Broadway is going to the dogs (and cats)! Best in Shows, a star-studded cabaret event scheduled for Sunday, October 22, 2017, will benefit the Humane Society of New York, with James L. Nederlander, President of the Nederlander Organization, to be awarded the Humane Society of New York’s Sandy Fund Award. The star-studded event will be hosted by Seth Rudetsky, who will also provide musical direction.
Commencing at 7:00 PM at Feinstein’s/54 Below, the event is presented by Dorothy and Bill Berloni. As has been the case for the previous three Best in Shows, there will be plenty of Broadway performers on hand to entertain. The evening will also feature surprise guests of both the two and four-legged variety. Details of the talent performing at the benefit will be released in the near-future.
James L Nederlander is the third-generation of a family known for owning and operating theatres around the world, as well as theatrical productions, cultural presentations, and popular music attractions. On Your Feet! The Gloria and Emilio Estefan Story; Hello Dolly starring Bette Midler, The Humans, Kinky Books, The Elephant Man starring Bradley Cooper, School of Rock, A Doll’s House, Part 2, Cats, and War Paint are among his recent producing ventures. Jimmy is also a leader and philanthropist who sits on the Board of Trustees of many leading organizations such as the New York Philharmonic, Actors Fund of America, The Broadway League, The Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation, The Intrepid Sea Air Space Museum, NYC & Company and New York Restoration Project.
“Mr. Nederlander has a special connection to The Sandy Fund, which is named in honor of the original canine star of Broadway’s Annie. It was his father, James M. Nederlander, who produced the legendary musical, and so gave Sandy his very first acting job. He quickly became a Broadway star, playing 2,363 performances of Annie on Broadway, and performed for two American Presidents at the White House.”
Doors will open for Best in Shows at 6 pm. All tickets include an open bar and hors d’oeuvres. Tickets will go on sale on Tuesday, September 5. For further information, visit http://www.humanesocietyny.org.
Mark Robinson is the author of the two-volume encyclopedia The World of Musicals and maintains a theater and entertainment blog at markrobinsonwrites.com.