Woman of the Year, the 1981 Kander & Ebb musical that won four Tony Awards including Best Book and Best Score, will get two concert performances at Feinstein’s/54 Below on November 29—but with a special twist. Each song will be performed by a different star, including Dee Hoty (The Will Rogers Follies), Alice Ripley (Next to Normal), and Christine Pedi (NEWSical).
Also on tap: Julia Murney (The Wild Party), Joyce DeWitt (Three’s Company), and Anita Gillette (A Parallelogram). There will be two shows, 7 and 9:30 PM, on November 29. Tickets ($35–$80 plus a $25 minimum) are on sale at 54Below.com.
Based on the 1942 film of the same title starring Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, the Broadway musical provided a vehicle for Lauren Bacall as a TV reporter who goes into battle mode when she is parodied by a chauvinistic cartoonist.
In addition to Hoty, Ripley, Pedi, Murney, and DeWitt, the Bacall/Hepburn role of Tess Harding will be shared by Christine Toy Johnson (Hello, Dolly!), Luba Mason (How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying), and Eve Plumb (The Brady Bunch).
Sam Craig, Tess’ love interest, will be played by Robert Cuccioli (Jekyll and Hyde), Bradley Dean (A Little Night Music), Brad Oscar (Something Rotten), and Kevin Zak (Clinton: The Musical).
John “Lypsinka” Epperson (Once Upon a Mattress), Todd Buonpane (Cinderella), and Robbie Rozelle (Songs from Inside My Locker) will alternate in the role of Tess’ assistant, Gerald.
Gillette (A Parallelogram), Mary Callanan (Bandstand), and Hunter Ryan Herdlicka (A Little Night Music) will take on the roles of Jan, Helga, and Alexi, respectively.
The ensemble will include Jody Cook, Cam Cote, Jessie Davidson, Roger Dawley, Miranda Gelch, Will Hutcheson, Ethan Larsen, Mychael Leverage, Maggie Malaney, Paris Alexander Nesbitt, Benjamin Nissen, Libby Rosenfeld, Ruby Shadley, and London Sperry.
A portion of the proceeds from the event will be donated to The Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative.
It will be a busy week for Ripley at Feinstein’/54 Below, where she is also appearing in the cabaret show Unattached November 28 and 30, and December 1 and 2:
Read: Alice Ripley and Emily Skinner Set Fall Encore for Unattached Cabaret Show
