ALAN ALDA, CHITA RIVERA 'REMEMBER' JERRY AND ELAINE ORBACH, NOV. 9, 2009 BENEFITING THE EYE BANK, NEW YORK

Alan Alda, Chita Rivera, Lorraine Bracco,
Jesse L. Martin, Jerry Stiller, Kelly Bishop,
Donna McKechnie and More Celebrate

Elaine and Jerry Orbach:
“Remember How I Love You” Launch Event
Mon., Nov. 9 at the Snapple Theater Center

A host of film and theater celebrities will celebrate the posthumous release of Remember How I Love You: Love Letters from an Extraordinary Marriage, Jerry and Elaine Orbach’s autobiographical memoir recounting their 30-year marriage, at a once-in-a-lifetime reunion of the couple’s colleagues at the Snapple Theater Center, Mon., Nov. 9, 2009, 5:30pm.

Each morning before leaving their Hell’s Kitchen apartment to report to the set of Law & Order, Jerry wrote Elaine a short poem for her to find upon waking. The poems were humorous, sweet and topical, focusing on the couple’s morning rituals, their daily routine – whatever was on Jerry’s mind. Combined, they tell the story of a marriage full of life and love. Elaine stored the poems in a soup tureen given to them by David Merrick and upon Jerry’s death in 2004 began gathering her favorites into the collection that would eventually become Remember How I Love You. Elaine herself passed away unexpectedly on Apr. 1, 2009, just as the book was completed.

At the event, a number of Jerry and Elaine’s colleagues and friends will read select poems from the book including Alan Alda, Kelly Bishop, Lorraine Bracco, Jesse L. Martin, Donna McKechnie, Chita Rivera and Jerry Stiller, with more names to be announced. In addition, copies of the book signed by the participating celebrities will be sold with all proceeds benefitting Bideawee and The Eye-Bank for Sight Restoration, Jerry and Elaine’s favorite charities.

A limited number of advance premium tickets are now on sale and can be purchased for $50 each — with all proceeds benefitting Bideawee and The Eye-Bank — by calling the Snapple Theater Center box office, (212) 921-7862. In addition, 100 free tickets will be distributed to the public at the Snapple Theater Center box office beginning at 10am on the day of the event, with a maximum number of two tickets per person allowed. The Snapple Theater Center is located at 210 W. 50th St., at Broadway.