Dozens of Broadway Stars — Including Minnelli and Vereen — Set for Hurricane Benefit

By Andrew Gans
September 14, 2005

The company members of Wicked will produce a benefit for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, which will be held Sept. 25 at the Gershwin Theatre. Ben Vereen, Liza Minnelli, Bebe Neuwirth and many more are set to perform.

The 8:30 PM concert, which is made possible by the Nederlander Organization, will feature the talents of Vereen, Minnelli and Neuwirth as well as Bryan Batt, Shoshana Bean, Victoria Clark, Charlotte d'Amboise, Jill Eikenberry, Raul Esparza, Shuler Hensley, Megan Hilty, Bill Irwin, Brian d'Arcy James, Isabelle Keating, Adriane Lenox, Terrence Mann, Rue McClanahan, Michael McElroy, Julia Murney, Bebe Neuwirth, Kelli O'Hara, Denis O'Hare, David Hyde Pierce, Carole Shelley, Christopher Sieber, Michael Tucker, Frederick Weller and The Broadway Inspirational Voices. The evening will also boast performances from the casts of The Light in the Piazza, Hairspray, Mamma Mia!, All Shook Up, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Two Gentlemen of Verona and Wicked.

Profits from Broadway's Celebrity Benefit for Hurricane Relief will go directly to America's Second Harvest and Quilts for Kids, two organizations working directly with the Katrina victims.

In a statement, Wicked's Ben Vereen said, "On Monday August 29th, 2005 Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast like no other storm in recorded history. For hundreds of thousands of people just like you and me, life will never be the same again. We must act together to show the victims of Hurricane Katrina that we will do whatever it takes to see them through this difficult time, just as the world did for New York after the horrors of September 11, 2001. When ticket sales hit an all time low and businesses were struggling to keep their doors open, our fellow Americans rallied around our city. They came to stay in our hotels, eat at our restaurants, shop in our stores... and they came to see our shows!"

Tickets for the concert are priced $100 and $300 and are available by visiting the Gershwin Theatre box office, by calling (212) 307-4100 or by logging on to www.ticketmaster.com. The Gershwin Theatre is located at 222 West 51st Street.