Bebe Neuwirth to Receive Helen Hayes Award from The Players

Tony Award winner Bebe Neuwirth, the legendary actress, singer, and dancer whose extraordinary success spans theatre, television, and film, will receive the The Players Helen Hayes Award on June 19th.

The award is named in honor of actress Helen Hayes (1900-1993), the first female member ever admitted to The Players, the historic private social club for or theatre, television, film, music, and publishing professionals and patrons of the arts. The members-only event will features appearances by Tony Award winner Karen Ziemba, actress Brenda Braxton, Broadway Cares executive director Tom Viola, and more special guests to be announced in the coming weeks.

A longtime member of The Players, Neuwirth married her husband, director and writer Chris Calkins, at the club's landmark Gramercy Park mansion in 2009. She made her Broadway debut as Sheila in A Chorus Line in 1980. She went on to appear in the 1986 revival of Sweet Charity, for which she won her first Tony Award. In 1997, she won her second Tony - along with Drama Desk, Astaire, Outer Critics Circle, and Drama League Distinguished Performance of the Year Awards - for her iconic portrayal of Velma in Chicago. A few years later she played Roxie in the same show, making her the only triple-threat to have played both parts on Broadway. Other Broadway productions include Damn Yankees (1994), Fosse, and The Addams Family (2010). Neuwirth has also earned widespread acclaim for her work in film and television, including two Emmy awards for her role on the TV series Cheers.

An honorary Ziegfield Girl, Neuwirth is a vice-chair of The Actors Fund, where she founded a program called The Dancers' Resource, aimed at relieving the particular emotional and physical challenges faced by dancers.

The Players Helen Hayes Award was established in 2016 to honors women who have made an indelible contribution to the American theatre. Hayes, who was known through much of the twentieth century as "the First Lady of the American Theatre," is one of only a dozen artists to win an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony Award (collectively known as an EGOT). In 1988, Hayes earned the distinction of being the first woman admitted to The Players. Broadway icon Barbara Cook received the inaugural Helen Hayes Award last year.

"Bebe Neuwirth is a Broadway legend who has continually returned to her musical-theatre roots while gaining millions of adoring fans through her illustrious career in film and television," said The Players president Michael Barra. "We are thrilled to celebrate her career with an award commemorating the great Helen Hayes, who, like Bebe, we are proud to claim as one of our most eminent members."

The ceremony is a members-only event. The cost per person is $95. Members can make reservations online here.

About The Players

Founded in 1888 by actor Edwin Booth with 15 other incorporators including Mark Twain, The Players is New York City's premier social club for theatre, television, film, music, and publishing professionals, patrons of the arts, and business and civic leaders. Housed in the Booth mansion, a landmark Greek Revival townhouse on Gramercy Park, The Players celebrates the rich cultural life of New York City with exclusive membership events that include live performances, readings by leading authors and playwrights, film screenings, and special dining and cocktail experiences in its famous Grill Room. Presidents of The Players have included Jose Ferrer, Lynn Redgrave and Timothy Hutton.