Stritch Hosts NY Pops Birthday Concert; Minnelli Appears

Two legends will take part in Carnegie Hall's New York Pops 23rd Birthday Gala concert on May 8th. Elaine Stritch will host the evening, which begins at 7 PM, while Liza Minnelli will make a guest appearance.

Entitled "88 Keys for Skitch: A Celebration of the Piano" (in reference to Pops founder Skitch Henderson), the concert will also feature performances by the Jersey Boys and by Hairspray's Darlene Love, as well as Chu-Fang Huang, Kid Rock, Bob Lappin, Darlene Love, Paolo Nutini, George Wein, Melissa Grant, Gisele Jackson, Elizabeth Withers, John Giordano, Michael Keller, and Ron Melrose. Marvin Hamlisch will once again conduct the New York Pops. The evening will also honor Ahmet Ertegun and salute Damon Dash.

Stritch received a 2002 Drama Desk Award for her performance in Elaine Stritch at Liberty; the show also garnered a Tony for Best Special Theatrical Event and netted Stritch an Emmy when it was broadcast on HBO. She has received Tony Award nominations for her performances in A Delicate Balance, Bus Stop, Sail Away and Company. Other Broadway credits include Call Me Madam (as the standby for Ethel Merman), Pal Joey, On Your Toes, Goldilocks, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Love Letters and Show Boat; she also appeared in the legendary Lincoln Center concert version of Follies. Film and TV credits include Providence, September, Autumn in New York, Monster-in-Law, "3rd Rock from the Sun," and "Law and Order," for which she received an Emmy Award.

In addition to her Emmy for "Liza with a 'Z,'" Minnelli has won three Tony Awards, an Oscar, and two Golden Globes. She won a Theatre World Award for Best Foot Forward, Tony Awards for Flora, the Red Menace and The Act, and a Special Tony Award in 1974. She was nominated for an Oscar for The Sterile Cuckoo, and won the Oscar (as well as the Golden Globe Award) for the film version of Cabaret, directed by Bob Fosse. The daughter of Judy Garland, her other Broadway credits include The Rink, Chicago and Victor/Victoria, and she has also been seen on film in New York, New York, Arthur and others.

Tickets range from $35 to $85 and are available by calling (212) 247-7800 or by visiting www.carnegiehall.org.