In addition to Butler (Xanadu) and Lee (Mary Poppins), Westport will welcome Tituss Burgess (The Little Mermaid), Nedra McClyde (The Actors Rap) , Julia Murney (Wicked), Q. Smith (Les Miserables) and Aurelia Williams (All Shook Up).
As previously reported, Academy Award winner Julia Roberts will host the gala that includes a silent auction, dinner and a musical performance by celebrated Broadway actors.
The evening will feature a trio of Gypsy stars, including Tony Award winners Angela Lansbury and Bernadette Peters, as well as 2008 Tony Award winner Laura Benanti. Peters will honor Lansbury in a special tribute.
Also on hand to perform will be Benanti's husband, stage and screen actor Steven Pasquale (A Man of No Importance), and three-time Tony nominee Raúl Esparza (The Homecoming).
The gala – chaired by Laurie Lister, Judd Burstein, Sharon Sullivan and Jeff Kindler – will also honor Autism Speaks co-founders Bob and Suzanne Wright. Cocktails begin at 6 PM, to be followed by the 6:30 PM performance, dinner and a silent auction.
Footlights and Film: A Celebration of the Great Musicals from Stage and Screen is directed by Joe Calarco with musical direction by Mary-Mitchell Campbell and choreography by Tim Federle.
Funds raised by Footlights and Film benefit artistic and educational programming at the Westport Country Playhouse. Ticket packages, beginning at $600 (performance only), are available by visiting www.westportplayhouse.org.
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In its 78-season history, the Westport Country Playhouse — located in Westport, CT — has produced more than 700 plays, 35 of which have transferred to Broadway.