The growing list of names scheduled to sing their favorite tunes with new spur-of-the-moment lyrics includes Laura Benanti (Gypsy, The Wedding Singer), Stephanie D'Abruzzo (Avenue Q), Karen Mason (Mamma Mia!, Sunset Blvd.), Kate Rockwell (Phantom, "Grease: You're the One that I Want"), Barbara Walsh (Company), Brooke Sunny Moriber (Follies, The Wild Party), Alan Campbell (Sunset Blvd.), Brian Charles Rooney (Threepenny Opera), Janet Carroll (Little Women) and Mara Davie (Drowsy Chaperone). Show time is 7 PM.
Inspired by the sentiment that fans would listen to their favorite stars "sing the phone book," the gala concert evening will feature Broadway talent performing some of their favorite and signature tunes "with the lyrics replaced either mad lib style or with names from pages ripped randomly from the phone book. A third performance option includes a variation of the title where performances are crafted with words from pages ripped from a dictionary," according to press notes.
The funds generated by Broadway Sings the Phone Book will assist the Make-A-Wish foundation in fulfilling wishes of the children involved in the charity. "While many of the wish children who come to experience New York will see a Broadway show and several to specifically see and meet the cast of particular shows, we currently have three 'Broadway' wishes pending," states Metro New York Wish Assists Manager Shawn Kursuk. "One to perform cello in a Broadway orchestra, one to meet the cast of Grease, and one to be an extra in a Broadway play."
Tickets for the general public range $40-$110 and will go on sale Nov. 2. Those patrons selecting the $2,000 private sponsorship package will have the opportunity to fill out Broadway show-tunes in mad lib format, which will then be presented to the performers to sing live during the event.
The private sponsorship packages, currently on sale, range from $500 for a premium orchestra seat, gift bag and sponsorship program credit to $2,000, which includes a front-row ticket, gift bag, autographed window card, sponsorship credit, VIP room access and the opportunity to fill out the mad lib forms or rip pages from the dictionary and phone book, which will then be autographed by the performers. Broadway Sings the Phone Book was created by a trio of young producers — Sarah Melissa Rotker, Joe Tropia and Jonathan Tessero — who explain, "In the beginning, we were met with tremendous trepidation, however once we were able to convince everyone that the objective wasn't to deliver a polished, coherent replacement set of lyrics, but rather a platform where the magic of spontaneous, live theatre could give rise to once-in-a-lifetime performances that evoke nothing but laughter and joy, our jobs got much easier and the evening began to take a truly enchanting shape."
Sponsorship ticket information is available by e-mailing [email protected]. Individual tickets are available by calling (212) 719-1300 or by visiting www.cultureverb.com beginning Nov. 2.
The Metro New York chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which serves Manhattan's five boroughs, has granted more than 6,400 wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions since its founding in 1983.
