Town Hall's Broadway Cabaret Festvial Complete Line-Up Announced

The Town Hall, Broadway's landmark concert venue, presents the fifth annual Broadway Cabaret Festival, October 16th - 18th. This three-concert series, created, written and hosted by Scott Siegel, takes place over one weekend and includes A Tribute to David Merrick on Friday, October 16th at 8PM, Linda Eder: All of Me on Saturday, October 17th at 8PM and Broadway Originals on Sunday, October 18th at 3PM. The festival showcases the talents of award-winning Broadway veterans and rising stars in a celebration of the Great White Way.  

Highlighting Broadway Originals will be Michael Rupert, Stephen Bogardus, Barbara Walsh, Chip Zien and Jonathan Kaplan - the five original Broadway stars of William Finn's Falsettos - in a special tribute to that famous show. Stephanie J. Block (9 to 5, Wicked), Tony nominee Celia Keenan-Bolger (Les Miserables, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) and Manu Narayan (Bombay Dreams) also join previously announced stars Julia Murney (Wicked, Lennon), Kerry O'Malley (Irving Berlin's White Christmas, Into the Woods) and Sharon McNight (Tony nominee for Starmites) for an afternoon of performances of the songs that they made famous on the Broadway stage. A must-see for any Broadway aficionado, the program features favorites by Stephen Sondheim, Stephen Schwartz, Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg and more of the theater's greatest songwriters.

"We are taking Broadway Originals to another level," says Scott Siegel. "This already hugely successful annual concert will feature a special segment dedicated to a beloved Broadway show. We're beginning with the award-winning Falsettos and I'm delighted I've been able to assemble this stellar cast for a reunion on the eve of Jonathan Kaplan's wedding. The young boy who played the child of Michael Rupert and Barbara Walsh has not only grown up, he will be leaving the day after to concert to get married! I'm also thrilled to have 9 to 5's Stephanie J. Block whose performance stopped the show every evening joining us for both this show and A Tribute to David Merrick. It promises to be a fabulous event!"

Town Hall's Fifth Annual Broadway Cabaret Festival kicks off on Friday, October 16th at 8PM with A Tribute to David Merrick featuring an all-star cast including Tony Award nominees Robert Cuccioli (Jekyll & Hyde), Stephen Bogardus (Love! Valour! Compassion!), Lee Roy Reams (42nd Street), Carleton Carpenter (Bright Boy - Merrick's very first show in 1944) and Nightlife Award winner Jim Caruso (Liza's at the Palace). The evening celebrates the fabled showman whose prolific, six-decade career gave Broadway the original productions of Gypsy, Oliver!, Hello Dolly!, 42nd Street, Mack & Mabel and I Do! I Do!, yielding a songbook of popular standards by Jule Styne, Betty Comden, Adolph Green, Jerry Herman, Stephen Sondheim, Tom Jones, Harvey Schmidt, Harold Rome, John Kander and Fred Ebb.

On Saturday, October 17th at 8PM, Linda Eder returns to The Town Hall with her new show All of Me. One of the greatest contemporary solo voices of our time, Eder will be backed by a seven-piece orchestra led by Billy Stein. In addition to new arrangements to her signature songs like "Vienna" and "Someone Like You," Eder's eclectic program will treat audiences to unique covers of popular classics, as well as performances of original material from her new CD, Soundtrack, covering classic movie songs.

Scott Siegel has created for The Town Hall, three acclaimed and popular series: Broadway By The Year®, now in its tenth season, the Broadway Cabaret Festival and the Summer Broadway Festival. Mr. Siegel also conceived and produces both Broadway Unplugged and The Nightlife Awards at The Town Hall. Scott and his wife, Barbara, are authors (47 books, including The Encyclopedia of Hollywood) and critics ("The Siegel Column" and "The Two of Clubs" on TalkinBroadway.com).

Built in 1921 by a group of suffragettes, The Town Hall began as a lecture hall and public forum for debates. Over the decades, Eleanor Roosevelt, Margaret Sanger, Billie Holiday, Igor Stravinsky, Bob Dylan and Miles Davis have graced the stage. Today the hall flourishes as a popular, affordable venue, boasting the hottest acts in rock, pop, folk, cabaret, world music, comedy and dance, including Billy Joel, Blondie, Elvis Costello, Natalie Merchant, Graham Nash, Liza Minnelli, Cyndi Lauper, Norah Jones, Andre Watts, Henry Rollins, Joe Jackson, Pink Martini, Regina Spector, Brian Adams, Aimee Mann and Dawn Upshaw. For over a decade, The Town Hall has hosted live broadcasts of Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion. Over the past two-and-a-half decades, The Town Hall has produced a number of new and critically acclaimed musical series, which include The Century of Change, Not Just Jazz, Broadway by the Year® and The Broadway Cabaret Festival. Lawrence Zucker is the Artistic and Executive Director.

The 5th Annual Broadway Cabaret Festival runs October 16th - 18th at The Town Hall, 123 West 43rd Street.  Tickets are $55 and $50 and on sale through Ticketmaster.com, 212-307-4100 or The Town Hall Box Office between noon and 6PM (except Sundays), 212-840-2824. For more information, visit www.the-townhall-nyc.org.