COMING MAY 31: BETTY GARRETT’S NINETIETH BIRTHDAY BASH AT THE HENRY FONDA MUSIC BOX
Betty Garrett turns 90 on May 23. The non-profit institution that she co-founded, Theatre West, is throwing a big party for her on Sunday, May 31st. Included will be two cocktail receptions (one for all, one for holders of V.I.P. tickets to the fete), a dessert reception, and a live show.
Ms. Garrett, one of the great MGM musical stars, (“On The Town,” “Words and Music,” “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” “Neptune’s Daughter,” “Words and Music”) a star of 12 Broadway shows, a TV star (series regular on “Laverne and Shirley” and “All In The Family”), and star and/or director of many shows at her beloved Theatre West (“Spoon River Anthology,” “Betty Garrett and Other Songs,” “Nunsense,” “Waiting In The Wings,” “Betty Garrett, Closet Songwriter,” more). She has been the recipient of numerous awards, including L.A. Weekly’s Queen of the Angels Award, Lifetime/Career Achievement Awards from L.A. Drama Critics Circle, Ovation Awards, CineCon, and the Professional Dancer Society. A longtime activist and humanitarian, received the 2008 Kenny Award in recognition of her work raising money for AIDS services as 20-year Co-Chair of S.T.A.G.E.
The show at the Birthday Bash will be a family affair, with Betty herself singing and tap-dancing, with performances by her sons Garrett and Andrew Parks, The Phantom Leading Ladies (women who have played Christine on Broadway, including daughter-in-law Karen Culliver), and granddaughter Maddy Parks. Also starring: pop music legend Gogi Grant and actor Beau Bridges. Proceeds will benefit Theatre West; and also the construction of a new cap park in Hollywood, to be built above the Hollywood Freeway, so that there will be a significant public green space in Hollywood, the most densely populated urban neighborhood in the U.S. heretofore without one.
Chair: Leesa Freed. Honorary Co-Chairs: Norman Lear, Barbara and Garry Marshall, Lee Meriwether. Chair Emeritus: Naomi Caryl. Theatre West Executive Director: John Gallogly. Tickets: $250. Inquire about V.I.P. tickets. Sunday, May 31, 2009 at 5 p.m. At the Henry Fonda Music Box Theatre, 6126 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90028. For tickets, call 323-851-7977, or go to
www.theatrewest.org
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