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Jessie Mueller Heads for The Herbst in San Francisco Tonight
By: BWW News Desk Oct. 19, 2017
Producer Mark Cortale's Broadway concert series hosted by Sirius XM radio star Seth Rudetsky will return to San Francisco for the 2017/18 season with a move to the Herbst Theatre at the iconic San Francisco War Memorial & Performing Arts Center.
The internationally acclaimed series will bring three of Broadway's Tony Award-winning leading ladies to San Francisco this season.
Jessie Mueller, Tony Award winner for "Beautiful - The Carole King Musical" and most recently a Tony-nominee in Sarah Barielles' "Waitress," will kick off the season tonight, October 19, at 8:00 PM. Kelli O'Hara, Tony Award winner for "The King and I" follows on Sunday, January 28 at 5:00 PM. And Faith Prince, Tony Award winner for "Guys and Dolls" performs on Sunday, March 18 at 5:00 PM.
The format of the concerts will be a seamless mix of intimate behind-the-scenes stories prompted by Rudetsky's insightful, funny and revealing questions - and the music from each artist's unique careers. This is a spontaneous evening of show-stopping songs and hilarity not to be missed.
The Broadway @ The Herbst series will be raising funds this season for San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, Project Open Hand and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. For tickets and information, visit www.cityboxoffice.com or call (415) 392-4400.
Tony Award-winner Jessie Mueller most recently originated the role of Jenna Hunterson in composer-lyricist Sara Bareilles' hit Broadway musical "Waitress" for which Mueller was nominated for a Tony, Drama Desk and Grammy award. She earned all three for her starring role as Carole King in "Beautiful-The Carole King Musical." Other major Broadway credits include "Nice Work if You Can Get It," "The Mystery Of Edwin Drood" (Drama Desk nomination), and her Broadway debut as Melinda in "On A Clear Day You Can See Forever" opposite Harry Connick, Jr. (Tony and Drama Desk nominations). She portrayed Carrie Pipperidge in the New York Philharmonic's staged concert production of "Carousel" at Lincoln Center, and was a part of Carnegie Hall's family concert series, "Take the Stage with Broadway Stars". Mueller began her career in Chicago and was named Actor of the Year in 2011 by The Chicago Tribune. Four years later she received Chicago's prestigious Sarah Siddons Society Award. Recently she collaborated on Broadway for Orlando's "What the World Needs Now" benefiting our brothers and sisters in Orlando. Jessie will appear on Broadway next Spring in "Carousel," starring as Julie Jordan, opposite Joshua Henry.
Kelli O'Hara won the 2015 Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her performance as Anna Leonowens in the critically acclaimed revival of "The King and I," in addition to Drama League and Outer Critics nominations. She is currently appearing as Jackie in the second season of Netflix's hit "13 Reasons Why" and recently completed shooting the upcoming series "The Accidental Wolf." Last year, she joined Showtime's "Master of Sex" as Michael Sheen's long-lost love, Dody, and can be seen in on CBS All Access' "The Good Fight." She starred as Mrs. Darling in NBC's Live Telecast of "Peter Pan" alongside Allison Williams, Christopher Walken and Christian Borle, and on New Year's Eve, Kelli made her Metropolitan Opera debut in the production of "The Merry Widow" with Renee Fleming. For the 2014 Broadway season, she was nominated for Tony, Drama Desk, Drama League and Outer Critics Circle nominations for her performance as Francesca in the musical adaptation of "The Bridges of Madison County." Other starring roles on Broadway include co-starring with Matthew Broderick in "Nice Work If You Can Get It" (Tony, Drama Desk, Drama League, and Outer Critics Circle nominations), "South Pacific" at Lincoln Center (Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle nominations), co-starring with Harry Connick, Jr. in "The Pajama Game" (Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critic's Circle Award nominations), "The Light in the Piazza" (Tony and Drama Desk nominations), "Jekyll & Hyde," "Follies," "Dracula," and "Sweet Smell of Success" opposite John Lithgow. Kelli received critical acclaim for her performances at the New York Philharmonic's productions of "Carousel" & "My Fair Lady" as both Julie Jordan & Eliza Doolittle respectively. She has sold out her solo show at Carnegie Hall & Town Hall and performed with symphonies and orchestras across the country. Her film and television credits include "Sex * The City 2," "Blue Bloods," "All Rise," PBS's "Alexander Hamilton" with Brian F. O'Byrne, "NUMB3RS," "All My Children," and the animated series "Car Talk." She has released two solo albums "Always" & "Wonder in the World."
