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Award-winning talents Shuler Hensley, Eartha Kitt, Debra Monk,
James Naughton, Bebe Neuwirth, David Hyde Pierce, Ben Vereen
and Karen Ziemba took the stage of Westport Country Playhouse,
Westport, Connecticut ( Tazewell Thompson , artistic director,
Jodi Schoenbrun Carter , managing director) celebrating guest
of honor John Kander, the Tony Award-winning composer of
“Chicago,” “Cabaret” and “Curtains,” on Monday, September 24.
Westport Country Playhouse artistic director Tazewell Thompson
said, “All this talent, all on one evening, all in one
place---Westport Country Playhouse! We are proud to have
Broadway’s ‘best of the best’ saluting a true gentleman of the
Broadway stage. This is a once-in-a-lifetime, unforgettable
spectacular!”
The annual benefit to support Westport Country Playhouse
honored the theatrical achievements of legendary songwriting
team John Kander and the late Fred Ebb. All of the artists who
performed in this unique event have starred in Kander and Ebb
shows and are award winners. The evening was titled “Everybody
Loves a Winner,” lyrics from the song, “Maybe This Time,”
penned by Kander and Ebb for the film version of “Cabaret.”
Honorary chairs of the fundraiser were Joanne Woodward,
artistic director emeritus of Westport Country Playhouse, and
Paul Newman. Co-chairs were Kim and Niv Harizman of Westport ,
Barbara and John Streicker of New York , and Sharon Sullivan
and Jeffrey Kindler of Westport , aided by a group of
dedicated volunteers from Connecticut and New York .
The celebratory evening included a private, cocktail reception
for benefactors with guest of honor John Kander and artists at
6 p.m., a star-studded musical performance in the Playhouse’s
Jason Robards Theatre at 7:30 p.m., and dinner with celebrity
guests at 9 p.m.
There were silent and live auctions with extraordinary items
including a Mediterranean cruise for 10 on the 137-foot
private yacht, “Mirabella III”; dinners with celebrities;
stays at exclusive vacation homes in Nantucket,
Carmel-by-the-Sea, Miami’s South Beach, Colorado’s Beaver
Creek and Martha’s Vineyard; tickets to Broadway shows, boxing
events, operas and the Super Bowl; and for the kids, a “Blues
Clues” birthday party.
Funds raised by the event will further artistic and
educational programming at Westport Country Playhouse, now
open year-round. “Ticket revenue makes up less than 50% of our
annual budget,” said Jodi Schoenbrun Carter , Westport Country
Playhouse managing director.
“We look to our annual benefit to provide additional support
so that we may continue to present compelling art on our stage
today and develop superb educational programming for the young
theatre-goers of tomorrow.
“We are counting on the generosity of those who hold the
Playhouse in their hearts and minds to help make this premier
social and entertainment event an incredible success,” she
added.
The Kander and Ebb Legacy
The John Kander and Fred Ebb collaboration of four decades has
created what many would consider Broadway standards and
contemporary classics: “Flora the Red Menace,” “Cabaret,” “The
Happy Time,” “Zorba,” “70 Girls 70,” “Chicago,” “The Act,”
“Woman of the Year,” “The Rink,” “Kiss of the Spider Woman”
and “Steel Pier.” Their collaboration also transferred itself
to movies and television as they wrote original material for
the Academy Awards, “Liza with a Z” and HBO’s “Liza Minnelli’s
Steppin Out,” “Funny Lady,” “Lucky Lady,” “New York, New
York,” “Stepping Out”
and “ Chicago ,” The Movie. In 1985, the song “ New York , New
York ” became the official anthem of New York City . At the
time of the unfortunate death of Mr. Ebb, Kander and Ebb had
several projects in different stages of completion waiting in
the wings, “All About Us,” an adaptation of Thornton Wilder’s
“The Skin of Our Teeth,” produced at Westport Country
Playhouse this past spring, “Curtains,” currently on Broadway,
“The Visit” and “Minstrel Show.”
Performances by Award-winning Talents
The award-winning performers on the program, in alphabetical
order, were:
Shuler Hensley, who appeared in Kander and Ebb’s “All About
Us” at Westport Country Playhouse in April, will star as the
monster in Mel Brooks’ new musical “Young Frankenstein,”
opening on Broadway in October. He portrayed Kerchak in
“Tarzan,” Jud Fry in “ Oklahoma !” (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer
Critics Circle and Olivier Awards) and Javert in “Les
Miserables.” Off-Broadway, he was in “The Great American
Trailer Park Musical.” Other credits include Phantom in “The
Phantom of the Opera” in Germany .
