A host of Broadway stars will be on hand to perform at "One Night Only," a concert event planned for October 1 at 5 PM ET, part of Playbill, the Broadway League, and Times Square Alliance's Curtain Up Broadway Festival, sponsored by Prudential Financial. The benefit concert supporting The Entertainment Community Fund will be held live in the heart of Times Square and streamed live from Playbill.com, with donations to the Fund encouraged at EntertainmentCommunity.org.
The event will be hosted by Kinky Boots' Natalie Joy Johnson, with appearances by Broadway favorites Ann Harada (Into the Woods), Antwayn Hopper (A Strange Loop), Bobby Conte (Company), Carolee Carmello (1776), Christine Dwyer (Wicked), Christopher Sieber (Company), Corey Mach (Kinky Boots), Ginna Claire Mason (Wicked), Jarrod Spector (Beautiful), Javier Ignacio (Company), Jay Armstrong Johnson (The Phantom of the Opera), Jelani Remy (The Lion King), Jessica Hendy (Cats), Kelli Barrett (Getting the Band Back Together), Mary Kate Morrissey (Mean Girls), Santino Fontana (Tootsie), T.3., Jim Hogan (Kimberly Akimbo), Liam Fennecken (School of Rock), and Brendan Jacob Smith (The Simon & Garfunkel Story).
Co-directed by Bryan Campione and Corey Mach, the event will feature music direction by Joshua Stephen Kartes, leading a band including Yayoi Ikawa on keys, Hiroyuki “Matsu” Matsuura on drums, Colin Dean on bass, Andy Buslovich on guitar, Rachel Lanskey on strings, Erikka Walsh on strings, Nick Anton on cello, Clyde Daley on trumpet, Matthew Jermiason on trombone, and Amy Griffiths on reeds. Rounding out the band will be background vocalists Charles Mayhew Miller, Jillian Kates, Kailey Boyle, and Matthew Henry Pitts.
"The Fund is proud to team up with Playbill and Times Square Alliance, in the heart of New York City, to celebrate our beloved Broadway community!," says Fund President and CEO Joe Benincasa. "We can’t wait to welcome friends and fans to join us—in-person and online, for ‘One Night Only’—to enjoy show-stopping performances and share in support of our programs and services for everyone in the entertainment industry."
"It is an absolute honor working with this incredible roster of friends, colleagues, and leaders from across our industry who all know the invaluable work the Fund provides all of us working in the Broadway industry," adds Campione. "Audiences in Times Square and watching at home are in for an absolute treat. The performances (and surprises we have in store) are sure to be memorable moments forevermore, as we look to inspire audiences to support this incomparable organization."
"One Night Only" is part of the Curtain Up Broadway Festival, a three-day, free event for Broadway fans in Times Square. The festival will feature performances, sing-alongs, a block party, and more, with many of Broadway's finest scheduled to make appearances. For a full schedule of events, visit Playbill.com/CurtainUp.