Faith Prince has been dazzling Broadway audiences since winning the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for her performance as Ms. Adelaide in "Guys and Dolls." As one of Broadway's best loved leading ladies, Faith most recently starred on Broadway in "Disaster! The Musical" for which she received rave reviews. In a role she was born to play, she also starred as the scheming, irascible Miss Hannigan in the Broadway revival of "Annie." In 2008, she was nominated for Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for "A Catered Affair". Other Broadway credits include "The Little Mermaid," "Bells are Ringing" (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle nominations), "Nick & Nora" (Outer Critics Circle Award), "Jerome Robbins' Broadway" (Tony, Drama Desk nominations), "Little Me," "The Dead," and "Noises Off." She also starred in the world premiere of Terrence McNally's "Unusual Acts of Devotion" and in the national tour of the Broadway hit "Billy Elliot." Faith currently recurs on the ABC hit series "Modern Family." She also recurred as Joey Lawrence's mother on ABC Family's long running series "Melissa & Joey" and wrapped her 5-season run as Brooke Elliott's mother on Lifetime's popular series "Drop Dead Diva." Other television credits include "Scream Queens," "Galavant," "Angel from Hell," "A Gifted Man," "Happy Endings," "Ugly Betty," "Grey's Anatomy," "CSI," "Faith," "House," "Medium," "Sweet Potato Queens," "Monk," "Now and Again," "Welcome To New York" and "Law and Order." Film credits include "Our Very Own," "Picture Perfect," "Dave," and "My Father the Hero." She has performed with the Boston Pops, Utah Symphony, Cincinnati Pops, Philly Pops, Orlando Philharmonic and at the Sydney Opera House and the Adelaide Music Festival. Faith's new album, Total Faith, was recently released by Broadway Records. Her award-winning album, A Leap of Faith, was recorded at Joe's Pub.
Seth Rudetsky is the afternoon host on Sirius/XM Satellite Radio's "On Broadway" as well as the host of Seth Speaks on Sirius/XM Stars. As an author, he penned "My Awesome/Awful Popularity Plan" and the sequel "The Rise And Fall Of A Theater Geek" (Random House) as well as three volumes of "Seth's Broadway Diary" featuring inside scoop and hilarious stories from all of the stars he's worked with. He co-wrote and co-starred in "Disaster!" (NY TIMES "critics pick") last season on Broadway. "Disaster!" also premiered to rave reviews in London's West End in November. In June 2016, he and his husband, James Wesley, co-produced a recording of "What The World Needs Now" with stars like Idina Menzel, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Carole King, Audra McDonald which went to number one on iTunes and raised $100,000 for the Orlando shooting victims (and is still raising money. Buy it!). On Inauguration Day 2017, he and James started "Concert For America", a monthly series around the country (including S.F.!) helping 5 non-profits being hurt by the current administration. Stars such as Kelli O'Hara, Barry Manilow, Stephanie Mills, Vanessa Williams, Andy Cohen and more have performed and you can watch the next one streamed live on ConcertsForAmerica.com. For more information visit www.sethrudetsky.com.
This Broadway @ concert series was created in 2011 by Producing Artistic Director Mark Cortale at The Art House in Provincetown featuring Seth Rudetsky as pianist and host. In its sixth season last summer the series welcomed back some of the entertainment world's biggest stars including Kristin Chenoweth, Vanessa Williams, Patti LuPone and Audra McDonald. The Broadway @ series also premiered in 2013 in New Orleans, in Australia (Sydney & Melbourne) with Megan Mullally and in London's West End with Patti LuPone at the Leicester Square Theater. The series has since travelled to Chicago @ The Steppenwolf, Beverly Hills @ The Wallis, New Orleans @ The New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA), Fort Lauderdale @ The Parker Playhouse, San Francisco @ The Nourse Theatre, Arizona @ Scottsdale Center for the Arts, Las Vegas @ The Smith Center, and Sarasota @ The Van Wezel among other cities. Other artists who have participated in the series include Chita Rivera, Sutton Foster, Neil Patrick Harris, Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, Darren Criss, Megan Hilty, Cheyenne Jackson, Gavin Creel and many other stars of stage and screen. Info at markcortalepresents.com.
IF YOU GO:
Mark Cortale Presents:
Broadway @ The Herbst
with Seth Rudetsky as pianist & host
Tonight, October 19, 2017 @ 8:00 PM
For tickets and information, visit www.cityboxoffice.com or call (415) 392-4400.
with Seth Rudetsky as pianist & host
Sunday, January 28, 2018 @ 5:00 PM
For tickets and information, visit www.cityboxoffice.com or call (415) 392-4400.
with Seth Rudetsky as pianist & host
Sunday, March 18, 2018 @ 5:00 PM
For tickets and information, visit www.cityboxoffice.com or call (415) 392-4400.
All performances take place at the Herbst Theatre, San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center, 401 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco, CA 94102. Visit sfwmpac.org/herbst-theatre or call (415) 392-4400 for more information.
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