Bartha, Mandvi, Dancy, Metcalf Among Lortel Presenters; Menken, LaChanze to Perform

By Kenneth Jones
23 Apr 2010

LaChanze
LaChanze

Stars of stage, film and TV will be among presenters of the 2010 Lucille Lortel Awards — celebrating Off-Broadway excellence — on May 2. Michael Heitzman will direct the ceremony, with musical direction by David Holcenberg.

The previously announced co-hosts Bebe Neuwirth and Bryan Batt will be joined by presenters Kerry Washington, Anthony Mackie, Saffron Burrows, Justin Bartha, Hugh Dancy, Jennifer Morrison, Michael Urie, Laurie Metcalf, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Anthony LaPaglia, Zoe Kazan, Tamara Tunie, Stephanie March, Ally Sheedy, Lily Rabe, Rosie Perez, Patrick Heusinger, Keith Carradine, Aasif Mandvi, Jennifer Laura Thompson, Julie Halston, Charles Busch, Tom Jones and Michael Esper, among others.

The 25th annual celebration will begin with a 6 PM reception followed by an 8 PM ceremony at Terminal 5, 610 W. 56th Street, between 11th & 12th Avenues.

The theme of the ceremony is "Off-Broadway Comes Home," and the show will feature performances highlighting the best of Off-Broadway in the last 25 years. A curated exhibition spanning these years will also be on display.

In addition to montages of the five nominated musicals this season, the show will include performances from important shows of seasons past, including:

  • Composer Alan Menken performing a medley from his Off-Broadway hit, Little Shop of Horrors.

  • LaChanze singing "Waiting for Life" from Once On This Island, the song that made her famous.

  • Seth Rudetsky doing a "deconstruction" of Off-Broadway, plus his commentary "The Music, The Mirror, The Mishap," where he will tell inside stories about one of the most famous Off-Broadway musicals, A Chorus Line.

  • The cast of STOMP, the 16-year Off-Broadway percussive movement show, performing a segment from the award-winning international hit.

  • A performance of "Try to Remember" from the legendary Off-Broadway show, The Fantasticks, which celebrates 50 years in 2010. In honor of this achievement, author Tom Jones will be handing out the Outstanding Musical Award on May 2.

    In honor of the 25th anniversary milestone, the Lucille Lortel Awards has created "an intimate salon-style exhibit at Terminal 5 to showcase past winning companies and their productions." The showcase of posters, photographs, costumes and other ephemera, curated by Tiffany Nixon, June Reich and Ryan Anthony Donaldson, draws attention to "the significance of, and need for preserving materials designed and created for Off-Broadway theatres," according to a statement from the Lortel Awards. "These materials enhance the understanding of Off-Broadway's incredible contribution to New York's ever-growing theatre history."

    The Lucille Lortel Awards are produced by the Off-Broadway League by special arrangement with the Lucille Lortel Foundation. The Lortel Awards ceremony is a benefit for The Actors Fund. Additional support provided by Theatre Development Fund.

    Members of the industry may purchase tickets through the Off-Broadway League while members of the public wishing to watch the show can purchase tickets at ticketcentral.com or via phone at (212) 279-4200.