Rivera, Vereen, Etc. Set for Westport John Kander Tribute

Tony Award-winning talents will take the stage of Westport Country Playhouse, Westport, Connecticut to celebrate guest of honor John Kander, the Tony Award-winning composer of Chicago, Cabaret and Curtains, on Monday, September 24.

The event will feature Shuler Hensley (Tarzan), Debra Monk (Curtains), James Naughton (Chicago), Bebe Neuwirth (Chicago), David Hyde Pierce (Curtains), Chita Rivera (West Side Story, Kiss of the Spider Woman), Ben Vereen (Wicked, Pippin) and Karen Ziemba (Contact, Chicago).

Westport Country Playhouse artistic director Tazewell Thompson said, "All this talent, all on one evening, all in one place---Westport Country Playhouse!  We are proud to have Broadway's 'best of the best' saluting a true gentleman of the Broadway stage. This is a once-in-a-lifetime, unforgettable spectacular!"

The annual benefit to support Westport Country Playhouse will honor the theatrical achievements of legendary songwriting team John Kander and the late Fred Ebb.  All of the artists performing in this unique event have starred in Kander and Ebb shows and are Tony Award winners. The evening is titled "Everybody Loves a Winner," lyrics from the song, "Maybe This Time," penned by Kander and Ebb for the film version of Cabaret.

Honorary chairs of the fundraiser are JoAnne Woodward, artistic director emeritus of Westport Country Playhouse, and Paul Newman.  Co-chairs are Kim and Niv Harizman of Westport, Barbara and John Streicker of New York, and Sharon Sullivan and Jeffrey Kindler of Westport, aided by a group of dedicated volunteers from Connecticut and New York. 

The celebratory evening will include a private, cocktail reception for benefactors with guest of honor John Kander and artists at 6 p.m., a star-studded musical performance in The Playhouse's Jason Robards Theatre at 7:30 p.m., and dinner with celebrity guests at 9 p.m. 

There will be silent and live auctions with extraordinary items including a Mediterranean cruise for 10 on the 137-foot private yacht, "Mirabella III"; dinners with celebrities; stays at exclusive vacation homes in Nantucket, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Miami's South Beach, Colorado's Beaver Creek and Martha's Vineyard; tickets to Broadway shows, boxing events, operas and the Super Bowl; and for the kids, a "Blues Clues" birthday party.

Funds raised by the event will further artistic and educational programming at Westport Country Playhouse, now open year-round.  "Ticket revenue makes up less than 50% of our annual budget," said Jodi Schoenbrun Carter, Westport Country Playhouse managing director. "We look to our annual benefit to provide additional support so that we may continue to present compelling art on our stage today and develop superb educational programming for the young theatre-goers of tomorrow.

"We are counting on the generosity of those who hold The Playhouse in their hearts and minds to help make this premier social and entertainment event an incredible success," she added.

The John Kander and Fred Ebb collaboration of four decades has created what many would consider Broadway standards and contemporary classics: Flora the Red Menace, Cabaret, The Happy Time, Zorba, 70 Girls 70, Chicago, The Act, Woman of the Year, The Rink, Kiss of the Spider Woman and Steel Pier.  Their collaboration also transferred itself to movies and television as they wrote original material for the Academy Awards, "Liza with a Z" and HBO's "Liza Minnelli's Steppin Out," Funny Lady, Lucky Lady, New York, New York, Stepping Out and Chicago, the film version. In 1985, the song "New York, New York" became the official anthem of New York City. At the time of the unfortunate death of Mr. Ebb, Kander and Ebb had several projects in different stages of completion waiting in the wings, All About Us, an adaptation of Thornton Wilder's The Skin of Our Teeth, produced at Westport Country Playhouse this past spring, Curtains, currently on Broadway, The Visit and Minstrel Show.

The performance will be directed by Peter Flynn. Musical direction is by Mary-Mitchell Campbell. Artists are subject to change.

Benefit tickets are $2,000 and $1,000 for cocktail party, performance and dinner; $500 for cocktail party and performance only.  Corporate and individual sponsorships with seating for 10 are $25,000.  Reservations are limited by the intimate size of the theatre.

Visit www.westportplayhouse.org for more information.

Photo of John Kander by Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.

To post a comment, you must register and login.