BROADWAY LIVE! Features All-Star Cast At Pompano Beach Cultural Center

The Pompano Beach Cultural Center is proud to host a dazzling evening of entertainment to benefit Insight for the Blind. Broadway Live! directed by Shari Upbin, features an all-star cast performing beloved tunes from the Great White Way.

The special evening will also include performances by jazz great Libra, opera star Ardean Landhuis and special guest Broadway star Avery Sommers. Tickets for the October 21 show are $45 for show only and $125 for VIP reception with reserved seating. VIP reception 6:30pm, doors open at 7:15pm, concert 7:30pm. For more information, www.ccpompano.org.

Proceeds from the event will allow Insight for the Blind, serving all of South Florida, to continue promoting literacy within the visually impaired community through the recording of Talking Books, a program of the Library of Congress.

"Everyone raved about the incredible talent featured at last year's event Hollywood Live!, so we decided to do it again this year with a Broadway twist," said Matt Corey, CEO of Insight for the Blind. "Once again, we are humbled by the amazing support from the talented South Florida theatre community.

These fundraisers allow us to create recorded books for our sight-challenged community at no cost to them. This year, we are thrilled to offer general admission tickets so even more people can enjoy this spectacular entertainment and learn about our mission."

Broadway Live! is produced and directed by Shari Upbin, who has staged versions of this show with a variety of casts in New York and South Florida through her company Sharell Productions.

For this event, a who's who of theatre greats will be in the spotlight including Jeffrey Bruce, Lindsey Corey, Anna Lise Jensen, Michael Scott Ross, Mark Sanders, Sandi Stock, and Conor Walton, with musical direction by Caryl Fantel.

The event will also feature performances by Libra and Ardean Landhuis. Libra has graced the stage at some of the most renowned jazz clubs in the country including Birdland, S.O.B's, The Blue Note, and B.B. King's, and regularly at Ashford and Simpson's Sugar Bar. Ardean Landhuis has been involved with over 60 opera productions and has been privileged to work with several of the opera world's premiere singers, directors and conductors including Renata Scotto, Nate Merrill, Richard Leech, and June Anderson.

The evening's special guest is Broadway legend Avery Sommers, who has starred on the Great White Way in productions of Ain't Misbehavin', Show Boat, Chicago and more.

"I am thrilled to be working with Insight for the Blind once again," said Upbin, who has directed legendary stars in New York including Leslie Uggams, Ben Vereen and Kathie Lee Gifford. "Helping the visually impaired community stay connected through books, newspapers and magazines, at no cost to them, is a worthwhile cause that I am very proud to support."

Founded in 1975, the mission of Insight for the Blind is to help improve the quality of life for blind and visually impaired children and adults by promoting literacy and learning and aiding in the appreciation for reading through our production of recorded books, magazines and articles. Insight works with and maintains the standards of the Library of Congress Talking Books program.

Insight for the Blind produces Talking Books at no cost to the Library of Congress National Library Service or to the Florida Division of Blind Services or to any other public agency. The program is free to anyone who has trouble reading print because of an eye problem, a reading disability, or difficulty holding a book due to arthritis, a stroke, accident, or wounds received during military service.

Blindness is one of the most feared of all human afflictions and is growing among the elderly. It is widespread, reaching into all segments of our population, destroying one of our most important senses. "I lost my eyesight, but not my love for reading and learning," is a common refrain from patrons of Talking Books.

Working in partnership with community libraries across all 67 Florida Counties, through the Library of Congress, our recordings are available to all of the 489,702 blind and visually impaired in Florida and the 7 million others throughout America. Insight is 100% private sector funded.

For more information please visit, www.insightfortheblind.org. The Pompano Beach Cultural Center is located at 50 West Atlantic Blvd, Pompano Beach, FL 33060. Phone number 954-545-7800.

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