Among those scheduled to present or perform include Joe Torre, Lynn Redgrave, Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Amy Ryan, Sharon Lawrence, Orfeh, Cheyenne Jackson, Mary Bond Davis, Lauren Bacall, Liz Smith, Melissa Gilbert and Larry Keith.
Entitled There's No Business Like Show Business, the evening is set to begin at 6:30 PM with cocktails, followed by a 7:30 PM dinner, and will honor Billy Crystal, Roger Berlind, Phyllis Newman and John McGuire with a star studded tribute to — and performance by — Neil Sedaka. Sedaka will be joined by an all-star cast to perform selections from his music catalog, which includes "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do," "Love Will Keep Us Together," "Laughter in the Rain," "Oh! Carol," "Where the Boys Are," "Calendar Girl" and "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen."
Joe Torre will present Crystal with the Actors' Fund Artistic Achievement Award; producer Berlind will receive the Actors' Fund Medal of Honor from Brian Stokes Mitchell; actress Newman will be presented with the Tom Dillon Humanitarian Award by Lauren Bacall and Liz Smith; and McGuire, who is senior advisor to the Screen Actors' Guild, will be honored with the Actors' Fund Nedda Harrigan Logan Award. Melissa Gilbert and Larry Keith will present the latter with his award.
Actors' Fund Executive Director Joseph P. Benincasa said in a statement, "This event is the highlight of the year for us because we are able to honor a legendary Broadway producer, a true entertainment legend, and a gentleman who has made a tremendous impact in the lives of people who work in the entertainment industry."
Tickets are priced $750-$2,500, with tables beginning at $15,000. For more information call Anne Rose at (212) 744-1048 or the Benefit Office at (212) 786-6186. The Actors' Fund, which was founded in 1882, is a non-profit organization that provides for the social welfare of all entertainment professionals. Some of the many programs The Actors' Fund provides include a nursing home and assisted living care facility; senior and disabled programs; mental health services; chemical dependency services; entertainment industry assistance programs; the Phyllis Newman Women's Health Initiative; the AIDS Initiative; and supportive housing on both coasts.
Visit www.actorsfund.org for more information.
