Christine Ebersole and Billy Stritch to Kick Off 2022-23 BROADWAY IN NEW ORLEANS Season

Producer Mark Cortale's Broadway in New Orleans concert series will present Christine Ebersole, two-time Tony Award-winner for Grey Gardens and 42nd Street and star of Oscar-winning films such as Amadeus and Tootsie, on Saturday, October 15 at 7:30 PM with renowned entertainer Billy Stritch at the piano. Tickets: $45.00 - $75.00 (prices subject to change), are available at www.RivertownTheaters.com or call 504-461-9475.

Christine Ebersole is currently co-starring on Chuck Lorre's hit sitcom Bob Hearts Abishola for CBS. She starred most recently on Broadway in War Paint in her Tony nominated role as Elizabeth Arden, opposite fellow Tony nominee Patti LuPone as Helena Rubinstein. She won her second Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical, as well as virtually every Off-Broadway award, for her "dual role of a lifetime" as Edith Beale and Little Edie Beale in Grey Gardens. She also recently starred in Paul Thomas Anderson's Oscar nominated film Licorice Pizza as Lucille Dolittle, based on Lucille Ball. In 2018 she made her LA Opera debut as the Old Lady in Francesca Zambello's production of Candide conducted by James Conlon.

Her extensive Broadway career also includes her Tony Award-winning performance as Dorothy Brock in the hit revival of 42nd Street, in addition to leading roles in On the Twentieth Century, Oklahoma, Camelot, Gore Vidal's The Best Man, Steel Magnolias, the revival of Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit, and Dinner at Eight for which she received both Tony and Drama Desk Award Nominations. She received an Obie Award and a Drama Desk nomination for her performance in Alan Bennett's Talking Heads. Concert appearances include the concert version of the opera The Grapes of Wrath at Carnegie Hall, the San Francisco Symphony's tribute to Leonard Bernstein, the Boston Pops' concert version of A Little Night Music, and PBS concerts Gershwin at 100: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall and The Rodgers & Hart Story: Thou Swell, Thou Witty.

In addition to her acclaimed stage career, Christine has also appeared in numerous hit films such as The Wolf of Wall Street, Amadeus, Tootsie, Richie Rich, Black Sheep, Steven Universe and The Big Wedding in which she also composed and performed the song "Gently Down The Stream". Her television career began as a regular cast member on Saturday Night Live alongside Eddie Murphy. She also played Tessitura in Gypsy with Bette Midler and has appeared on Pose, Madam Secretary, Blue Bloods, American Horror Story, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Search Party, Will and Grace, Murphy Brown, and The Colbert Report.

Billy Stritch is one of the premier singer-pianists on the New York and national jazz and cabaret scenes. He began his career in Houston, Texas, where he formed the vocal trio Montgomery, Plant and Stritch. The trio performed all over New York and Europe from 1983 until they disbanded in 1990. A chance meeting with Liza Minnelli in March of 1991 resulted in her asking him to create vocal arrangements for the record-breaking extravaganza Liza Stepping Out at Radio City Music Hall. In addition to his 25-year collaboration as accompanist and opening act for Liza, Billy recently toured with the legendary Tony Bennett as Tony's pianist and musical director. A solo entertainer in his own right, he has performed his own shows (including tributes to Mel Tormé and Cy Coleman) in concert halls and nightclubs across the country. Billy also serves as music director for such leading vocalists as Marilyn Maye, Linda Lavin, Linda Eder, Christine Ebersole and Paulo Szot. He is the co-writer of the Grammy-winning song "Does He Love You" recorded by Reba McEntire and Linda Davis. When he's not on the road, he is the pianist for Jim Caruso's Cast Party open mic night every Monday at New York's legendary Birdland Jazz Club and he and Jim hold forth on Sunday nights at Bemelmans' Bar in Manhattan's fabled Carlyle Hotel. During Covid-19, he created his own weekly Facebook live-stream show "Billy's Place", celebrating the Great American Songbook with songs and stories from his varied career. He was one of the first artists to pivot into online performances and even with the return of live performances he is continuing the show every Thursday evening at 8:00 pm EST on his Billy Stritch Facebook page. He has recorded five solo CDs and his latest CD release "Billy's Place" (Club44 Records) is a collection of his favorite songs from these online concerts.

Mark Cortale is celebrating his eleventh anniversary season as Producing Artistic Director of The Art House in Provincetown, MA. Since 2011 he has presented artists that include Patti LuPone, Audra McDonald, Sutton Foster, Kristin Chenoweth, Chita Rivera, Megan Mullally and Christine Ebersole. In 2019, he co-produced the Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel nominated Off-Broadway musical Midnight At The Never Get. He founded the international Broadway @ Concert Series featuring Seth Rudetsky as music director and host in Provincetown in 2011 and has presented these concerts at theatres that include the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, The Broward Center, The Wallis, The Kimmel Center, New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, Huntington Theatre Company, The Herbst Theatre and the Leicester Square Theatre in London. Mark also founded the singing string quartet Well-Strung which debuted at The Art House in 2012. In 2019 he launched the developmental theatre lab New Works Provincetown.

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