Broderick Set to Host Irish Rep's BRIGADOON Concert, 6/14

The Irish Repertory Theatre will present a rare concert performance of Alan J. Lerner and Frederick Loewe's BRIGADOON for its 2010 Annual Benefit Gala. The concert will be directed by Charlotte Moore and choreographed by Barry McNabb. This event is one night only: Monday, June 14 at the Shubert Theatre. Matthew Broderick (THE PRODUCERS) is set to host.

The concert will feature Broadway stars Len Cariou (SWEENEY TODD, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC); Christine Ebersole (GREY GARDENS); Jason Danieley (SOUTH PACIFIC/PBS, CURTAINS); Melissa Errico (AMOUR, WHITE CHRISTMAS); Ciaran Sheehan (THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA); A.J. Shively (LA CAGE AUX FOLLES); Don Stephenson (THE PRODUCERS), and a chorus of fifty singers with a twenty-piece orchestra, conducted by Mark Hartman (SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM).

Off-Broadway's acclaimed Irish Repertory Theatre presents its 2010 Annual Benefit Gala -- a rare concert performance on Broadway of Alan J. Lerner and Frederick Loewe's BRIGADOON on Monday, June 14 at The Shubert Theatre (225 West 44th Street) in Manhattan. Charlotte Moore, who directed the Irish Repertory's hit revivals of FINIAN'S RAINBOW, ERNEST IN LOVE and helms its current production of Sebastian Barry's WHITE WOMAN STREET, will direct. Two-time Tony Award-winner Matthew Broderick (THE PRODUCERS, 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off') is set to host.

The cast of BRIGADOON includes Len Cariou, best known for his Tony Award-winning performance in SWEENEY TODD as Mr. Lundie; Jason Danieley, seen on Broadway in Kander & Ebb's CURTAINS as Tommy; Christine Ebersole, best known for her recent Tony Award-winning performance in GREY GARDENS, as Meg; and Melissa Errico, who most recently appeared at the Irish Repertory Theatre in its acclaimed revival of CANDIDA and a Tony-Award nominee for AMOUR, as Fiona; Ciaran Sheehan (THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA) as Harry; A.J. Shively, currently portraying Jean-Michel in the Broadway revival of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES as Charlie; Don Stephenson, seen on Broadway in THE PRODUCERS and most recently ROCK OF AGES, as Jeff; and a chorus of fifty singers.

Mark Hartman (SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM) conducts a twenty-piece orchestra. Barry McNabb (Irish Repertory's FINIAN'S RAINBOW and ERNEST IN LOVE) choreographs.

BRIGADOON tells the story of a mysterious Scottish village that appears through the mist for one day every hundred years. When two cynical and jaded New Yorkers stumble across the "Bridge O'Doon," entering the village on the very day of its once-a-century appearance, they are seduced by its charm and astonished by its story. A love story strong enough to re-arrange time and space ensues when one of the strangers has to choose between returning to the life he left behind and a life with his love in Brigadoon.

One of the most lush and beautiful scores ever on a Broadway stage -- including "Almost Like Being in Love," "Waitin' for My Dearie," "Come to Me, Bend to Me," "The Heather on the Hill," and "Brigadoon," -- will be performed by a cast of Broadway stars and a fifty-member chorus, accompanied by a twenty-piece orchestra, conducted by Mark Hartman (SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM).

Like the legend of Brigadoon, a night like this may not appear for another hundred years.

Irish Repertory's 2010 Annual Benefit Gala featuring this rare concert version of BRIGADOON, one of the most glorious musicals of all time, will be followed by dinner with the cast at Sardi's, the Theatre's legendary celebrity restaurant (234 West 44th Street).

The evening celebrates the company's 22nd season which was as varied as it was celebrated: beginning with EuGene O'Neill's THE EMPEROR JONES, followed by the musical ERNEST IN LOVE, George Bernard Shaw's CANDIDA, and Sebastian Barry's WHITE WOMAN STREET (running through
June 27).

Lyricist and librettist Alan J. Lerner and composer Frederick Loewe are known for some of Broadway's most successful musicals, including MY FAIR LADY, CAMELOT, PAINT YOUR WAGON, and BRIGADOON, which was first produced on Broadway in 1947. The team also collaborated on 1958's Oscar-winning film GIGI and its subsequent stage version in 1973.

Earlier this year, Director Charlotte Moore helmed Irish Repertory's revival of ERNEST IN LOVE, a musical adaptation of Oscar Wilde's THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST. She is directing the Irish Repertory Theatre's current production of Sebastian Barry's WHITE WOMAN STREET, which begins previews May 7, prior to its official press opening May 16. Ms. Moore's recent directing credits also include FINIAN'S RAINBOW, TAKE ME ALONG, THE YEATS PROJECT, ARISTOCRATS, GASLIGHT, MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS, MRS. WARREN'S PROFESSION, and MRS. DOOLEY'S AMERICA.

Co-founded by Producing Director Ciaran O'Reilly and Artistic Director Charlotte Moore, The Irish Repertory Theatre opened its doors in September 1988 with Sean O'Casey's THE PLOUGH AND THE STARS. The mission of the theatre was and remains to bring works by Irish and Irish-American masters and contemporary playwrights to American audiences; to provide a context for understanding the contemporary Irish American experience; and to encourage the development of new works focusing on the Irish and Irish American experience, as well as a range of other cultures.

Irish Repertory's 2010 Gala benefit performance of BRIGADOON runs Monday, June 14, beginning at 7pm at the Shubert Theatre (225 West 44th Street), followed by dinner at Sardi's (234 West 44th Street). For Dinner and Theatre Packages, contact Joanne Shia at 212-213-1166 or email irishrep@carlacapone.com. Individual tickets run $100-$500. For Theatre Only tickets, call 212-727-2737 or online at www.irishrep.org.

To post a comment, you must register and login.