Stars of stage, screen and television came out to celebrate Broadway’s Biggest Night at The Actors Fund’s 19th Annual Tony Awards® Viewing Party, held at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles on raising over $250,000! This year’s spectacular gala was hosted by Daytime Emmy Award winner and three-time Tony Award® nominee Kate Burton, and presentations of the Artistic Achievement Award to four legendary leading men of Broadway - Theodore Bikel, Tim Curry, Alfred Molina and Joe Morton.
The evening’s program featured red carpet arrivals, cocktails, silent auction, dinner, surprise guest performances and the live telecast of the Tony Awards®. The event was presented by Wells Fargo and sponsored by United Airlines, SAG-AFTRA, Actors’ Equity Association, Writers Guild of America West, DIRECTV, Screen Engine, The Nederlander Organization, CTBC Bank Corp, Masque Sound, Shaw & Halseth, Devotion Vodka and Sextant Wines.
The evening kicked off with a rocking performance of “The Time Warp” from The Rocky Horror Show featuring Sebastian La Cause (Orange Is The New Black), Renée Marino (Jersey Boys), Ashley Argota (The Fosters) and Western Council co-chair Ilene Graff. Honoree Tim Curry watched on in delight from his table nearby. Miles Brown, the 10-year-old star of ABC’s “Blackish,” brought down the house with his rendition of “Sidewalk Tree” from the 1973 Broadway musical Raisin, for which Joe Morton received his Tony nomination.
Jennifer Shelton delivered a beautiful performance of “Far From The Home I Love” from Fiddler On The Roof to pay tribute to Alfred Molina. Cheyenne Jackson took to the stage to honor dear friend Alfred Molina with his glorious take on the Elton John classic, “Your Song.” We were delighted to have Mireille Enos (ABC’s The Catch), Calum Worthy (Disney Channel’s Austin & Ally) and Lee Meriwether make special presentations about the evening’s silent auction items and fundraising efforts. Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of our members and supporters.
Among the other celebrities in attendance were Gabrielle Carteris, Kevin Chamberlin, Patrick Fabian, Davis Gaines, Anne Jeffreys, Kate Linder, Millicent Martin, Alan Mandell, Charlotte Rae, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Alan Ruck, Sharon Stone, Nick Verreos, Bruce Vilanch and Lisa Ann Walter. The Tony Awards® broadcast portion of the evening’s event is made possible with the kind permission of Tony Awards® Productions, The American Theatre Wing, The Broadway League, DIRECTV and CBS.
Just a few press highlights include this profile of our honoree Tim Curry in the Los Angeles Times Magazine.
Thanks to all our donors, sponsors, guests and honorees and look forward to seeing you next year!