Amy Spanger Replaces Nikki Blonsky in Tim Realbuto's Maury Yeston Tribute Concert

Nikki Blonsky, who was originally scheduled to perform in Tim Realbuto's Bookseller in the Rain Maury Yeston tribute concert, had to withdraw from the production due to a severe flu that has left her on bed rest with extremely strict orders from her doctors. Drama Desk nominee Amy Spanger ("Six Feet Under"; Reefer Madness) has replaced Ms. Blonsky as the show's opener, singing Yeston's Oscar nominated hit "Take It All." Ms. Spanger joins a prestigious list of guest stars for the evening including the previously announced Tony Award winner Tonya Pinkins (Caroline, or Change), Mara Davi("Smash"), Jenna Leigh Green ("Sabrina, the Teenage Witch"), Laurissa Romain ("Top Five"), American Idol's Eric Anthony Lopez (702 Punchlines and Pregnant: The Jackie Mason Musical), Christine Dwyer (Wicked), Joshua Colley(Newsies), Aaron Walpole (Les Miserables), Wendi Bergamini(Doctor Zhivago) Ovation Award nominee Erika Amato(Flashdance), Kimberly Faye Greenberg (Danny and Sylvia),Abigail Ludrof (The HVAC Plays), Emily Esposito (A Christmas Story), Natalie Ballenger (The Fantasticks), and Angelia Golden (Ghostlight). Also present will be the evening's guest of honor, Tony Award winning and Oscar nominated composer Maury Yeston.

In a statement, Realbuto said: "We are very sad to announce that Ms. Blonsky can no longer join us. She is a wonderful talent and I simply can't wait to work with her in the very near future. However, we are thrilled to announce the phenomenal Ms. Amy Spanger as her replacement. Audiences on Sunday night are in for a real treat."

Those who were hoping to see Ms. Blonsky may feel free to call The Metropolitan Room at (212) 206-0440 for a full refund.

Ms. Spanger was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for her performance as Holly in the Broadway production of The Wedding Singer. Her other Broadway credits include leading roles in: Kiss, Me Kate; Chicago; Rock of Ages; Elf; Urinetown; and Sunset Boulevard. She starred as Sally DeBains in Showtime's cult hit Reefer Madness, and also appeared in the film Synecdoche, New York and will play the role of Gina in the upcoming film No Beast So Fierce. Ms. Spanger's numerous television appearances include the leading role of Holly Duncan on "Six Feet Under"; as well as appearances on "Royal Pains"; "Bored to Death"; "Michael & Michael Have Issues"; "Law and Order: SVU"; "Becker"; "Ed"; and the popular internet series "Submissions Only."

As previously announced, award winning performer/writer Tim Realbuto is back, after his hugely successful solo shows Alone (With Plenty of Help) at 54 Below and Wunderkind, an autobiographical piece created by and starring Realbuto, which toured NYC all last year at venues such as Joe's Pub, The Laurie Beechman, and Stage 72, selling out every time. Realbuto then toured Wunderkind across the country, making his final stop at The Venue in Orlando, Florida in late December 2014. Now, he's back, not to talk about himself, but to honor one of his heroes, legendary Broadway composer Maury Yeston.

Mr. Yeston has once described Tim as the quintessential interpretation of his music, even saying "Realbuto sings my music the way it was meant to be sung." Realbuto felt like that statement defined him and he vowed that one day he would honor the man who said those words to him, to honor the man behind some of the world's most beautiful music. With the support and collaboration of Mr. Yeston himself, that evening has finally come to fruition. Tim Realbuto: Bookseller in the Rain, an evening honoring the music of Maury Yeston, will perform on Sunday, February 15th, 2015 at popular venue The Metropolitan Room in New York City.

See Realbuto, a rising star on the New York Theatre scene, interpret Yeston's music in an evening filled with song, memories, laughter and love. Expect to hear all of your favorite Yeston tunes sung by Realbuto backed by a full band led by Allegro's Julianne B. Merrill, with a special guest or two along the way, as well as a 30-person ensemble to close the evening. Yeston's gorgeous harmonies will be heard in surround sound, with the ensemble filling up the entire room around you.

Realbuto's 30-person ensemble will be a record breaker for the Metropolitan Room. Realbuto auditioned hundreds of singers and hand-picked each one to make sure Yeston's music would come alive in the proper way. Realbuto'sMaury Yeston ensemble will feature Robert Agis, Brittany Baratz, Christopher Michael Christiana, David De Almo, Julie D'Moure, Lianne Gennaco, Angelia Golden, Thomas Ian Johnson, Leigh Martha Klinger, Lori Lusted, Jessie MacBeth, Mary Malaney, Jesse Michels, Paul Mitchell, Anna Louise Morse, Kyle Motsinger, Marilyn O'Connell, Rebecca Odorisio, Caitlyn Oenbrink, Sean Powell, Shannon Rakow, Jackie Reynolds, Zachary Spiegel, Eric Stephenson, Allison St. Rock, Adena Walker, Claire Elise Walton, Emily Witte, Stephanie Weatherly, and Michael Yeshion.

Realbuto is most known for co-writing the Broadway bound musical Ghostlight, as well as his appearances on the New York stage in Hair, Finian's Rainbow, Romeo and Juliet, The Winter's Tale Project, Love's Labours Lost, and the Off-Broadway premiere of White Widow: The Musical. His numerous film and television credits include the co-starring role of Jackson Pheiffer opposite Kevin Kline and Jesse Eisenberg in the Universal Pictures release The Emperor's Club, two seasons on Nickelodeon's "The Big Help" alongside Michelle Trachtenberg, and Jimmy on Season One of HBO's "The Sopranos."

Yeston is, of course, the Tony Award winning and Oscar nominated composer of hits such as Titanic (Tony Award for Best Musical), Grand Hotel, Phantom, December Songs, Cloud Nine, Death Takes a Holiday, In The Beginning, and, of course, the ever popular Tony Award winning Best Musical Nine (which was made into a major motion picture starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Nicole Kidman). Mr. Yeston has not only given the Broadway community so much. His contributions have spread across the world.

'Tim Realbuto: Bookseller in the Rain' was originally slated to play two nights due to popular demand, but Mr. Yeston and Mr. Realbuto's schedules would not allow for it. Instead, the one-night-only concert will take place on Sunday, February 15th, 2015 at The Metropolitan Room, 34 West 22nd Street, NYC. Showtime is 9:30 PM. Tickets range from $22.50-$115.00 and are currently available at www.metropolitanroom.com

Mr. Realbuto will also be a guest on the Ginger New York Television Show to promote 'Bookseller...' and sing a medley of Yeston tunes featured in the show on Friday, February 6th, 2015 (check local listings). For more information on Tim, please visit www.TimRealbutoOfficial.com.

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