Beth Leavel Will Perform in Raleigh Next Month

Tickets are now on sale for a one-night-only performance by Tony Award-winning performer Beth Leavel at Theatre Raleigh at 8 p.m. Feb. 10.

An Evening with Beth Leavel will be a celebration of Leavel's long Broadway career with stories and songs, as she shares about the favorite roles she has played, the ones that got away and the ones she continues to chase. The event is a partnership between United Arts Council of Raleigh & Wake County and Theatre Raleigh. Tickets cost $45-$75 and can be purchased at https://theatreraleigh.com/.

The evening also will feature the dedication of Theatre Raleigh's main stage in honor of De Ann Jones, founder of North Carolina Theatre where Beavel got her start.

"We are excited to have Beth Leavel return home to perform at Theatre Raleigh. It seemed like the perfect occasion to celebrate De Ann Jones whose devotion to musical theater and musical theater education nurtured generations of talent in our region," said Lauren Kennedy Brady, executive director of Theatre Raleigh. Kennedy also got her start at N.C. Theatre before performing on Broadway and returning home to run the professional, nonprofit theater company in North Raleigh.

Jones' theater career started when she began running Theatre In The Park with Ira David Wood (iii) in the 1970s. She launched the North Carolina Theatre in 1984 with a production of "Camelot" starring Sharon Lawrence and Terrence Mann at Raleigh's Memorial Auditorium. She grew the professional, nonprofit regional theater into a cornerstone of the region's performing arts community, bringing a stable of Broadway hits to Raleigh annually. Numerous Broadway stars got their start or have peformed in N.C. Theatre productions, including Leavel who grew up in Raleigh.

Leavel, a graduate of Broughton High School, Meredith College and UNC-Greensboro's graduate theater program, won Tony, Drama Desk, NY Outer Critics Circle and L.A. Drama Critics awards in 2006 for her performance as the title character in "The Drowsy Chaperone." She also received Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations in 2011 for her role as Florence Greenberg in "Baby It's You." More recently, she was nominated for a 2019 Tony, Drama Desk, Drama League and Outer Critic's Circle awards for her performance as DeeDee Allen in the critically acclaimed Broadway show, "The Prom." Leavel will next be seen starring as Miranda Priestley in the new Broadway musical, "The Devil Wears Prada," with music by Elton John.

Theatre Raleigh Arts Center is located at 6638 Old Wake Forest Road, between Atlantic Ave and Capital Blvd. For more information, go to theatreraleigh.com.

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