Bea Arthur's Back on Broadway - November 21 at Symphony Space

The Ali Forney Center - New York's primary emergency housing resource for homeless LGBT youth - is proud to present the legendary and internationally renowned Emmy and Tony Award-winning star of television, film and stage, Bea Arthur, in a one-night-only benefit performance of her Tony nominated show.

Bea Arthur: BACK ON BROADWAY (& 95TH STREET) with Billy Goldenberg at the Piano will take place on Monday, November 21, 2005 at Symphony Space (2537 Broadway at 95th Street). Curtain is at 8 p.m.

Best known for her roles Maude Findlay in television's "Maude" and Dorothy Zbornak in "The Golden Girls," Bea Arthur has also garnered much acclaim for her theatrical appearances, having appeared on Broadway in The Threepenny Opera as well as the original productions of Fiddler on the Roof and Mame.

Bea Arthur: BACK ON BROADWAY (& 95TH STREET) is a special reprise performance of Arthur's Tony-nominated one-woman Broadway show. Accompanied by Billy Goldenberg, Arthur shares a collection of her favorite songs, intertwined with personal reflections, smart and sometimes raucous humor, and unforgettable stories.

The original 2002 Broadway production, Bea Arthur on Broadway: Just Between Friends, was produced by Daryl Roth, M. Beverly Bartner and USA OSTAR Theatricals.

Tickets for the benefit performance are $50-$100, and are now available online at symphonyspace.org, in-person at the Symphony Space Box Office or by calling (212) 864-5400.

VIP tickets are also available for $250 and $500. The $250 tickets include admission to the exclusive afterparty at Regional Restaurant (2607 Broadway at 98th St.). The $500 tickets include admission to the exclusive afterparty and an opportunity to meet Ms. Arthur at a special private reception in the theater's green room immediately following the performance. For VIP tickets, please call (800) 511-4396.

Bea Arthur: BACK ON BROADWAY (& 95TH STREET) is sponsored by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Time Warner Cable, Next Magazine, the New York Blade, Regional Restaurant and Symphony Space.

BIOGRAPHIES

Bea Arthur broke onto the American theatre scene in 1954 when she performed the part of Lucy Brown in the U.S. premiere of Marc Blitztein's production of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill's The Threepenny Opera. Prior to Threepenny, Ms. Arthur studied at Erwin Piscator's Dramatic Workshop of the New School. Following that, she auditioned as a singer for the summer theatre at Tamiment, where she worked with fellow actors Arte Johnson and Dick Shawn. Her career as a singer led to a part in the successful Off-Broadway musical The Shoestring Revue. On Broadway, Arthur originated the role of Yente the matchmaker in the critically acclaimed musical Fiddler on the Roof, followed by the role of Vera Charles in Mame, opposite Angela Lansbury. She won a 1966 Tony Award for Mame and went on to reprise her role in the movie version opposite Lucille Ball. Bea launched into film, appearing in the Oscar-nominated Lovers and Other Strangers and in Mel Brooks' History of the World - Part I. She did several made-for-television films, most notably "My First Love" with Richard Kiley, and followed up with the feature films Stranger Things and Enemies of Laughter with Peter Falk. Norman Lear became aware of Bea's stage work, and felt she would be perfect for the part of Edith Bunker's cousin, Maude, in the hit television series "All in the Family." "Maude" soon developed into its own series, and Bea won the 1977 Emmy Award for Outstanding Leading Actress in a Comedy Series. Arthur later joined the cast of "The Golden Girls" as Dorothy Zbornak, whom she played from 1985 to 1992. The role earned her a second Emmy in 1988. After years of outstanding work on television, Arthur returned to Broadway and appeared in Woody Allen's The Floating Lightbulb. She has continued to give her time to numerous events, such as Jubilee and tributes to her friend Angela Lansbury, all of which raised much-needed funds for AIDS research. She has also been passionately involved in the cause for animal rights. In Los Angeles over the past few years, Bea delighted audiences in Anne Meara's After-Play and in Renee Taylor and Joseph Bologna's comedy Bermuda Avenue Triangle. Arthur also won the Comedy Ace Award for her performance in the FOX series "Malcolm in the Middle." She adds, "After being in the business a long time, I've done everything but rodeo and porn." Bea Arthur on Broadway, her first one-woman show, is the realization of a longtime dream of singing the songs she loves most and sharing so many of her favorite personal anecdotes with a live audience.

THE ALI FORNEY CENTER (AFC) provides invaluable services to the ever-growing population of LGBT homeless youth in New York City. Just this year, AFC celebrated the opening of the Ali Forney Day Center, a new facility on West 22nd Street in Chelsea, providing medical care, clinical assessment services, HIV testing and prevention services, case management, psychiatric treatment, substance abuse services, employment assistance, showers, food and clothing to homeless youth in crisis. In addition to opening the Day Center, this year AFC will add five additional residential sites to house youth, raising their capacity from 12 beds to 42 beds. For more information, visit aliforneycenter.org.