Producers veteran Broderick (a Tony winner for How to Succeed in Business… and Brighton Beach Memoirs) and Parker (known for her Emmy-winning turn in "Sexy and the City" as well as Broadway's How to Succeed in Business and Once Upon a Mattress) will serve as co-hosts for the Oct. 19 concert, which begins at 8 PM.
The one-night-only event, presented as a fundraiser for the grassroots organization America Votes, pairs Cook and McDonald in an evening of song featuring musical direction by Tony Award winner Ted Sperling and Lee Musiker.
Barbara Cook made her Broadway debut in 1951's Flahooley, after which the legendary soprano won further acclaim originating roles in Plain and Fancy, She Loves Me and Candide. Cook won a Tony Award for her performance as Marian Paroo in The Music Man. In the second act of her career, she appeared (and continues to) at concert and cabaret venues in New York City and around the country. Cook celebrated her 80th birthday in fall 2007 with three sold-out concerts with the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall.
A four-time Tony Award winner for her work in Carousel, Master Class, Ragtime and A Raisin in the Sun, Audra McDonald's work on stage also includes Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny with Patti LuPone, and her Tony nominated performances in 110 in the Shade and Marie Christine. On screen she has appeared in the television adaptations of "A Raisin in the Sun," "Wit" and "Annie." McDonald can currently be seen in the ABC series "Private Practice."
America Votes is a coalition of over 40 of the most powerful and diverse national groups working together to increase progressive voter registration and turnout. This historic partnership represents a combined membership of over 40 million Americans representing a broad economic and social justice agenda. They fight for good jobs, good healthcare, a clean environment, civil rights and a good education. They register voters in under-represented communities of color, women, young people, and LGBT Americans. Tickets for Audra McDonald & Barbara Cook: Broadway Voices For Change, priced $50-$99, are available by phoning (212) 239-6200 or by visiting Telecharge.
