Theater News

Broadway Cares Cancels Jule Styne Benefit

New York City
Let Us Entertain You: The All-Star Jule Styne Celebration, a concert that was scheduled to take place on Tuesday, November 8 to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, has been canceled. Carol Channing, Barbara Cook, Tyne Daly, Sandy Duncan, Angela Lansbury, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Leslie Uggams, and Patrick Wilson were among the stars set to participate in the event, which was to be part of Styne’s centennial celebration.

Tom Viola, executive director of BC/EFA, stated: “Unfortunately the mounting costs of producing a live event for a high-end audience that would also be taped for broadcast were unsustainable. BC/EFA produces first class events, but we do that in order to fulfill our mission as a grant-making organization to both The Actors’ Fund and over 480 AIDS and family service organizations nationwide. Breaking-even is not an option. I deeply regret that we cannot move forward on what certainly would have been a memorable evening. I especially appreciate the gracious understanding that Margaret Styne and the Styne office have brought to this difficult decision.”