Charles Busch Stars in I LOVED LUCY, A Gala Benefit For Bridge Street Theatre

Audiences are in for a rare treat when theatrical legend Charles Busch and playwright/performer Lee Tannen team up for a special two-performance concert staging of Tannen's I LOVED LUCY on Friday March 22 and Saturday March 23 as a benefit for Catskill's Bridge Street Theatre. This delightful stage adaptation of Tannen's own 2001 memoir, directed by Carl Andress, stars the fabulous Charles Busch as Lucille Ball, Lee Tannen as ... Lee Tannen, and also features the multitudinous talents of actor/pianist Tom Judson.

Few people knew America's comic sweetheart Lucille Ball the way Lee Tannen did. He first met Lucy as a child but cemented their close and enduring relationship as an adult when he acted as confidant and traveling companion to her during the last ten years of her life. "The play is drawn solely from memory," says Tannen, "a remembrance of a time in my life spent with a remarkable woman at the end of hers. It's a loving and candid Valentine to my very own Auntie Mame." 'I Loved Lucy' is an intimate and personal portrait of Lucille Ball as you've never seen or known her before, one that will only add to your own love of Lucy.

"Charles Busch has been one of Bridge Street Theatre's most avid supporters from the very beginning," says BST Artistic Director John Sowle. "Each of his previous appearances here in Catskill - 'The Lady at the Mic', 'My Kinda '60s', and 'Native New Yorker' - have been sold-out smash hits that have subsequently moved on to great acclaim in Manhattan and beyond. When Lee approached us about the possibility of staging I LOVED LUCY here with Charles in the title role - well, let's face it, it was a no-brainer. NOBODY is gonna want to miss seeing Charles Busch, fully coifed and costumed, as Lucille Ball!"

This special benefit concert staging will be presented for two performances only, and tickets for both shows are already flying out the door. Admission to the Friday night performance on March 22 at 7:30pm is $50, $40 for 2019 BST Season Subscribers. Admission to the Gala Performance on Saturday March 23 at 7:30pm, which will be preceded by a catered reception at 6:30pm, is $100, $80 for 2019 BST Season Subscribers. To make reservations (a must - only a few seats still remain and there's NO standing room in Bridge Street's intimate 84-seat Mainstage auditorium), visit ilovedlucy.brownpapertickets.com or call 800-838-3006 NOW. And to become a Subscriber to Bridge Street Theatre's five-play 2019 Season and receive substantial discounts on many other BST events (including 'I Loved Lucy') plus special offers from local businesses, visit bst2019.brownpapertickets.com or call 800-838-3006. The theater is located at 44 West Bridge Street in the Village of Catskill, just a block west of Catskill Creek and within easy walking distance of Catskill's historic Main Street.

Audiences can also warm up for I LOVED LUCY at a free Monday night March 18 showing of Lucy and Desi's biggest screen hit, THE LONG, LONG TRAILER! This delightful 1954 road comedy, directed by Vincent Minnelli, stars Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz as a newly-wed couple who purchase a brand-new travel trailer and spend a year driving across the United States. As you might expect, mayhem ensues. Doors at the theatre will open at 7:00pm, screening commences at 7:30. It's gonna be a full week of Lucy in Catskill!

For more information, be sure to visit the theatre online at bridgest.org or call their offices at 518-943-3818.