Vivian Reed Joins Cast of Bubbling Brown Benefit

Vivian Reed, a Tony Award nominee for her performance in the 1976 musical revue Bubbling Brown Sugar, has joined the cast of “Blast From The Past,” a one-night-only benefit performance of BBS to be held on Monday, March 31 at the John Houseman Theater. Reed will sing “God Bless The Child,” a song made famous by Billie Holliday.

The cast of the benefit includes Tony Award winners Lillias White and Chuck Cooper, along with Ebony Jo-Ann, Darius de Haas, Rob Evan, Maurice Hines, Pam Isaacs, James Stovall and Tamara Tunie. The performance will be directed by Rajendra Ramoon Maharej, with musical direction by David Alan Bunn. The event will benefit AMAS Musical Theater, a 35-year-old performing arts organization. It will feature tributes to AMAS’s late founder, Rosetta LeNoire — including the presentation of the first Rosetta LeNoire scholarship — and to theater legends Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis.

The original Broadway production of Bubbling Brown Sugar, presented by AMAS, ran at the ANTA Theater from March 1976 through December 1977. In addition to Reed, it starred Avon Long and Josephine Premice. The show includes songs by such composers as Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, and Fats Waller.

“Blast From The Past” will begin with a cocktail reception/silent auction at 6:15pm at the Houseman, and the performance will start at 7pm. A post-show cast party will be held at the West Bank Café. Tickets are $200 for admission to all of the evening’s events and $100 for the show only. For information, phone 212-563-2565.