Something Wonderful will be happening in Los Angeles on Nov. 9 and 10 when a host of performers take part in a tribute to the late Richard Rodgers.
Simply titled Something Wonderful: The Richard Rodgers Centennial, the all-star concert will benefit the Actors' Fund of America and will honor Gordon Davidson with the Nedda Harrigan Logan Award. Davidson will be presented with the award at the Nov. 9 performance by Richard Thomas. The event also boasts Mary Rodgers and Julie Andrews (Andrews will be unable to attend the concerts) as Honorary Chairpersons; David Galligan will direct with musical direction by Gerald Sternbach.
As of press time, those taking part in the concerts include Ian Abercrombie, Theodore Bikel, Carole Cook, Tyne Daly, Nancy Dussault, Mitzi Gaynor, Estelle Harris, Jane A. Johnston, Dale Kristien, Lorenzo Lamas, Michael Maguire, Karen Mason, Marilynn Lovell Matz, Rod McKuen, Patricia Morison, Pamela Myers, Jack Noseworthy, Valarie Pettiford, Stefanie Powers, John Raitt, Alice Ripley, Honey Sanders and Lesley Ann Warren.
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During his lifetime, Richard Rodgers penned over 900 songs. His partnerships with Lorenz Hart and later with Oscar Hammerstein II produced some of the most successful musicals in Broadway history. His works with Hart included On Your Toes, Babes in Arms, I Married an Angel, The Boys from Syracuse, Pal Joey and By Jupiter, and the Rodgers-Hammerstein collaboration spawned Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, Flower Drum Song and The Sound of Music. The hit revival of Oklahoma! currently plays Broadway's Gershwin Theatre, and Flower Drum Song recently opened at the Virginia. Something Wonderful will be held in the Luckman Fine Arts Complex at Los Angeles' Cal State. Show time is 8 PM on Nov. 9 and 3 PM on Nov. 10. Tickets, priced between $50 and $250, are available by calling (323) 933 9266, ext. 54 or by e-mailing [email protected].
The Actors' Fund of America, a nonprofit organization founded in 1882, provides for the social welfare of all entertainment professionals. Its headquarters and The Aurora Residence are located in New York City, and its nursing home and assisted living care facility are in Englewood, New Jersey.
—By Andrew Gans
