The evening will feature live entertainment and dancing, cocktails and dinner, a silent and a live auction, as well as a juried costume fashion show.
Among those appearing at the event will be actress Jane Kaczmarek, Tony-nominated lyricist-librettist Dick Scanlan and Tony-nominated actress Kate Baldwin. Whiting's friend, actress Carol Woods, will introduce a special tribute to her.
Jim Caruso, the host of Cast Party at Birdland, will be the auctioneer for the live auction at the benefit. The panel of celebrity judges will include the five-time Tony Award-winning costume designer William Ivey Long; NY 1 News' Roma Torre; Jujamcyn president Jordan Roth; casting director Tara Rubin; jazz vocalist Hilary Kole; Time Out NY’s theatre and cabaret critic Adam Feldman; and arts patron Frank Skillern.
The grand prize winner for Best Song Title Costume will win a one-week vacation to Paris and the French Riviera courtesy of Radisson Blu Hotels, including roundtrip airfare.
Whiting, who appeared on Broadway in Dream, is being recognized for her dedication to performing the standards of the American songbook throughout her long career as a recording artist and in cabaret and concerts. Mayer is being honored "for effectively bridging traditional and contemporary sensibilities for today’s Broadway audiences." A Tony winner for his work on Spring Awakening, his eclectic list of Broadway credits includes American Idiot; Everyday Rapture; Thoroughly Modern Millie; You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown; and Side Man, among others.
The Edison Ballroom is located at 240 West 47th Street. Tickets are $250 per person, with a limited number of $150 tickets available to supporters under 35. To order, call (212) 362-2115 or visit www.theamericansongbookproject.org.
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The American Songbook Project, founded in 1999, brings Broadway and cabaret performers into New York City schools to allow them to hear "great songs, both classic and contemporary," and to encourage the development of new audiences for the American songbook.
