Marvin Laird and Joel Paley Get Ruthless!, Starting Tonight to Benefit BC/EFA | Playbill

News Marvin Laird and Joel Paley Get Ruthless!, Starting Tonight to Benefit BC/EFA Nine performances of the award-winning musical Ruthless! are presented beginning Sept. 5 at Stage 72 at The Triad to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

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Sophia Anne Caruso

Show times are Sept. 5-6, 8, 12-13, 15, 19-20 and 22 at 7 PM.

The musical was penned by Joel Paley (book and lyrics) and Marvin Laird (music), longtime conductor for Bernadette Peters. Paley directs.

For this production, composer Laird is putting down his baton and putting on pantyhose to take on the role of the infamous Sylvia St. Croix. He is joined by Sophia Anne Caruso ("Smash," "The Sound of Music Live!") as Tina Denmark, Kim Maresca as Judy Denmark, Katie Sparer as Miss Thorn/Emily Block, Delaney Arizala as Louise Lerman/Eve and Rita McKenzie as Lita Encore.

For three of the nine performances (Sept. 5, 15 and 22), Paley joins Laird on stage, reprising his performance as the demented eight-year-old diva. “We’ve been a couple for 38 years, but we’ve never performed on stage together,” said Paley. “This ought to be mighty interesting!…I may be doing a few performances, but this is Sophia’s part. She’s the new face of Tina Denmark.”

In an earlier statement Laird said, “When we did the show in Connecticut, on the day of the dress rehearsal, our ten-year-old star came down with a bad case of flu. We didn’t have an understudy, so Joel had no choice but to step into the role. The girl was out for a week and watching Joel have so much fun playing the part, I decided I wanted to perform in the show too! This seemed like the perfect opportunity.” The musical, which was inspired by "The Bad Seed," concerns the onstage and offstage antics of the diabolically talented Tina Denmark. The Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award-winning production opened in 1992 and showcased the early talents of soon-to-be stars Britney Spears, Natalie Portman and Laura Bell Bundy.

Tickets cost $45 and $35. There is a two-drink minimum for all shows. To purchase tickets click here. 

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Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is one of the nation’s leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations. By drawing upon the talents, resources and generosity of the American theatre community, since 1988 BC/EFA has raised more than $250 million for essential services for people with AIDS and other critical illnesses across the United States.

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Joel Paley and Melvin Laird
 
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