Mario Cantone and Cookie Monster Join The Actors Fund Celebration of Frank Loesser 10/26

Mario Cantone and Cookie Monster have joined Chance and Chemistry: A Centennial Celebration of Frank Loesser, a concert to benefit The Actors Fund taking place at the Minskoff Theatre on Monday, October 26, 2009 at 7:30PM.

Some tickets are still available through Ticketmaster.com or by calling call 212 307- 4100. National Arts Ticketmaster - Outside tri-state area at 800 982-2787. Sponsorship opportunities are also available. Contact The Actors Fund at (212) 221-7300 Extension 133. For updates, please visit www.actorsfund.org

The event will be co-chaired by Jo Sullivan Loesser and Sir Paul McCartney, and hosted by Annette Bening, Kevin McCollum and Jonathan Tisch.

Jo Sullivan Loesser, co-chair for the concert event, said "I'm so honored that so many wonderful stars are paying tribute to Frank at this special evening."

"I was very happy to be asked to attend this special evening," said Sir Paul McCartney, continuing, "As a tribute to a man whose work I greatly admire, I will be singing one of his songs and I'm looking forward to it."

The list of participants at this time includes Laura Benanti, John Bolton, Ashley Brown, Charles Busch, Liz Callaway, Alan Campbell, Mario Cantone, Cookie Monster, Elmo and Aby Cadaby, Art Garfunkel, Ana Gasteyer, Debbie Gravitte, Hugh Jackman, Lauren Kennedy, Judy Kuhn, Liz Larson, Michele Lee, Emily Loesser, Jo Sullivan Loesser, Sir Paul McCartney, Audra McDonald, John McMartin, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Julia Murney, Phyllis Newman, Steven Pasquale, Noah Racey, Chita Rivera, John Stamos, Nia Vardalos, Gerry Vichi and Patrick Wilson.

The evening will be directed and choreographed by Christopher Gattelli (South Pacific, Sunday in the Park with George, Altar Boyz) with musical direction by Brad Haak (Mary Poppins).

Frank Loesser has been called the most versatile of all Broadway composers, having supplied both music and lyrics for such varied works as Guys & Dolls, Where's Charley?, The Most Happy Fella and How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying,

Born June 29, 1910, in New York City, Frank wrote his first song at the age of six. In 1931, he teamed with William Schuman (future President of Juilliard), resulting in Frank's first published song, "In Love with a Memory of You." In 1936, Loesser and composer Irving Actman contributed five songs to "The Illustrator's Show." It closed after five performances, but landed them a Hollywood contract. There Loesser provided lyrics for the music of such greats as Jule Styne, Hoagy Carmichael, and Burton Lane, producing hits such as "I Don't Want to Walk Without You," "Heart and Soul", "Two Sleepy People," and the 1948 Academy Award winner, "Baby, It's Cold Outside," for which he also supplied the music.

In 1948, producers Cy Feuer and Ernest Martin convinced Loesser to create the score for Where's Charley?, which became his first Broadway hit, and introduced the song, "Once In Love With Amy." He followed that with one of the masterworks of musical theatre, Guys and Dolls, opening November 24, 1950, and winning the Tony Award for Best Musical.

Frank wrote the score and the book for his next show, which he called an "extended musical comedy," The Most Happy Fella". "How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying" opened October 14, 1961, winning the Pulitzer Prize and seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

In the midst of his stage work, Frank returned to Hollywood and created one of his best loved scores for the film Hans Christian Andersen, which featured "Wonderful Copenhagen," "Anywhere I Wander," "The Inch Worm" and "Thumbelina."

Since Loesser's untimely death in 1969, The Most Happy Fella has been revived on Broadway and at the New York City Opera (where it has become part of the permanent repertory); How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying returned in 1995, starring Matthew Broderick, and becoming a long running hit. Guys and Dolls won the 1992 Tony Award for Best Revival, and returned in 2009 for its fourth run on Broadway. In 1999, Frank Loesser was honored by the U.S. Postal Service with a postage stamp bearing his likeness.

In New York City, The Actors Fund has produced a string of successful one-night-only benefits including the acclaimed 20th Anniversary concert of Dreamgirls with Audra McDonald, Heather Headley and Lillias White (recorded on Nonesuch Records), Funny Girl with Sutton Foster, Jane Krakowski and Kristin Chenoweth, Chess with Josh Groban, Hair with Jennifer Hudson (recorded on Ghostlight Records, Grammy nomination) On the Twentieth Century with Douglas Sills and Marin Mazzie, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas with Emily Skinner and Terrence Mann, Brian Stokes Mitchell at Carnegie Hall and last year's all star reading of All About Eve with Annette Bening and Keri Russell.

In Los Angeles, The Actors Fund has produced a successful string of musical events including a concert of William Finn's Falsettos starring Jason Alexander and Malcolm Gets. The Fund also presented a series of musical tributes that celebrated the great Broadway composers including Tap Your Troubles Away; A Salute to Jerry Herman, Everything's Coming up

Roses: A Jule Styne Tribute and Say Yes; The Songs of John Kander and Fred Ebb. Additionally, the "Screenplays on Stage" series has showcased such talents as Stockard Channing, Calista Flockhart, Anjelica Huston, Christian Slater and Anne Heche.

THE ACTORS FUND is a national human services organization that helps all professionals in performing arts and entertainment. The Fund, which supports actors and performers and everyone behind the scenes who works in theatre, film, TV, music, dance, radio and opera, is a safety net, providing social services and emergency assistance, health services, employment and training programs and housing support for those who are in need, crisis or transition. Learn more about The Actors Fund at www.actorsfund.org

Photo credit: Peter James Zielinski