When "One Night Only" comes to New Jersey on September 22 to resurrect the last days of disco, Studio 54 founders Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager will not be in the crowd – but the extravagant legacy they created will be.
New Jersey-based non-profit theatre company, 3S Theatre Collective (3STC), will host an ensemble cast of Broadway stars to perform disco-inspired Broadway show tunes to raise money for AIDS.
Marc Eardley, Producing Artistic Director of 3STC, is expecting to fill the 1,400-seat Loews Jersey Theatre (54 Journal Square, Jersey City, N. J.) in an effort to raise awareness in the first-ever Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS benefit held in the Garden State.
"Not very often do many Broadway stars get the chance to share the stage, and their talents, to help bring awareness to a worthwhile cause," says Eardley. "I'm thrilled to be given the opportunity to work together with such fine talent in bringing Broadway to New Jersey."
Lea DeLaria, the lesbian comedian known for making throngs of people laugh, will be hosting the event, which will feature guest performances of Broadway songs orchestrated to reflect a fusion of 70s pop and showtunes. Additional guest stars and performers for the evening include
Andrew Keenan-Bolger (Beauty and the Beast),
Stanley Bahorek (Spelling Bee),
Kirsten Bracken (
Hairspray),
Heather Parcells (A Chorus Line), Louise Stewart (Hedwig and The Angry Inch),
Patina Renea Miller (Hair) and
Rodney Hicks (
Rent) who will all be accompanied by 12 backup dancers during their numbers.
The title song, "One Night Only," will be one that bears relevance to the decade that gave birth to disco, and is a song that is current in the pop musicscape for its origin in the movie Dreamgirls. Other songs to be featured throughout the event include hits such as "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, "Don't Nobody Bring Me No Bad News" from The Wiz and "Hot Patootie (Bless My Soul)" from The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
"When the staff of 3STC was thinking of the best way to open the season, we knew we wanted to do something different. Well, this certainly will be! What better way to celebrate theatre than to perform for a worthy cause, bring in a new audience and to do it in 70s style with new orchestrations of some great showtunes," boasts Eardley. "This is the first benefit of its kind to take place in Jersey City."
General admission tickets are available for $20 (rear orchestra) and for $25 (front orchestra), which can be obtained by visiting
www.3stc.com and by clicking on the "One Night Only" link.
3S Theatre Collective
Primarily a Tri-State based non-profit
Production Company, 3STC is unwaveringly passionate about doing everything it can to secure a prosperous future for the arts and artists. Its commitment is to bring spectacular entertainment to the areas surrounding Manhattan. 3S stands for Tri-State; N.Y., N. J., Ct. and it has numerous initiatives moving forward in all three states.
Photo Credit Genevieve Rafter Keddy
