20th Anniversary of Vampire Lesbians Toasted With B’way Benefit by Busch and Halston by Broadway.com Staff
Old friends Charles Busch and Julie Halston are teaming up for a one-night-only benefit for the Actors’ Fund of America. Titled Together on Broadway, the March 28 event at the Music Box Theatre will feature songs and sketches as well as a 20th anniversary staging of Busch’s Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, the legendary off-Broadway play in which they first starred together.
The first act of the evening will be in the style of a classic variety show with original sketches, solo pieces and musical numbers from the two stars, joined by special guests Brent Barrett and Rebecca Luker and supported by a chorus line of Broadway’s best hoofers. For the second half, Busch and Halston will recreate their performances in a full staging of Vampire Lesbians, joined by original cast members Andy Halliday and Theresa Aceves. La Cage aux Folles star Ruth Williamson will play gossip columnist Oatsie Carewe, with special guest stars including Mario Cantone, Phyllis Newman and Bruce Vilanch making special appearances throughout the performance.
Vampire Lesbians of Sodom opened on June 19, 1985 at the Princetown Playhouse on Macdougal Street in Greenwich Village and ran for 363 performances, making it one of the longest-running plays in off-Broadway history. It tells the tale of two ageless vampiresses who carry on a bitter feud that begins in ancient Sodom, continues in 1920s Hollywood and carries through to present-day Las Vegas.
Busch and Halston were founding members of Theatre-in-Limbo and have also appeared together in the off-Broadway productions of The Lady in Question, Red Scare on Sunset and You Should Be So Lucky. Halston has become a Broadway regular over the past decade, appearing in The Man Who Came to Dinner, The Women, Gypsy, Twentieth Century and Hairspray, where she currently plays Prudy Pingleton. Busch received a Tony nomination for his Broadway play The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife and adapted his off-Broadway plays Psycho Beach Party and Die Mommie Die! into films. He also provided the book for the Broadway musical Taboo.
Together on Broadway will be directed by regular Busch collaborator Carl Andress with musical direction by Jesse Vargas. Christopher Gattelli will choreograph with Seth Rudetsky contributing special music.
Tickets range from $50 to $1,000 for the event. For more information, visit the Actors’ Fund of America website or call (212) 221-7300 ext. 133
