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Together Again: Fraser and Testa Will Sing Work of Magee
By Andrew Gans
and Kenneth Jones
11 Sep 2008
Xanadu's Mary Testa will join Gypsy's Alison Fraser for two upcoming concerts celebrating the work of Fraser's late husband, composer Rusty Magee.
The Sept. 29 and Oct. 20 concerts — entitled Together Again — will be held at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, which is located within the West Bank Cafe. The singing actresses will be accompanied by a full band led by Allison Leyton-Brown; show time for both concerts is 7 PM.
Alison Fraser, who plays Tessie Tura in Gypsy, received Tony nominations for her performances in Romance/Romance and The Secret Garden, and her other Broadway credits include The Mystery of Edwin Drood and the 1996 revival of Tartuffe. She created the role of Trina in William Finn's In Trousers and March of the Falsettos and starred in the national tour of High School Musical as well as in productions of Lizzie Borden, Honk!, Lend Me a Tenor, Gunmetal Blues and Lips Together, Teeth Apart. Her screen credits include "Law & Order: SVU," "Third Watch," "The Thing About My Folks," "Jack and His Friends" and "In the Blood."
Mary Testa, who plays Melpomene and Medusa in Xanadu, has also been seen on Broadway in Chicago, Barnum, Marilyn, The Rink, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, On the Town, Marie Christine and 42nd Street, earning Tony nominations for her work in On the Town and 42nd Street. Her other theatre credits include See What I Wanna See, String of Pearls, Lend Me a Tenor, The Vagina Monologues, The Wax, From Above (Obie Award), Lucky Stiff, In Trousers, Tartuffe and On the Town (Obie Award). Testa's screen credits include "Stay," "Tony 'n' Tina's Wedding," "Sleepers," "Whoopi" and "Sex and the City."
Benjamin Rush "Rusty" Magee, a composer and lyricist whose musical, The Green Heart, written with Charles Busch, was staged by Manhattan Theatre Club, died Feb. 16, 2003, after a battle with cancer. Mr. Magee won the New York Outer Critics' Circle James Fleetwood Award for his music and lyrics for Moliere's Scapin in 1993. He penned music and lyrics for American Repertory Theatre's acclaimed production of Ubu Rock and also wrote the music and lyrics for ART's production of Goldoni's Servant of Two Masters and Moliere's Imaginary Invalid. With his pal, comedian Lewis Black, Magee wrote the musical, The Czar of Rock and Roll, which premiered at Houston's Alley Theater in 1990. He also arranged and performed the music for the Tony Award-winning production of The House of Blue Leaves seen at Lincoln Center and on Broadway and PBS. Mr. Magee co-produced and wrote music for hundreds of one-act plays as musical director and co-founder with Lewis Black and Rand Foerster of Steve Olsen's West Bank Cafe Downstairs Theatre Bar in New York City.
The Laurie Beechman Theatre is located within the West Bank Cafe at 407 West 42nd Street. For reservations call (212) 695-6909.
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Alison Fraser (l.) and Mary Testa will perform Together Again.
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| photo by Aubrey Reuben |
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