Westport Country Playhouse Presents I'LL DRINK TO THAT! A BROADWAY COCKTAIL HOUR On Friday, September 22

Westport Country Playhouse will present “I'll Drink to That! A Broadway Cocktail Hour,” on Friday, September 22, at 6 p.m., in the Playhouse courtyard and Lucille Lortel White Barn Center, adjacent to the theater.

The evening will feature Laurence Maslon, author of the recently published book, “I'll Drink to That!,” as he recounts magic moments on the Broadway stage and serves up a guide to making one-of-a-kind cocktails inspired by Broadway's legendary stars and classic shows. Two Broadway actors will intersperse Maslon's stories with songs and scenes from Broadway productions.

"Ever since my parents took me, as a wee lad, to see Maggie Smith in Noël Coward's 'Private Lives,' it struck me that the glamour of Broadway and the elegance of a cocktail will always go hand in glove--or 'hand and glass,' I should say,” Maslon noted. “This book--with Joan Marcus's sparkling photos--gives readers an effervescent overview of that bubbly relationship, as well as more than a few choice anecdotes to dazzle any after-show cocktail conversation."

As guests arrive, they will be invited to enjoy cocktails that pay homage to Broadway shows as Maslon details the history of the cocktail on Broadway. The 70-minute program will culminate with a second cocktail and book signing.

Laurence Maslon is an arts professor at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, as well as associate chair of the graduate acting program. In addition to “I'll Drink to That!,” he wrote an updated companion volume to the PBS series “Broadway: The American Musical.” He is also the host and producer of the weekly radio series, “Broadway to Main Street,” winner of the 2019 ASCAP Foundation/Deems Taylor Award for Radio Broadcast, on the NPR station WLIW-FM.  He edited the two-volume set “American Musicals (1927-1969)” for Library of America, as well as their “Kaufman & Co.,” Broadway comedies by George S. Kaufman.  Other books include the companion book to “Come From Away,” “Broadway to Main Street: How Show Music Enchanted America” (Oxford), “The Sound of Music Companion,” and the “South Pacific Companion.”  He is the writer and co-producer of the PBS American Masters documentary, “Sammy Davis, Jr.: I've Gotta Be Me,” and wrote the American Masters documentary “Richard Rodgers: The Sweetest Sounds.” He served on the nominating committee for the Tony Awards from 2007 to 2010. He has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, Opera News, Stagebill, and American Theatre.

Tickets are $50 and include two speciality cocktails. Copies of Maslon's book “I'll Drink to That!,” published by Weldon Owen in May 2023, will be available for sale and signing. Seating is limited. For info, visit:  https://www.westportplayhouse.org/show/ill-drink-to-that/
For tickets, visit:  https://tickets.westportplayhouse.org/6175/6176
 

A complete schedule of Playhouse events is available at westportplayhouse.org. Westport Country Playhouse is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. All play titles, artists, dates, and times are subject to change. 

For Westport Country Playhouse information and tickets, visit westportplayhouse.org or call the box office at (203) 227-4177, toll-free at 1-888-927-7529. 

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