Christina Applegate and John Lithgow to Co-Host Broadway on Broadway September 18th

Christina Applegate and John Lithgow will co-host the 14th annual BROADWAY ON BROADWAY, a free outdoor concert in Times Square on Sunday, September 18 at 11:30am, produced by the League of American Theatres and Producers, Inc. (Jed Bernstein, President) and the Times Square Alliance (Tim Tompkins, President). This year's production of BROADWAY ON BROADWAY will offer numbers from almost every musical on Broadway, as well as a sneak peek at several upcoming musicals scheduled for the upcoming 2005-06 theatre season.

More than 50,000 spectators are expected in Times Square to see performances from All Shook Up, Avenue Q, Beauty and the Beast, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Hairspray, Lennon, The Light in the Piazza, The Lion King, Mamma Mia!, The Producers, Rent, Sweet Charity, Sweeney Todd, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Wicked. Highlighting the concert will be appearances and previews from the upcoming season's hottest new musicals and plays including The Color Purple, Souvenir and In My Life. (All appearances and performances are subject to change.)

"The theatre community has been so warm and welcoming to me," says Applegate. "What better way to thank them then to co-host this huge party presenting the best of what Broadway has to offer. And I'm thrilled to share the stage with John Lithgow, whose work I'm a huge fan of."

Lithgow concurs. "Broadway on Broadway showcases the talent and energy which make up the Broadway community. I'm proud to be part of that community and I'm very excited to co-host this special concert. And spending a couple of hours side by side with Christina Applegate ain't so bad either."

"Broadway on Broadway is like a Broadway ball-dropping in Times Square," says Jed Bernstein, President of the League of American Theatres and Producers. "It symbolizes the beginning of the new season, with the promise of new music, new drama, new dance. And over the years it has given people the opportunity to see numbers from shows before anybody else. Shows such as Fosse, The Full Monty, Mamma Mia! and Wicked all previewed numbers at Broadway on Broadway."

"Broadway on Broadway offers a unique experience you can only get in Times Square," says Tim Tompkins, President of the Times Square Alliance. "The magic of Broadway combined with the energy of Times Square produce an outdoor entertainment spectacle that is not to be missed."

Christina Applegate is making her Broadway debut as the star of Sweet Charity, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award. Her film credits include Surviving Christmas, Anchorman, Wonderland and View from the Top. An Emmy Award winner for her guest stint on "Friends," she spent 11 years playing Kelly Bundy on Fox's "Married…with Children."

Tony-nominated for his current role in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, John Lithgow was seen last season in The Retreat From Moscow. Since his Tony-winning debut in The Changing Room, Lithgow has appeared in 18 Broadway shows. Notable among them are Requiem for a Heavyweight, The Front Page, M. Butterfly and the musical Sweet Smell of Success, for which he won his second Tony. Lithgow's film work includes the recent Kinsey and his Oscar-nominated roles in The World According to Garp and Terms of Endearment. Lithgow has been nominated for ten Emmy Awards. He has won four of them, three for his role on NBC's "3rd Rock From the Sun."

The League of American Theatres and Producers, Inc. (www.livebroadway.com ), founded in 1930, is the national trade organization for the Broadway industry, operating under the Live Broadway® trademark. With more than 500 members including theatre owners, operators, producers, and presenters of Broadway productions in New York and 140 cities throughout the U.S. and Canada, the League and its members help bring Broadway to close to 25 million people annually.

The Times Square Alliance (www.timessquarenyc.org) works to improve and promote Times Square so that it retains the creativity, energy and edge that have made it an international icon for 100 years. A business improvement district founded in 1992, the Alliance provides supplemental security and sanitation services, co-produces events like New Year's Eve and Broadway on Broadway, manages an Information Center for tourists, and works to make Times Square better for all who work, live and pass through here.

For information on Broadway on Broadway and other Broadway events call 1.888.BROADWAY or visit the Times Square Visitors Center at 1560 Broadway between 46th & 47th Streets. For more information, log onto www.BroadwayonBroadway.com.

Broadway on Broadway is presented by Continental Airlines and Sprint. The official sponsor is The New York Times. Additional Support is provided by Theatre Development Fund, NYC & Company, and Music Performance Fund. Promotional Partners include, Panasonic, Madame Tussaud's New York, Broadway Previews and the Actor's Federal Credit Union.