LuPone will receive the award for her "her outstanding contributions to the theatre." The evening will also honor former Governor Thomas Kean with the Warburg Award for his humanitarian work.
The one-night-only event is scheduled to begin with cocktails and a silent auction at 6:30 PM, followed by dinner and dancing, entertainment and the awards presentations.
The Drowsy Chaperone's Bob Martin will emcee the entertainment portion of the evening, which will boast a performance by four-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald.
Perhaps best known her for work as TV sleuth Jessica Fletcher on "Murder, She Wrote," Angela Lansbury is one of the most celebrated stars of the Broadway stage. She received Tony Awards for her performances in Sweeney Todd, Gypsy, Dear World and Mame, and she also appeared on The Great White Way in Hotel Paradiso, A Taste of Honey, Anyone Can Whistle, The King and I and A Little Family Business. Her numerous film credits include "Gaslight," "The Picture of Dorian Gray" and "The Manchurian Candidate," all of which brought the actress Academy Award nominations.
A Tony Award winner for her work in Evita, Patti LuPone also earned an Olivier Award for her performances in the West End productions of Lés Misérables and The Cradle Will Rock. Her other theatrical credits include Sunset Boulevard, Anything Goes, Oliver!, Working, The Old Neighborhood, Master Class and Pal Joey. LuPone also headlined two solo Broadway concerts, Patti LuPone On Broadway and Matters of the Heart, and received glowing notices for her performance as Mrs. Lovett in the Lincoln Center concert version of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd and a Tony nomination for her performance in the recent revival of that Sondheim work. She was seen in the Kennedy Center's staging of Marc Blitzstein's Regina, and her newest solo recording is titled "The Lady with the Torch." LuPone also portrayed Mama Rose in the Ravinia Festival's recent mounting of Gypsy. Cipriani Wall Street is located in Manhattan at 55 Wall Street at William Street. Dress is black tie or costume. Tickets, priced $550 and $1,000, are available by calling (212) 258-3111.
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The Acting Company, America's foremost touring repertory theatre and arts education program, was honored in 2003 with the Tony for Excellence in Theater. Founded in 1972 by John Houseman and Margot Harley, its alumni include Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone, Jeffrey Wright, Frances Conroy, Casey Biggs and Jesse L. Martin.
