Press Release - A Wonderful Life

For Immediate Release

THE ACTORS’ FUND OF AMERICA PRESENTS A WONDERFUL LIFE, A ONE-NIGHT ONLY PERFORMANCE STARRING BRIAN STOKES MITCHELL, DAVID HYDE PIERCE, AND DOMINIC CHIANESE

October 12, 2005, New York, NY - - The Actors’ Fund, a nonprofit organization serving the entire entertainment community, presents A Wonderful Life, a concert presentation of the musical inspired by the beloved 1946 film “It’s A Wonderful Life.”  This special holiday concert, by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Sheldon Harnick (Book and Lyrics) and Grammy and Emmy Award winner Joe Raposo (Music), will be performed for one night only on Monday, December 12, 2005 at 7:00 p.m., at Broadway’s Shubert Theatre (225 W. 44th St.).  Tickets are: $75-$1,000 and are available by calling (212) 221-7300, ext. 133. For more information, please visit www.actorsfund.org.  All proceeds will benefit the Actors’ Fund.

Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell (Kiss Me, Kate) will star as George Bailey, the small town everyman who contemplates suicide on Christmas Eve and is saved by Clarence, an aspiring angel, played by David Hyde Pierce (Spamalot).  Dominic Chianese (Second Hand Memory, “The Sopranos”) has been cast as the villainous Mr. Potter.

Carl Andress will direct the production which, like the film, takes place in Bedford Falls, NY.  Musical direction is by Jeffrey Saver and choreography by Denis Jones.  Additional casting will be announced shortly.

THE ACTORS’ FUND OF AMERICA is the national nonprofit human service organization that provides for the welfare of all entertainment professionals. Founded in 1882, The Fund serves those in film, theater, television, music, opera, and dance, and assists both performers and those behind the scenes with a broad spectrum of programs designed to address the needs of the community, including comprehensive social services, health services, supportive and affordable housing, employment and training services, and skilled nursing and assisted living care. The Fund also makes emergency grants for essential needs. Administered from offices in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, The Actors’ Fund mission is "to advance, foster and benefit the welfare of all professionals in the entertainment community who are in need of help, ensuring that these efforts are accomplished with compassion, confidentiality and preservation of dignity for the individuals concerned."

Pat and John Rosenwald are the evening’s co-chairs and the concert presentation is co-sponsored by The New York Times and Tony Dellasalla.