Theater News

Eartha Kitt Joins Westport Gala Honoring John Kander

Eartha Kitt
(© Joseph Marzullo/Retna)
Eartha Kitt
(© Joseph Marzullo/Retna)

Eartha Kitt will join Tony Award winners Shuler Hensley, Debra Monk, James Naughton, David Hyde Pierce, Chita Rivera, Ben Vereen, and Karen Ziemba as they honor composer John Kander at the Westport Country Playhouse’s annual gala Everybody Loves a Winner, to take place, beginning at 6pm on Monday, September 24. Proceeds from the benefit, which will be directed by Peter Flynn, with musical direction by Mary-Mitchell Campbell, will go towards the Playhouse’s artistic and educational programming.

Kander, a three-time Tony Award winner, is currently represented on Broadway by Curtains and Chicago, both of which were written with his late partner, Fred Ebb. Their other Broadway shows include Cabaret, Woman of the Year, Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Rink, and Steel Pier. Earlier this year, Westport presented their musical All About Us, based on Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth, which starred Kitt, Hensley, and Cady Huffman.

Kitt will return to the Café Carlyle on September 18 for a six-week engagement. Her many theatrical credits include Nine, The Wild Party, and Timbuktu. In 1957, she first appeared at the Playhouse in Mrs. Patterson.

In addition to the performance, there is a pre-show cocktail party, post-show dinner, and silent and live auctions. Tickets range from $500-$2,000. For more information, call 203-227-5137, ext. 138 or visit www.westportplayhouse.org