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. Also on hand 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 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.
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.
