costello and The Attractions were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. During that same year, he was awarded ASCAP's prestigious Founder's Award and nominated for three Grammy awards for his album When I Was Cruel. He has received a Grammy for "I Still Have That Other Girl" from Painted From Memory, his 1998 collaboration with Burt Bacharach; and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song for "The Scarlet Tide" from the film Cold Mountain.

In addition to King of America, Costello's other recordings include This Year's Model, Imperial Bedroom, Blood and Chocolate, Spike, Useless Beauty, When I Was Cruel, and the single "God Give Me Strength" from the film Grace of My Heart.

Founded by Mike Nichols and Cynthia O'Neal fourteen years ago, Friends In Deed is a crisis center for anyone diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other life-threatening physical illnesses; the caregivers, family and friends of those who are ill; and those dealing with grief and bereavement. Among the free services offered are support groups, one-on-one crisis counseling, bodywork, nutritional counseling, and outreach services to clients who are homebound or hospitalized. Friends In Deed also runs life-saving HIV prevention workshops for at-risk teens in New York City Public School, having already reached over 75,000 students.

Previous Friends In Deed fundraisers include the 10th Anniversary concerts of Passion, Into the Woods and Sunday in the Park with George; an evening of short plays, Short Talks on the Universe; Mike Nichols & Elaine May on Broadway; and Simon & Garfunkel Together Again on Broadway, as well as major photography and dance events.

Tickets to the concert range in price from $100-$250-$500. (The $250 and $500 tickets include post-concert party.) To purchase tickets, call 1-800-996-5443 or visit www.friendsindeed.org. Halloween costumes are welcome.