The 8 PM tribute to all things Judy Garland serves as a benefit for the Ali Forney Center and its mission to assist LGBT homeless youth. It is a special installment of Justin Sayre's variety show, The Meeting*.
Ben Rimalower (Joy, Leslie Kritzer Is Patti LuPone at Les Mouches) directs the evening that promises tributes, skits and signature Garland songs. Lance Horne is musical director.
Joining McArdle (Annie, Beauty and the Beast), Houdyshell (Follies, Well), Pope (Wonderful Town, Our Hit Parade), Molaskey (Parade, Songs for a New World) and recording artist-actress McKay (Threepenny Opera) are writer Michael Musto, Darius de Haas (Dreamgirls, Rent), Cole Escola ("Jeffery & Cole Casserole"), Frank DeCaro, Colleen McHugh and Bridget Everett.
"The work that the Ali Forney Center is crucial to young LGBT people in New York," Sayre said in a statement. "It enables them to thrive and grow in a healthy and warm environment, where they are celebrated for their identity rather than chastised for it. Life may have dealt you a raw hand, but there are people out there to help you through it. In her film roles and in her personal life, Judy Garland embodied an innocence and a resilience that still thrills young and old alike. She had tragedy in her life and yet she continued to give herself to a public that adored her. If Judy Garland was the comeback kid, The Ali Forney Center is the comeback place. I can't imagine a better combination."
The event is produced by Adam J. Rosen and Dan Fortune.
Ticket are $25 and $60 (which includes a VIP pre-show reception at 6:30 PM). For tickets and more information, visit AliForneyCenter.org.