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Sep. 15, 2006
Jane Krakowski And Barbara Mandrell To Co-host Second Annual “Broadway Meets Country” Benefit Event October 30 At The Tennessee Performing Arts Center
Trisha Yearwood and Company Members from Disney's "The Lion King" National Tour Added to All-Star Concert Benefiting TPAC Education and the Actors’ Fund of America
Event Kicks Off “Nashville Celebrates Country,” A Week of Activities Leading up to “The 40th Annual CMA Awards”
NASHVILLE – CMA announced today that Tony Award, Oliver Award winner and Golden Globe nominee, Jane Krakowski (“Nine,” Guys and Dolls,” “Ally McBeal”) will join two-time CMA Entertainer of the Year Barbara Mandrell to co-host the second annual “Broadway Meets Country” gala concert, part of “Nashville Celebrates Country,” a week of activities leading up to “The 40th Annual CMA Awards.”
On Monday, Oct. 30 Krakowski and Mandrell along with stars from the worlds of Country Music and Broadway will share the stage at the James K. Polk Theater at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC) in Nashville. Three time CMA Award winner Trisha Yearwood and Company Members from Disney's “The Lion King” National Tour have been added to the all-star ensemble of scheduled performers.
“Broadway Meets Country” is a celebration of the universal appeal of two popular musical genres. Broadway performers will sing their favorite Country songs and Country artists will sing their favorite Broadway show tunes – and there may even be a few duets paring the artists together. This special charity concert will raise funds for both TPAC Education and the Actors’ Fund of America.
“It is an honor to share the stage with Barbara and to join my friends and peers in an evening filled with surprises,” Krakowski said. “Nothing is more thrilling than performing live – to do so in Nashville, where music is part of the city’s lifeblood, is every singer’s dream.”
“When CMA asked me to host, I was honored to be a small part of CMA’s kick-off festivities celebrating their 40th anniversary. I adore the CMA and all of the good that they do for Country Music and in our Nashville community,” said Mandrell. “I look forward to being a part of this exciting show and to help raise money for TPAC Education and The Actors’ Fund of America. What a fabulous way to celebrate the arts…by sharing our Nashville stage with the extraordinary greats of Broadway.”
Krakowski, a veteran of the Broadway stage, is an accomplished actress, dancer and singer. For her sultry portrayal of “Carla” in Broadway’s “Nine” opposite Antonio Banderas, she won the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards.
Last year, Krakowski won an Oliver Award while starring in the London West End revival of “Guys and Dolls” (opposite Ewan McGregor). She is a Tony Award nominee for “Grand Hotel” and has appeared in other acclaimed roles in Broadway productions of “Company,” “Once Upon a Mattress,” “Tartuffe,” and Starlight Express.” She made her feature film debut as “Cousin Vickie” in “National Lampoon’s Vacation” with Chevy Chase and has also starred alongside Jude Law in “Alfie,” the remake of the 1966 film. During her five-year stint on the award-winning series “Ally McBeal,” she received a Golden Globe nomination for her portrayal of “Elaine Vassal.” She will next be starring in the highly-anticipated primetime series “30 Rock” (debuting Oct. 11) playing the star of “The Girlie Show,” a network variety show that serves as the backdrop for the workplace comedy.
Mandrell was one of the most significant performers of the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s. Among her many accolades, she was the first artist to win the CMA Entertainer of the Year for two consecutive years (1980, 1981). She has earned over 75 major music awards during her legendary career, including 2 CMA Awards for Female Vocalist of the Year; multiple American Music Awards and GRAMMY Awards; nine People’s Choice Awards and a Dove Award. Her 1990 autobiography, Get To The Heart: My Story, debuted on The New York Times Best Sellers list after four short days, and then remained there for six months. Her NBC Television network variety show, “Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters” (1980-81, 1981-82) was a critical success, drawing nearly 40 million viewers weekly. She has starred in numerous TV programs, including her farewell performance at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, a sell-out concert titled “Barbara Mandrell and The Do-Rites: The Last Dance” (Oct. 1997). Currently, Reba McEntire, Kenny Chesney, Sara Evans, Brad Paisley and LeAnn Rimes, among others, have come together for a tribute album in her honor. The result is She Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool: A Tribute To Barbara Mandrell, to be released Oct. 17 on BNA Records Nashville.
The line-up of top artists scheduled to perform at “Broadway Meets Country” includes Country artists Josh Gracin, Raul Malo, Lorrie Morgan, Jamie O’Neal, and Lee Ann Womack, along with Broadway’s Laura Bell Bundy (“Dreamgirls” the movie, “Hairspray”), Michael Cerveris (“Sweeney Todd,” “Assassins”), Renée Elise Goldsberry (“One Life to Live,” “The Color Purple”), Brian D’Arcy James (“Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” “Sweet Smell of Success,” “Titanic”), and Julia Murney (national tour “Wicked,” “The Wild Party”) (artist lineup subject to change) with more artists to be announced soon.
Stephen Oremus, music supervisor for “Wicked” and “Avenue Q,” both on Broadway and London’s West End, returns as the evening’s musical director and arranger. The event is co-executive produced by Jed Bernstein/Above The Title Entertainment in conjunction with CMA. Bernstein executive produced the 2005 “Broadway Meets Country” event while serving as President of the League of American Theatres and Producers.
“Broadway Meets Country” will take place Monday, Oct. 30 (7:30 PM/CT) at the James K. Polk Theater at TPAC, 505 Deaderick Street, in Nashville, and kicks-off “Nashville Celebrates Country,” a series of events leading up to “The 40th Annual CMA Awards.” The 2006 CMA Awards will be broadcast live Monday, Nov. 6 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network from the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville.
Tickets for “Broadway Meets Country” are $500, $150, $75, and $35 and are on sale now. Tickets are available at www.TPAC.org; the TPAC Box Office (Downtown Nashville or at Davis-Kidd Booksellers in the Mall at Green Hills); at all Ticketmaster outlets; or by calling Ticketmaster at (615) 255-ARTS (2787). For additional concert information, please call (615) 244-2840 or visit www.CMAawards.com.
“The 40th Annual CMA Awards” is a production of the Country Music Association. Walter C. Miller is the Executive Producer; Robert Deaton is the Consulting Producer. Premiere Radio Network is the official radio packager of the CMA Awards, including a stereo-radio simulcast of the gala event. American Airlines is the official airline of the 2006 CMA Awards. Chevy, an American Revolution, is the official ride of the 2006 CMA Awards. Additional promotional partners include aolmusic.com, Greased Lightning Cleaning Products®, and Hallmark Cards®.
For CMA Awards and “Broadway Meets Country” photos, press releases and logos visit CMA’s media site, www.CMApress.com. This is a protected site for media use only. For