Photo: Aubrey Reuben
Marc Shaiman . . . THIS is your life! Features Shaiman, Wittman and Hairspray Company
Playbill.com
By Andrew Gans
January 21, 2004
Hairspray’s Tony Award-winning composer-lyricist Marc Shaiman will offer two shows to benefit The Harbor and Bonaventure House Monday, Feb. 9.Titled Marc Shaiman . . . THIS is your life!, the evening will be hosted by Bruce Vilanch, who stars as Edna Turnblad in the national tour of Hairspray, which is currently playing Chicago’s Ford Center for the Performing Arts Oriental Theatre. The Hairspray company will celebrate Shaiman’s tunes from the worlds of Broadway and cinema, and the one-night-only event will also include an appearance from Shaiman’s partner and collaborator, Scott Wittman.
Marc Shaiman . . . THIS is your life! will be held in the cabaret room of Gentry on State Street. The first show, which is sold out, begins at 8 PM, and the second is scheduled for 10:30 PM. Both performances will include a live auction; a silent auction will also be held in the club’s lobby beginning at 7 PM. The auctions will include theatre tickets, walk-on roles and an oversized Hairspray tour poster signed by the entire company.
Marc Shaiman wrote the music and co-wrote the lyrics — with his partner, Scott Wittman — for Hairspray, the Tony Award-winning musical at the Neil Simon Theatre. The duo also received the 2003 Tony Award for Best Score for their musical based on the classic John Waters film. Shaiman has composed, arranged music and/or written lyrics for more than 50 films, winning Academy Award nominations for his work on “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut,” “Patch Adams,” “The First Wives Club,” “The American President” and “Sleepless in Seattle.” He has also received two Grammy nominations, and he won an Emmy Award for co-writing Billy Crystal’s “Oscar Medleys.”
Gentry of Chicago is located at 440 N. State Street. Tickets for the 10:30 PM show will go on sale Wednesday, Jan. 28. Seats at the piano are priced at $100, second-row table seating is available for $50 and the elevated room perimeter seats are priced at $25. Call (312) 836-0933 for reservations.
