Palm Springs Cultural Center presents Broadway’s Best of the West Series featuring shows by Megan Hilty, Jack Kelly, Cheyenne Jackson, and Laura Benanti.
The Palm Springs Cultural Center is proud to introduce a new annual Music Series:
The new “Broadway’s Best in the West” music series is being Executive Produced by Dr. Tom Truhe, and features some of Broadway's best performers. The series kicks off on December 9th with powerhouse singer and Tony® Award nominee, Megan Hilty.
Hilty, who made her Broadway debut as Glinda in “Wicked,” also received high praise for her portrayal of Doralee Rhodes in Broadway’s “9 to 5: The Musical.” On stage, she has been honored with nominations for Lead Actress in a Musical at the Drama Desk Awards, Outer Critics Circle Awards, the Drama League Awards and L.A. Stage Alliance Ovation Awards. A star of both stage and screen, Hilty is perhaps most recognizable for her portrayal of seasoned triple-threat Ivy Lynn in NBC’s musical drama “Smash.”
In addition to “Smash”, her television credits include Bravo’s dramedy “Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce”, Hulu’s “Difficult People”, the final season of CBS’s “The Good Wife,” as well as “The Good Fight” for CBS All Access. Hilty also recurred on “Braindead” for CBS as well as ABC’s hit series “Desperate Housewives”. In 2013, Hilty starred on the NBC series “Sean Saves the World”. She recently finished filming the first season of “The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh” for Freevee, and her solo concerts continue to sell out and receive critical acclaim across the country.
“When we first started talking about the series, said Dr. Tom Truhe, Executive Producer, “we immediately thought of Megan Hilty, and we are just thrilled to have her opening the series for us. She’s a dynamite performer, an audience favorite, and working with her is an absolute pleasure!”
“Broadway’s Best in the West” will continue on Saturday, January 20th with Tony® and Grammy-nominated actor and singer Jeremy Jordan, who is best known for his portrayal of Jack Kelly in Newsies on Broadway, as well as his many roles on television including series regulars on CW's "Supergirl”, NBC's “Smash” and Disney's “Tangled." Most recently, he was Seymour in the New York production of the iconic Little Shop of Horrors. Additional Broadway credits include Bonnie & Clyde (Theatre World Award), West Side Story, Waitress, American Son, and Rock of Ages.
“Jeremy ‘s voice is nothing short of stunning,” Dr. Truhe continued, “He has this four octave vocal range, and the ability to present it with an amazing amount of power and versatility.”
Jordon will be followed on Saturday, February 17th by Grammy Award-nominated actor, singer and songwriter Cheyenne Jackson. Jackson has most recently been seen in “Call Me Kat,” as well as starring in the four-part LGBTQ+ docuseries “Equal,” the “Saved by the Bell” reboot and Kenny Ortega’s hit series, “Julie and the Phantoms.” On and Off-Broadway, he has starred in “The Performers,” “The Most Happy Fella,” “8,” “Finian’s Rainbow,” “Damn Yankees,” “Xanadu,” “The Agony and the Agony” and “All Shook Up.”
Additionally, he was part of the premiere cast of “Altar Boyz,” “Aida,” “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” “On the 20th Century” and “The 24 Hour Plays.” Last summer, Cheyenne returned to his Broadway roots for a limited 10-show engagement of Sydney Sondheim's INTO THE WOODS.
The final concert in the 2023/24 edition of the “Broadway’s Best in the West” brings Broadway darling (and classically trained soprano) Laura Benanti to the stage on Saturday, March 16th.Benanti, who is a Tony® Award-winner (Gypsy) and five-time Tony® Award nominee, took Broadway by storm at the age of 18 as Maria in THE SOUND OF MUSIC.
She subsequently starred in ten more Broadway shows (musicals, straight plays, comedies and dramas) including INTO THE WOODS, NINE (opposite Antonio Banderas), GYPSY, SHE LOVES ME, MY FAIR LADY, and Steve Martin’s METEOR SHOWER opposite Amy Schumer and Keegan Michael Key. Her television roster includes Hulu’s LIFE & BETH, created by and starring Amy Schumer, the hit series YOUNGER, HBO Max’s GOSSIP GIRL reboot, and the upcoming second season of HBO Max’s THE GILDED AGE.
Benanti has also made widely acclaimed appearances on THE LATE SHOW WITH Stephen Colbert as Melania Trump.
“The uber talented quartet of Broadway singers gracing the Palm Springs Cultural Center's stage in “Broadway’s Best in the West” have among them the following nominations and awards from "The Great White Way": 7 Tony nominations, 10 Drama Desk nominations, and 10 Outer Critic Circle nominations...with wins in each of the three categories.” Dr. Truhe said.
“Also, all four of them have extensive television and movie credits that have garnered multiple nominations for Emmy, Grammy, and Golden Globe awards. “Broadway’s Best in the West” is definitely going to be this season’s “Hot Ticket.”
Tickets to all of the concerts in the “Broadway’s Best in the West” series are available at psculturalcenter.org
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