Steve Bakunas 'Portrait Of An Artist' with Linda Lavin Set for Birdland 9/16

Broadway at Birdland is proud to announce a new series called "Portrait Of An Artist," in which actor/director/painter Steve Bakunas interviews musical and theatrical icons while painting their portrait before the audience's eyes! These famous folks will share their successes, failures and lessons learned in a very intimate one-on-one chat on the historic Birdland stage. Online media partner BroadwayWorld.com will also be on hand to film the event, which will air exclusively on the site at a later date.

Steve Bakunas kicks off this unprecedented series with an intimate no-holds-barred conversation with his wife, Tony and Golden Globe winning actress Linda Lavin. The audience will be privy to Lavin's personal and professional life while Steve's portrait unfolds.

By his count, Steve Bakunas has had about 70 jobs throughout his life. The Connecticut native has done everything from selling Fuller brushes and used cars to driving for the Grateful Dead and working in Circus Vargas. Ultimately, he became a stage actor before discovering his creative bent as a painter, sculptor, set designer, carpenter, builder and jazz drummer. Married to actress Linda Lavin, he now buys and restores older homes and is revitalizing low-income neighborhoods in the couple's North Carolina hometown. A sophisticated folk-inspired artist, his portraits have been shown at galleries in Wilmington, NC, and New York City.

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This past season, Linda Lavin was celebrated with a Tony and Drama Desk nomination for her performance in The Lyons at the Cort Theater. Last year, she earned raves as the alcoholic aunt in Jon Robin Baitz's off-Broadway hit Other Desert Cities, then went on to belt the showstopping tune "Broadway Baby" in the Kennedy Center's production of Follies. New York audiences have seen Lavin in The Tale of the Allergist's Wife, Gypsy, The Diary of Anne Frank, Collected Stories, Broadway Bound (Tony Award), Last of the Red Hot Lovers and It's a Bird…It's a Plane…It's Superman. Of course, the world knows her as Alice Hyatt in the long-running TV series, "Alice." Linda began her career in New York City nightclubs like The Showplace and Downstairs at the Upstairs, and has recently been performing in concert halls and cabarets across the country. A regular at Birdland, she recently released her first solo cd, "Possibilities."

"Portrait of an Artist"
Steve Bakunas with Linda Lavin
Sunday, September 16 at 1pm
$25 cover
Coffee and dessert available
Birdland, 315 West 44 Street, NYC
212-581-3080 or BirdlandJazz.com