Busch and Halston to Appear Together on Broadway in Actors’ Fund Benefit

The Actors’ Fund of America will present Charles Busch and Julie Halston: Together on Broadway, a one-night-only benefit show at Broadway’s Music Box Theatre (239 West 45th Street) on Monday, March 28 at 8pm. Featuring performances by such stars as Brent Barrett, Rebecca Luker, Mario Cantone, Phyllis Newman, and Bruce Vilanch, the show is billed as “an outrageous evening of hilarious songs and sketches.” It will include a complete performance of Busch’s camp classic Vampire Lesbians of Sodom to mark the play’s 25th anniversary.

The first half of the evening will consist of solo pieces, sketches, and musical numbers performed by Busch and Halston, joined by Broadway luminaries and supported by a 10-member dancing chorus; the second half will star the pair in a production of the one-act play Vampire Lesbians of Sodom that will also feature original cast members Andy Halliday and Theresa Aceves. Ruth Williamson will play the role of Oatsie Carewe, a snooping gossip columnist, and several guest stars are slated to make appearances throughout the performance. Staged by Carl Andress and with musical direction by Jesse Vargas, Charles Busch and Julie Halston: Together on Broadway will be choreographed by Christopher Gattelli. Seth Rudetsky will compose music especially for the show.

Busch and Halston, founding members of Theatre-in-Limbo, have previously appeared together Off-Broadway in Busch’s plays The Lady in Question, Red Scare on Sunset, and You Should Be So Lucky in addition to Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, which opened Off-Broadway in June 1985 and ran for five years. VLOS tells the tale of two ageless vampiresses who carry on a bitter feud that begins in ancient Sodom, continues in 1920s Hollywood, and is carried on in present-day Las Vegas.

Since their last joint stage appearance in 1994, Halston has been seen on Broadway in The Man Who Came to Dinner, The Women, Gypsy, and Twentieth Century, and on television in Sex and the City. She recently garnered praise for her work in the Off-Broadway comedy White Chocolate and is now playing Prudy Pingleton in Hairspray on Broadway. Charles Busch, a Tony Award nominee for his highly successful play The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife, is also known as the writer and star of the films Die Mommie Die! and Psycho Beach Party. In 2003, he received a Drama Desk Award for career achievement as both playwright and performer.

Tickets for the March 28 benefit show range in price from $50 to $1,000; they are available by calling The Actors’ Fund at 212-221-7300, ext. 133, or through the website www.actorsfund.org. Founded in 1882, The Actors’ Fund of America is a national human services organization that helps professionals in every area of theater, television, film, music, opera and dance.