Are The Stars Out Tonight?

Brooke Shields, Donna Murphy, Lili Taylor, Susan Lucci, Kelli O'Hara, Daniel Breaker, Raul Esparza, Norbert Leo Butz, Beth Leavel, Steven Pasquale, and Aaron Tveit make the scene.

By Joseph Marzullo,Tristan Fuge,Linda Lenzi,Charles Eshelman • Mar 12, 2009 • New York City

On Monday night, the Epic Theatre Company held its annual benefit. Among the celebrities who came out to show their support was Broadway veteran Brooke Shields, star of NBC's Lipstick Jungle.

Here's the wonderful David Strathairn, whose film The Uninvited was recently released on DVD.

Two-time Tony Award winner Donna Murphy can be seen on the big screen in Sherman's Way and on the small screen in TNT's Trust Me.

The gorgeous Tamara Tunie is part of the cast of NBC's hit series Law & Order:SVU.

Lili Taylor recently completed a run in the New Group's production of Mourning Becomes Electra.

Also on Monday night, ABC Daytime and SOAP NET held their annual benefit for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS at Town Hall, which raised $330,000 for the charity. After the show, Broadway star and daytime drama legend Susan Lucci caught up with the young stars of Billy Elliot: Kiril Kulish, Trent Kowalik, and David Alvarez.

Monday night was also MCC Theater's fabulous Miscast benefit at the Hammerstein Ballroom, in which stars get to sing numbers they would normally not be able to. Shrek star Daniel Breaker was "So Much Better" than one might have even imagined belting out Elle Woods' big number for Legally Blonde.

Norbert Leo Butz -- who will star in the upcoming Broadway-bound musical Catch Me If You Can at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre -- sang other people's parts from two shows he'd previously starred in: Wicked and The Last 5 Years.

Aaron Tveit -- who will co-star with Butz in Catch Me and is soon to be on Broadway in Next to Normal -- wowed the crowd with his remarkable rendition of "Back to Before" from Ragtime.

Kelli O'Hara, who just departed the Broadway production of South Pacific due to her pregnancy, honored that show with a gorgeous version of Emile deBecque's aria "This Nearly Was Mine."

Three-time Tony nominee Raul Esparza brilliantly performed Judy Garland's "The Man That Got Away."

In the Heights star Robin de Jesus did a little role reversal by singing his show's "It Won't Be Long Now," usually performed by the character of Vanessa.

Steven Pasquale, who is about to show his dramatic chops in the Broadway production of reasons to be pretty, showed off his gorgeous singing voice with surprising versions of "Maybe" (from Annie) and "Free At Last" (from Big River).

Tony winner Beth Leavel closed -- and stopped -- the show with a powerhouse take on "I Am What I Am" from La Cage Aux Folles.

Finally, the Off-Broadway musical The Marvelous Wonderettes recently celebrated its 200th performance. Celebrating the milestone were stars Bets Malone, Victoria Matlock, Leslie Spencer Smith, and Misty Cotton.