Audra McDonald, Patti LuPone, and More to Star in York Theatre Company Benefit

The virtual presentation of ”The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)” will help raise funds for the company after devastating damage from a water main break in January.

Kenji Fujishima
Audra McDonald will star in the York Theatre Company's virtual benefit presentation of The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!).
Audra McDonald will star in the York Theatre Company's virtual benefit presentation of The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!).
(© David Gordon)

The York Theatre Company has announced an all-star cast for its upcoming virtual benefit presentation of The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!). The event will raise funds to help the York recover and rebuild after devastating damage from a water main break on January 4. The performance will premiere on Sunday, April 18, at 7pm and will be available to stream on demand here through April 21.

This all-star event will feature appearances by Tony Award winners Betty Buckley, Matthew Broderick, André De Shields, Jane Krakowski, Patti LuPone, Audra McDonald, Donna Murphy, Mandy Patinkin, Chita Rivera, and Lillias White; Oscar and Tony Award winner Mercedes Ruehl; Drama Desk Award winners Lewis Black, Richard Kind, Jose Llana, and Isaac Mizrahi; Olivier Award winner Lesli Margherita; Emmy Award winner Debra Messing; Tony Award nominees Andrea McArdle, Brad Oscar, and Ethan Slater; Emmy Award nominees Giancarlo Esposito, Martha Plimpton, and Randy Rainbow; and Lucille Lortel Award winner Soara-Joye Ross. Also featured are Christy Altomare, Colleen Ballinger, Kevin Smith Kirkwood, Kelvin Moon Loh, Telly Leung, Christine Pedi, Jelani Remy, Jackie Sanders, Michael West, and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!) features music by Eric Rockwell, lyrics by Joanne Bogart, and book by Eric Rockwell and Joanne Bogart. This special presentation will be directed by Tom D'Angora and Michael D'Angora, with music direction and arrangements by Deniz Cordell and original director Pamela Hunt serving as artistic supervisor.

Described as a "joyous homage to musical theater," The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!) began its journey at the York in 2003. The show pays loving tongue-in-cheek tribute to Rodgers and Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jerry Herman, and Kander and Ebb. The plot follows an innocent ingenue who is threatened by her evil landlord when she can't pay her rent.

Donations to the York Theatre Company can be made here.