Moore and Mac Rae Join Hair Cast for Sept. 14 With a Little Help From My Friends Benefit

By Andrew Gans
14 Sep 2009

Lindsay Thomas
Lindsay Thomas

Tony Award winner Melba Moore (Purlie) and Broadway favorite Heather Mac Rae (Hair, Falsettos, A Catered Affair) join the entire cast of the Tony Award-winning Broadway revival of Hair for With a Little Help From My Friends Sept. 14 at Joe's Pub.

Moore and Mac Rae, who appeared in the original Broadway production of Hair, are the evening's special guests. Moore will sing at the 9:30 PM concert, and Mac Rae will perform at the 11:30 PM concert.

The two concerts will help celebrate and benefit Broadway and Stratford Shakespeare Festival actress Lindsay Thomas (Hairspray, Jersey Boys), who was recently diagnosed with stage-four lung cancer and is currently undergoing chemotherapy in Toronto.

The concerts will help raise funds to contribute to the cost of Thomas' medical care.

In addition to the Hair cast, the evening will also feature the talents of Nikki M. James, David Reiser, Ryan Silverman, Karen Burthwright, Leslie McDonel, Miles Johnson and Jamie McKnight. Lon Hoyt is musical director.

Hair's Caissie Levy, who is producing the benefit, said in a previous statement, "Lindsay is one of my best friends, and a truly incredible woman. She has the biggest heart, and is always the first person to help out a friend in his or her time of need. When I approached our Tribe of actors, musicians, and producers, and told them Lindsay's story, everyone jumped at the opportunity to come to her aid. We hope people within the New York community will join us to benefit Lindsay's cause, and to celebrate the healing power of music and friendship."

Special items — including a walk-on role in Hair; dinner with Levy, Kacie Sheik and Allison Case; and a dinner with Gavin Creel, Will Swenson and Levy — will also be auctioned during the evening.

VIP tickets, priced $250, include two tickets to the benefit in VIP Table Seating, and a Hair poster and cast album signed by the entire cast; VIP tables are sold in pairs and only through Joe's Pub office (212) 539-8778. There are also $50 table seats and $35 standing room tickets available by visiting joespub.com or by calling (212) 967-7555.

Joe's Pub is located within the Public Theater at 425 Lafayette Street.