Star Trek's Zachary Quinto and Modern Family's Jesse Tyler Ferguson are among the thrilling gay stars who will salute late composer Marvin Hamlisch at One Thrilling Combination, a gala event to be held June 23 at the Delacorte Theater in New York City's Central Park.
The Public Theater's gala will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Hamlisch's gay-inclusive musical A Chorus Line, which premiered at the Public in 1975 prior to its Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway run.
Out actors Jonathan Groff, Billy Porter, and Claybourne Elder are also scheduled to perform, along with Martha Plimpton, John Lithgow, Sutton Foster, Joshua Bell, Lindsay Mendez, Krysta Rodriguez, Marissa McGowan, Laura Shoop, Peter Dugan, Nikka Graff Lanzarone, Jessica Wu, Mylinda Hull, Brooke Sunny Moriber, and Nicole Lewis.
Tony winner Ted Sperling will direct the gala performance, which will feature selections from A Chorus Line and Hamlisch's other musicals, including They're Playing Our Song, The Goodbye Girl, and Sweet Smell of Success as well as from the film The Way We Were. Shortly before his death in 2012, the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony winner composed the score for HBO's Behind the Candelabra.
"Marvin Hamlisch was one of the great spirits of American music, and A Chorus Line was a show that changed everything about how musicals were made," said Public Theater artistic director Oskar Eustis in a statement. "It also created the Public Theater we cherish today. This gala will honor that amazing show and thank Marvin Hamlisch for his extraordinary gifts to us all."
Tickets to the One Thrilling Combination gala, which includes cocktails, dinner, and a dessert reception, start at $650.
For tickets and more information visit PublicTheater.org.
