Tribute to 'Chorus Line' to Benefit Valley Musical Theatre

Ronn Goswick, Executive Producer of The Valley Musical Theatre (now in its second season of operation), announced today that original cast members of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning Broadway production of A Chorus Line will co-star Monday, June 23, 2008 in The Line… A Salute to A Chorus Line.  Such original Broadway cast members include Kay Cole, Patricia Garland, Sammy Williams (Tony Award), Ronnie Dennis and Nancy Lane who will be joined by join other Broadway A Chorus Line alumni Matt Zarley, Christina Saffran Ashford, Kathryn Wright, Kevin Spirtas and DeLee Lively, as well as cast members Alisan Porter and Brad Anderson from the 2006 Broadway revival, plus touring and regional cast members Theresa Hayes, Tara Radcliffe, Jill Townsend, Geoffrey Kidwell, Laura Nickerson, Russell Nickerson, Luis Avilla, Craig Donnelly, Ty West,  Brittany Carson and many more. Los Angeles Ovation Award winner Gerald Sternbach serves as Musical Director. 

This very special evening of music from A Chorus Line, as well as other Broadway shows, will be presented outside at 8:00 pm at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre, one of Los Angeles' oldest performing arts venues.  Nestled in the Hollywood Hills, The John Anson Ford Amphitheatre is set against a backdrop of cypresses and chaparral. It is relatively intimate: no patron is more than 96 feet away from the stage. The theatre is located at 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Los Angeles, CA 90068 - across the 101 Freeway (Hollywood) from the Hollywood Bowl. The Line…A Salute to A Chorus Line serves as a benefit in support of the Valley Musical Theatre's programming and educational work program.

Tickets are priced at $40 and $60 and may be obtained from the Ford Box Office by calling (818) 669-8766.  

The Valley Musical Theatre (VMT) began its inaugural 2006 season at the historic El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood, CA with the launch of two February (introductory) benefit performances of Fractured Broadway which featured over 40 co-stars including Sam Harris, Bruce Vilanch, Jennifer Leigh Warren, Henry Polic II, Kirsten Benton Chandler, Stan Chandler, Vicki Lewis, Nita Whitaker, Kevin Earley and Bets Malone.  All of the performers represented VMT's high standard of excellence by presenting the best of Broadway Musical Theatre stars that could or would be seen in future VMT productions. 

VMT has since presented The Leading Ladies with Karen Culliver, Mary D'Arcy and Teri Bibb;  Hear My Soul - An Evening with Valerie Pettiford; Four in the Afternoon starring David Engel, Damon Kirsche, Elizabeth Ward Land and Christina Saffran Ashford; The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award-winning production of Beehive – The 60's Musical with LaToya London (of  American Idol fame), Stacy Francis, Kathleen Hennessey, Tricia Kelly, Sylvia MacCalla and Lesli Margherita; Nuncrackers, The Nunsense Christmas Musical starring Sally Struthers with Adrian Zmed and the west coast revival of They're Playing Our Song starring Vicki Lewis and Scott Waara.

Other VMT benefit performance events include Fractured Broadway 2 starring Bruce Vilanch, Chad Doreck, and the hugely successful production of Broadway Unplugged @ The Ford starring many of the Los Angeles cast of Wicked including Kristoffer Cusick, Adam Lambert, Melissa Fahn, Jenna Leigh Green, Shoshana Bean and many of their friends including Sean McDermott, Michael Arden, Jack Noseworthy and the Los Angeles cast of City Kids.