Duke and Tune to Light Broadway Holiday Tree

It has just been announced that Patty Duke and Tommy Tune will be lighting this year’s Broadway holiday tree in Duffy Square on December 11 at 5:15pm.

Duke, who originated the role of Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker, will return to Broadway on December 14 when she assumes the role of Aunt Eller in the Cameron Mackintosh-Trevor Nunn-Susan Stroman revival of Oklahoma!. Tune, a nine-time Tony Award winner, is opening his own show with the Manhattan Rhythm Kings, Tommy Tune: White Tie and Tails, on December 18 at the new Little Shubert Theatre.

The pair will be joined by cast members from virtually every Broadway and Off-Broadway show. There will be special performances by Judy Kaye, Jeanine Morick, and Carol Linnae Johnson of Mamma Mia! and by the students of the Professional Performing Arts School. The League of American Theatres and Producers and Theatre Development Fund will also present a $5000 donation to a local charitable organization as part of the ceremony.

The Broadway Holiday Tree, established to celebrate the season and to honor those lost in the past year, will be a 25-foot white spruce decorated with ornaments to represent every show and theater currently playing on or off Broadway. The tree is presented by Theatre Development Fund, the League of American Theatres and Producers, and the Times Square Business Improvement District.