Eartha Kitt appeared in Kander and Ebb’s new musical, “All
About Us,” based on Thornton Wilder’s “The Skin of Our Teeth”
at Westport Country Playhouse last April. Ms. Kitt has an
enduring international career that spans theatre, cabaret,
television and the recording industry. She won the 2007 Emmy
Award for her performance as the voice of Yzma in Disney's
series “The Emperor's New School ”; she had been nominated
twice for a Grammy Award and three times for a Tony Award.
Debra Monk received a 2007 Tony nomination for Kander and
Ebb’s “Curtains.” Other Broadway shows by Kander and Ebb in
which she has appeared are “Chicago” (2005) and “Steel Pier”
(1997). Ms. Monk won a 1993 Tony Award for “Redwood Curtain.”
In 1982, she was in “Pump Boys and Dinettes,” for which she
was also co-author and co-director. Off-Broadway she won a
Drama Desk Award for “Oil City Symphony” and an Obie Award for
“Time of the Cuckoo.”
James Naughton is an acclaimed performer from Broadway and
regional theatre to television and films. He is the winner of
two Tony Awards as Best Actor in a Musical, for Kander and
Ebb’s “Chicago” (1997) and for “City of Angels ” (1990), which
also earned him a Drama Desk Award. He met equal success with
his solo concert/cabaret acts. He directed a 2002 production
of “Our Town” on Broadway starring Paul Newman, which
originated at Westport Country Playhouse.
Bebe Neuwirth garnered Tony and Drama Desk Awards as Best Lead
Actress in a Musical for her role as Velma Kelly in the 1996
Broadway revival of Kander and Ebb’s “Chicago.” In 2006, she
returned to the still-running “ Chicago ,” this time in the
role of Roxie Hart. She won a Tony Award for Best Featured
Actress in a Musical for the 1986 production of “Sweet
Charity.” She made her Broadway debut in 1980 as Sheila in “A
Chorus Line.”
David Hyde Pierce won the 2007 Tony Award for Best Performance
by a Leading Actor in a Musical for his role in Kander and
Ebb’s “Curtains.” He was also in the cast of Broadway’s
“Spamalot.” Pierce is best known for his role as psychiatrist
Dr. Nile Crane on the television sitcom, “Frasier.” Throughout
the show's 11-year run, 1993-2004, Pierce was nominated for an
Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor each year, winning four
times: 1995, 1998, 1999 and 2004.
Ben Vereen appeared in the 1999 U.S. and Canadian tour of
Kander and Ebb’s “Chicago,” and in the film “Funny Lady,” with
primary score by Kander and Ebb. Vereen won a Tony Award for
“Pippin” in 1973, and was Tony-nominated for “Jesus Christ
Superstar” in 1972. He starred in Broadway’s “Wicked” as the
Wizard of Oz, and also appeared on Broadway in “Fosse” and
“Jelly’s Last Jam.” Vereen played the African slave Chicken
George in the 1977 miniseries “Roots.”
Karen Ziemba portrayed Roxie Hart in Kander and Ebb’s
“Chicago,” and Rita Racine in their “Steel Pier” for which she
received a Tony Award nomination as well as Drama Desk and
Outer Critics Circle Award nominations. She captured the Drama
Desk Award for Kander and Ebb’s “And the World Goes ‘Round,” a
performance she repeated at Westport Country Playhouse in
1992. Ms. Ziemba won the 2000 Tony Award as Best Actress in a
Featured Role in a Musical for “Contact.”
The performance was directed by Peter Flynn. Musical direction
was by Mary-Mitchell Campbell.
Playhouse Information
Following a multi-million dollar renovation completed in 2005,
the Playhouse is now open year-round, welcoming 85,000
audience members annually. On its legendary stage are
theatrical productions, educational programming and special
events, including film, readings of short fiction and new
plays, and a Family Festivities series.
The rich history of the Westport Country Playhouse dates back
to 1931, when New York theatre producers Lawrence Langner and
his wife Armina Marshall created a Broadway-quality stage
within an 1830s cow barn. Now celebrating its 77th season, the
Playhouse has produced more than 700 plays, 35 of which later
transferred to Broadway. Its roster of actors reads like a
"Who's Who" of the American theatre. Westport Country
Playhouse serves as a treasured home for the performing arts
for audiences and artists alike, and as a true cultural
landmark for Connecticut .
The Westport Country Playhouse is a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit
corporation. For more information or to request a benefit
invitation, call (203) 227-5137, ext. 138. A schedule of
year-round events at the Playhouse is available online at
www.westportplayhouse.org |