Brown, Spring Awakening Stars, Etc. Join Feb. 5 Benefit

Ashley Brown/> (Mary Poppins), Asa Somers/> (Grey Gardens) and the cast of Broadway's Spring Awakening have just been added to the roster of performers appearing in "When Hollywood Met Broadway: Great Songs from Stage and Screen," the 22nd annual gala benefit concert for The Drama League.

Hosted by Joanna Gleason/> and Jim Dale/>, the one-night-only event will take place on Monday, February 5 at 7:30 p.m. at The Rainbow Room in New York City (30 Rockefeller Plaza, 65th Floor).

Directed by Matt August (…Grinch, Henry IV), "When Hollywood Met Broadway" features musical direction by Matthew Ward and choreography by Dan Knechtges/> (…Spelling Bee), and will also include performances from Rita Moreno (The Ritz), Beth Leavel/> (The Drowsy Chaperone), Ruthie Henshall/> (Chicago), Melissa Errico/> (Amour), />Josh Stricklan/>d (Tarzan), Heather MacRae (Falsettos), Noah Racey/> (Curtains), Steven Brinberg/> (Simply Barbra), Megan Sikora/> (Curtains), Donna Vivino/> and Jill Abramowitz (Fame Becomes Me), Jared Bradshaw/> and Michael West/> (Forbidden Broadway: SVU), and Marilyn Michaels/> (Catskills on Broadway).

The performance is the highlight of the Drama League's annual black-tie benefit gala, which for the second time takes place at Rockefeller Center's breathtaking Rainbow Room.  The evening will begin with a cocktail reception, silent auction and raffle, where guests can mingle with the performers while taking in the awe-inspiring views of Manhattan.  The evening will continue with a seated dinner in the main dining room, followed by the performance.

All proceeds will benefit The Drama League, which, according to press notes, "was founded in 1916 as an association of theatre professionals and patrons dedicated to encouraging the finest in professional theatre and has since then developed into the theatre's premiere service organization.  The Drama League provides an unparalleled training program for emerging theatre artists through The Directors Project, which encourages and trains young talents while providing much-needed exposure and essential connections to the professional theatrical community."

"The Drama League's Audience Project is dedicated to building strong, passionate audiences for the American theatre, providing discounted tickets for its members to the best Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regional productions across the United States while enhancing the theatergoer's understanding and experience of live theatre through its informative panels, luncheons and discussions with leading figures in the field.  The Drama League currently has over 3,000 annual members across the United States and in Europe."

Tickets are $600-$2,500, which includes the concert, a pre-gala cocktail reception and a full three-course dinner. Tables of ten start at $6,000. Dress is black tie.  To arrange tickets for "When Broadway Met Hollywood" or for any additional information about The Drama League, please call Derek Travis Collard, The Drama League's Director of Special Events at (212) 244-9494, ext. 5.

For more information, please visit www.dramaleague.org.

Photo by Linda Lenzi - Ashley Brown