Off-Broadway's Classic Stage Company hosts sold-out benefit concerts of Kander and Ebb's The Rink September 15-16, with a starry cast led by Tony winners Beth Leavel (The Drowsy Chaperone) as Anna and Jessie Mueller (Waitress) as Angel.
Dave Solomon (Tootsie) is directing, with music direction by Greg Jarrett (Kiss of the Spider Woman), choreography by Shannon Lewis (Just in Time), and music supervision by Sam Davis (Kiss of the Spider Woman).
The cast also includes Alex Boniello (Dear Evan Hansen), Tony winner Santino Fontana (Tootsie), Michael McCormick (Wicked), Mason Reeves (Real Women Have Curves), Joe Aaron Reid (If/Then), Alex Gemignani (My Fair Lady), and Sofie Nesanelis (Les Miserables). Casting is by Alaine Aldaffer and Lisa Donadio.
The Rink was originally produced on Broadway in 1984, starring Chita Rivera and Liza Minnelli. It follows Anna, a widow who lives above the dilapidated remains of the roller skating rink she owns in Coney Island. The return of her daughter Anna forces the mother and daughter to confront their past in order to move forward.
John Kander and Fred Ebb's score introduced such showtune favorites as “Colored Lights” and “Chief Cook and Bottle Washer." The original production ran for just eight months in 1984. It was nominated for five Tony Awards and won one, for Rivera's performance. Kander, Ebb, Terrence McNally, and Rivera later reunited to Tony-winning effect in 1993, with Kiss of the Spider Woman, and again in 2015 (posthumously for Ebb) with The Visit.
Individual tickets are completely sold out. Any cancellations will be sold via a standby list at the Classic Stage box office, beginning at 6 PM on the day of each performance.
Visit ClassicStage.org.
Company of The Rink
Company of The Rink
Lisa Zinni, Jessie Mueller, and Santino Fontana
Company of The Rink
David Solomon
Company of The Rink
Beth Leavel
Alex Boniello, Santino Fontana, Alex Gemignani, Michael McCormick, Mason Reeves, Joe Aaron Reid, and Greg Jarrett
