A Toast to Broadway's Legendary Women

Inspired by Broadway’s Trailblazing Women

Some of the most talented performers in this country’s theatrical history have called Broadway, with its illustrious 41 theaters in New York City’s Theater District, Lincoln Center, Broadway, and Midtown Manhattan, home. Of the many men and women who have earned that right, it is the women of musical theater specifically that Transcendence Theatre Company pays tribute to this month in two special North Bay Area weekend shows. The Ladies of Broadway runs March 17-18 at the Marin Civic Center Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium in San Rafael and March 24-25 at the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts in Santa Rosa.

This celebration of the trailblazers who helped put musical theater on the map of popular culture includes iconic figures of yesterday and today, like Ethel Waters, Ethel Merman, Bernadette Peters, Sutton Foster, and Gwen Verdon.

Many of these women are what’s known as triple threats; performers who could sing, act, and dance. They all also the bearers of gifts for the many performers who have followed in their footsteps. The ability of these talented women to persevere in the face of personal and/or professional obstacles has made them an inspiration for those who have entered stage doors across the country, including those on Broadway.

The Ladies of Broadway features seven such women. These accomplished performers credit the artistic skill, courage, and tenacity of legendary stage heroines who have motivated them to stay the course to achieve their professional dreams. In this way, The Ladies of Broadway is for these members of the cast as much a personal tribute as it is a professional one:

Lindsay Chambers (Legally Blonde, Hairspray, Lysistrata Jones)

Jennifer DiNoia (Wicked, National Tour of Mamma Mia)

Amy Hillner Larsen (National Tour of Hairspray, National Tour of Priscilla Queen of the Desert)

Leslie McDonel (Hairspray, American Idiot)

Sydney Morton (Motown the Musical, Memphis, Evita, American Psycho)

Kristin Piro (Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, An American In Paris, Rocky, Catch Me If You Can)

Laurie Wells (Mamma Mia, National Tour of An American In Paris).

Three of them recently spoke about the theater greats who were their role models:

Inspiring Icons

Lindsay Chambers credits Gwen Verdon - a fellow redhead - with “being able to do it all.” Verdon is probably known best for her role as Lola in both stage and screen versions of Damn Yankees. She won Tony Awards for her first four starring roles in Broadway productions of Can-Can, Damn Yankees, New Girl in Town, and Redhead and received nominations for her Broadway performances in Sweet Charity" and Chicago.

“She sings, dances, acts, tells jokes, and can make you cry. That's the kind of performer I want to be." Chambers noted.

Amy Hillner Larsen grew up admiring Bernadette Peters, one of the most critically acclaimed Broadway performers around today. She was nominated for seven Tony Awards and won two. Also nominated for nine Drama Desk Awards and took home three. Considered by many to be the foremost interpreter of the works of composer Stephen Sondheim, she is well known for her roles in Broadway’s Sundays in the Park with George, The Goodbye Girl, Annie Get Your Gun, and Gypsy.

About her, Larsen explained, “She's not only immensely talented, she is the ultimate professional and humanitarian."

Jennifer DiNoia was most influenced by Sutton Foster. Foster’s work on Broadway earned her two Tony Awards for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for Thoroughly Modern Millie and Anything Goes. Her other Broadway credits include Little Women, Young Frankenstein, and Shrek the Musical.

“Sutton does it all and I’d love to one may be able to originate a role on Broadway where I get to do everything - especially tap dance."

The legends-in-the-making cast will perform iconic show tunes and dances that not only helped them determine their careers but also gave shape to the Broadway we know today for performers and audiences alike.

According to Director Eric Jackson, The Ladies of Broadway provides Broadway caliber performances and offers a sneak peek into what it’s like to pursue a performing career. Throughout the show, the cast will share their own true, humorous and moving Broadway and national tour related stories.

“This musical revue is for anyone who has had a dream or been inspired by those who have realized theirs,” said Jackson whose own Broadway experience includes performing as an original cast member in the Broadway production of Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein and Thoroughly Modern Millie.

Transcendence Theatre Company is an award-winning, nonprofit arts organization comprised of artists with professional experience from Broadway, film and television. Established in 2011, it is based in Sonoma County. Headliners have included Sutton Foster and Megan Hilty, and featured performers have appeared in numerous Broadway productions including The Book of Mormon, Mamma Mia, Les Misérables, Chicago, La Cage Aux Follies, and Follies.

Details:

Marin Center’s Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium, San Rafael: 7:30 p.m. Saturday - March 17 and 2 p.m. Sunday - March 18, 2018. Tickets: www.LadiesOfBroadway.com or 415-473-6800.

Luther Burbank Center for the Arts, Santa Rosa: 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday - March 24 and 2 p.m. Sunday - March 25, 2018. Tickets: www.LadiesOfBroadway.com , 707-546-3600. Box Office daily 12 - 6 p.m., 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa.

General tickets: $29 - $89. VIP tickets $129 - $139 (pre-show festivities, premium California wines and artisan hors d’oeuvres).

For more information about Transcendence Theatre Company visit www.BestNightEver.org

Top Photo: Seven notable female Broadway professionals star in Transcendence Theatre Company's "The Ladies of Broadway. Left to right: Jennifer DiNoia, Laurie Wells, Kristin Piro, Amy Hillner Larsen, Leslie McDonel, Sydney Morton and Lindsay Chambers. Photo by Stephan Stubbins

Other photos: Bernadette Peters, Sutton Foster, Gwen Verdon