“Women of Broadway” Virtual Concerts Benefit Segerstrom Center

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Segerstrom Center for the Arts has announced three new livestream concert events that are part of the “Live from the West Side” series which began last month with a performance by Christopher Jackson.

“Live from the West Side: Women of Broadway” features two-time Tony Award winner Patti LuPone on October 24, Tony Award winner Laura Benanti on November 14, and critically acclaimed actress and singer Vanessa Williams on December 5. All performances are at 5 p.m., Pacific Time.

The Center is one of a select group of not-for-profit arts organizations participating and the only arts center in Southern California to offer these events.

The livestreams are a co-production of Dallas Summer Musicals and Entertainment Benefits Group. Proceeds from ticket sales made through the Center’s Box Office directly benefit Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

Each show, transmitted live in HD with professional sound mixing, will feature a blend of Broadway showtunes, pop songs, and personal stories from the life of each headliner. Performances will take place at The Shubert Virtual Studios on Manhattan’s West Side. At-home audience members will be invited to send questions via email to be answered during the livestream.

Subscription packages and single tickets for “Live from the West Side: Women of Broadway,” are on sale now. Tickets are available online at the Center’s website, www.SCFTA.org, or by calling (714) 556-2787, Monday through Friday between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The Box Office at Segerstrom Hall is currently closed for walk-up purchases.

Subscription packages that include access to all three livestream events are $75 per household. Individual concert tickets are $30 per household. Tickets include access to the livestream performance plus an additional 72 hours on-demand viewing of a video recording of the livestream, available beginning one hour after the live broadcast ends.

Patti Lupone, photo credit Axel Dupeux for The Wall Street Journal (photo provided by Segerstrom Center)

ABOUT PATTI LUPONE

Patti LuPone can be seen currently on Netflix as Avis Amberg in Ryan Murphy’s Netflix series “Hollywood,” and recently won the Olivier and What’s OnStage awards for her performance as Joanne in Marianne Elliott’s production of the Stephen Sondheim-George Furth musical “Company” in London’s West End.

Her recent NY stage appearances include the Scott Frankel-Michael Korie-Douglas Wright-Michael Grief musical “War Paint” (Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations for Best Actress in a Musical), Douglas Carter Beane’s new play “Shows For Days” directed by Jerry Zaks at Lincoln Center Theater, her debut with the New York City Ballet as Anna 1 in their new production of “The Seven Deadly Sins,” Joanne in the New York Philharmonic’s production of “Company,” David Mamet’s “The Anarchist,” and Lincoln Center Theater’s production of the musical “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown,” for which she was nominated for Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards.

Winner of the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Actress in a Musical and the Drama League Award for Outstanding Performance of the Season for her performance as Madame Rose in the most recent Broadway production of “Gypsy,” her other stage credits include Mrs. Lovett in John Doyle’s production of “Sweeney Todd” (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle nominations, Drama League Award for Outstanding Contribution to Musical Theatre), a musical version of Lillian Hellman’s “The Little Foxes” at the Kennedy Center, a multi-city tour of her theatrical concert “Matters of the Heart,” the NY Philharmonic’s productions of “Candide” and “Sweeney Todd,” Terrence McNally’s “Master Class,” and in “Patti LuPone On Broadway.”

She won the Tony and Drama Desk Awards for Best Actress in a Musical for her title role in “Evita.”

In London, she won the Olivier Award for her performances as Fantine in the original production of “Les Misérables” and in the Acting Company production of “The Cradle Will Rock.” She also created the role of Norma Desmond in the musical “Sunset Boulevard,” for which she was nominated for an Olivier Award, and recreated her Broadway performance of Maria Callas in “Master Class.”

Laura Benanti / courtesy of Segerstrom Center

ABOUT LAURA BENANTI

In the midst of an illustrious career spanning Broadway, film, and television, Tony Award-winning actress, singer, author, and activist Laura Benanti now brings a longstanding dream to life as she gears up to release new solo music with Sony Music Masterworks.

With Broadway credits ranging from the “My Fair Lady” revival and Steve Martin’s “Meteor Shower” to “She Loves Me,” Laura garnered a Tony Award in the category of Best Featured Actress in a Musical for the 2008 production of “Gypsy,” one of five career nominations to date.

Meanwhile, her performance in “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown” was honored with the Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.

Early this spring, she created an empowering campaign titled #SunshineSongs, which invited students whose school musical productions were canceled this year due to the pandemic to share videos of the performances they were not able to give, on social platforms. As chronicled by Good Morning America, she generated four million impressions and received over 10,000 submissions, attracting celebrities like Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jennifer Garner to join the campaign.

The campaign’s success further grabbed the attention of HBO Max who recently partnered with Benanti to release a musical documentary special that features students from across the country entitled “Homeschool Musical: Class Of 2020,” set to release this fall.

Vanessa Williams / photo credit Rod Spicer

ABOUT VANESSA WILLIAMS

Vanessa Williams is one of the most respected and multi-faceted performers in the entertainment industry today. Having sold millions of records worldwide, Vanessa has also achieved numerous #1 and Top 10 hits on various Billboard Album and Singles charts: Pop, Dance, R&B, Adult Contemporary, Holiday, Latin, Gospel and Jazz.

Her critically acclaimed work in film, television, recordings and the Broadway stage has been recognized by every major industry award affiliate including four Emmy nominations, 11 Grammy nominations, a Tony nomination, three SAG award nominations, seven NAACP Image Awards and three Satellite Awards. Her platinum single “Colors of the Wind,” from the Disney’s Pocahontas, won the Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe for Best Original Song.

A graduate of Syracuse University, Vanessa is a strong advocate for equal rights, especially concerning the LGBTQ+ community and minorities. She was honored with the Human Rights Campaign Ally for Equality Award for her humanitarian contributions. Vanessa also achieved a career pinnacle with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2007.

Vanessa’s autobiography, “You Have No Idea,” co-written with her mother Helen Williams, was a New York Times Best Seller in 2012. Her recent Broadway credits include co-starring with Cicely Tyson in “The Trip to Bountiful,” “After Midnight,” and a special limited engagement in “Hey, Look Me Over” at New York City Center in 2018. Vanessa was recently in previews for Josie Rourke’s “City of Angels” in London’s West End, when production was suddenly forced to pause due to COVID19.

Vanessa is one of the world’s most accomplished concert artists, appearing regularly with the most prestigious symphony orchestras in the world, most recently with the National Symphony Orchestra at The Kennedy Center.

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