Martin, Battle, Ziemba, McKechnie and Kaye to Salute Orbach at Feb. 24 Drama League Event

By Andrew Gans
February 5, 2003

The Drama League will honor Tony Award winner Jerry Orbach during its annual A Musical Celebration of Broadway Feb. 24.

The annual black-tie event, which features dinner and an original musical revue, will be held in the Grand Ballroom of the Pierre Hotel in Manhattan. Orbach, a Broadway veteran who has "appeared in more American musicals than any other living actor," will be saluted by former Renter Jesse Martin, who will offer "Mack the Knife"; "Law & Order" co-star Richard Belzer, who will present a comedic tribute; and Broadway veterans Hinton Battle, Karen Ziemba, Donna McKechnie and Judy Kaye, who will perform a medley of Broadway tunes. Gossip maven Liz Smith will also be on hand to introduce the creators of The Fantasticks, Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt, who will perform a medley from the musical that originally starred Orbach.

Jerry Orbach received a Tony Award for his performance in Promises, Promises. He has also starred on Broadway in Carnival, Guys and Dolls, The Natural Look, 6 Rms Riv Vu and the original companies of Chicago and 42nd Street. Orbach also appeared in the original cast of the recently closed, record-breaking musical The Fantasticks. A star of TV and film, Orbach can currently be seen on the NBC drama "Law & Order."

The Drama League was created in 1916 to nurture artists and audiences for the American theatre. The Feb. 24 evening will benefit the Drama League's Directors Project, which has become the country's preeminent development program for promising theatre directors. Alumni of the program include Urinetown's John Rando, Thoroughly Modern Millie's Michael Mayer, Rocky Horror Show's Christopher Ashley and How I Learned to Drive's Mark Brokaw.

Tickets for A Musical Celebration of Broadway are priced between $450 and $1,500, and the evening begins at 7:30 PM with cocktails in the Pierre Hotel's Grand Ballroom (Fifth Avenue and 61st Street). For more information, call Meghan Coleman at The Drama League, (212) 244-9494, ext. 4.