Lucille Lortel's White Barn Theatre in Westport, CT, will kick off its summer season with a memorial to the late actress and producer, who passed away on April 4. The Lortel event will take place on Aug. 1.
The season proper then gets underway Aug. 7 and 8 with About Anne, a one woman show starring Salome Jens as poetess Anne Sexton.
Mason Adams (Lake Hollywood) next stars in My World & Welcome to It, an evening of readings from the work of humorist and cartoonist James Thurber. Appearing alongside Adams on Aug. 14 and 15 will be Fred Hellerman, Nancy Marchand, DeAnn Mears, Paul Sparer and Sidney Symington.
On Aug. 21 and 22, Sharon McNight takes the stage as Sophie Tucker in Red Hot Mama. McNight will sing such Tucker staples as "My Yiddische Mama" and "Some of These Days."
Cloris Leachman ("The Mary Tyler Moore Show") will present singer Dinah Englund on Aug. 28 and 29. Englund, who hails from the West coast, will be making her Eastern seaboard debut. Leachman will introduce her and perform as well. Finally, on Sept. 5, theatre legend June Havoc will be the subject of a special benefit. Many of Havoc's colleagues will pay tribute to the actress, who began her career in vaudeville and whose story is told in the musical Gypsy. A reception will follow. For details and ticket information call the box office at (203) 227-3668.
--By Robert Simonson