Tom Jones Set for 'Night of 1,000 Luisas' Benefit, 11/4

Tom Jones, lyricist, book-writer and director of The Fantasticks, will make a special appearance at Night of 1,000 Luisas, the benefit concert featuring performers who've played Luisa, the musical's ingénue role, from every decade since the show opened in 1960, next Wednesday, November 4, 2009 at 7:00 PM.

All proceeds from the event, which will be held at The Jerry Orbach Theater, will benefit Bideawee, one of the country's oldest and most respected animal welfare organizations.

The Luisas will perform a program of well-known and lesser-known songs from Broadway and beyond. In addition, there will be a you-have-to-be-there-to-believe-it finale featuring surprise guests.

Among the performers and their post-Fantasticks credits are Alice Cannon (Broadway's Company, James Joyce's The Dead), Glory Crampton (original Christine in Yeston and Kopit's Phantom, numerous leading roles at The Paper Mill Playhouse), Karen Culliver (Broadway's The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Meet Me in St. Louis, The Phantom of the Opera), Carole Demas (original Sandy in Broadway's Grease, TV's The Magic Garden), original Luisa Rita Gardner (Broadway's Pal Joey, Ben Franklin in Paris, The Wedding Singer), Jean Louisa Kelly (Luisa in the 2000 film version of The Fantasticks, Broadway's Into the Woods, TV's Eli Stone), Betsy Morgan (Broadway's The Little Mermaid and upcoming revival of A Little Night Music, Giant at The Signature Theater), Marty Morris (Broadway's A Little Night Music), Allison Munn (co-star of TV's What I Like About You and That ‘70s Show), Sarah Rice (original Johanna in Broadway's Sweeney Todd) and Sara Schmidt (Broadway's Jersey Boys, Brooklyn The Musical). The evening will be directed by Kim Moore (Broadway's The Secret Garden).

Tickets for the benefit, $45 - $100, can be purchased by calling the box office at (212) 921-7862 or by visiting Ticketmaster.com.

Night of 1,000 Luisas is the latest event in The Fantasticks' yearlong celebration of its 50th anniversary. It follows an all-star salute to The Fantasticks that featured Daphne Rubin-Vega, Orfeh and Aaron Lazar, a conversation on the secrets behind a long-running show with veteran entertainment attorney Don Farber and journalist Robert Viagas, and an exclusive appearance at Broadway on Broadway 2009 - the first time an Off Broadway show has participated in that event, ever.

The Fantasticks (music by Harvey Schmidt, book/lyrics/direction by Tom Jones) is a captivating and simple romantic comedy about a boy and girl who fall in and out of love at the hands of their meddling fathers. The audience uses its imagination to follow the narrator, El Gallo, as he creates a world of moonlight and magic until the boy and girl find their way back to one other. The score, which includes the hit songs "Try To Remember," "They Were You" and "Soon It's Gonna Rain," is as timeless as the story itself.

Having played a record-breaking 17,162 performances in its original run at the Sullivan Street Playhouse in Greenwich Village, The Fantasticks is now playing in the heart of Times Square at The Snapple Theater Center.

Bideawee, which means "stay awhile" in Scottish, is one of the country's oldest and most respected animal welfare organizations. Founded in 1903 by Mrs. Flora Kibbe, Bideawee has been providing shelter, care and compassion to homeless animals for over 100 years. Bideawee's mission is to promote and support safe, loving, long-term relationships between individuals and companion animals by providing a continuum of services and programs that are innovative, personalized and of the highest quality. Their primary responsibility is to help every individual be a caring and knowledgeable pet parent. Bideawee operates three locations in New York: Manhattan, Wantagh and Westhampton. Bideawee is home to approximately 350 to 500 animals at any given time and places thousands of dogs, cats, puppies and kittens in loving homes annually. Bideawee sheltered animals receive thorough medical examinations and are spayed/neutered and micro-chipped before approved for adoption. Dogs receive basic obedience training and each animal enjoys one-on-one personal attention during care. Bideawee houses two full-service veterinary practices at the Westhampton and Manhattan Centers, offering affordable, high quality medical care to the Bideawee sheltered dogs and cats, as well as serving the general public. Through its Veterinary Medical Assistance Fund (VMAF), Bideawee is able to offer medical care to homeless, abused and injured animals.

The Jerry Orbach Theater is located in The Snapple Theater Center at 210 West 50th Street at Broadway.