A Personal Request: Looking for Venue to Sponsor

    "Meet & Greet The Broadway Cast" AfterParty for

Aids Benefit (with a little wine and cheese for 250 guests)

                In the vicinity of the Ford Amphitheatre 

                      2580 Cahuenga Blvd., East,

                          Hollywood, CA 90068

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         BROADWAY HUNKS & BABES TO HIT HOLLYWOOD

     FORD AMPHITHEATRE STAGE FOR AIDS BENEFIT!!!

                 A ONE NITE ONLY  PERFORMANCE

                         TIM RICE'S DYNAMIC MUSICAL

                                    CHESS

                                     PART OF THE EVENINGS PROCEEDS TO BE DONATED TO

                        Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS

A one nite only special inspired performance of Tim  Rice, Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus' musical CHESS, produced by Brian Michael Purcell, slated for September 17, 2007 at The Ford Amphitheatre located at 2580 Cahuenga Blvd., East, Hollywood, CA 90068, part of the proceeds will go to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. 

The show begins at 8:00PM. Tickets go on sale:     Wednesday July 18th, 2007!!! www.fordamphitheatre.org

CHESS which centers around a chess championship is regareded as"one of the best theatrical compositions ever written" and features the story of a world championship chess match between the Americans and the Russians. Set during the end of the cold war (1970's) a romantic triangle begins when an American chess champion defends his title against a Russian opponent who plans to defect. 

This edgy new production will feature musical direction by Dan Redfeld (Little Women) and choreography by A.C. Ciulla (Footloose, Tony nomination) backed by a full 24 piece orchestra.

The event will star Tony-nominee Susan Egan (Beauty and the Beast, Cabaret, Triumph of Love), Kevin Earley (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Les Miserables), Eric Kunze,(Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, Dame Yankees, National Tour: Jesus Christ Superstar with Carl Anderson), Cindy Robinson (Into The Woods, Carousel, Peter Pan), Thomas Griffith (The Best Little Whorehouse Texas, 1776 at Hollywood Bowl), Tom Schmid (Annie Get Your Gun, The Last Empress) and Matthew Morrison (The Light in the Piazza, Hairspray tour, 10 Million Miles).

This special event will be presented in honor of  the director, choreographer and actor Jim Alexander, who  sadly passed away on May 25th, 2007.  Alexander was the former producing artistic director of the Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma.  He received numerous awards and critical acclaim for his productions of West Side Story, Song and Dance, The Pirates of Penzance, A Chorus Line, Evita, Godspell, The World Goes 'Round, Man of La Mancha, An Inspector Calls, Always...Patsy Cline, Peter Pan, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Die Fledermaus, Guys and Dolls, Fiddler on The Roof and Jesus Christ Superstar.  He had most recently directed Song and Dance: Tell Me on a Sunday, starring his wife, Cindy Robinson, which opened on February 24th 2007 at The Deaf West Theatre in North Hollywood. He was also the Founder and CEO of The Quest Theatre Company.

Producer Brian Michael Purcell ( wife Leah Seminario is currently in the National touring company of  "Camelot" with Michael York ) wrote: "After the show that night (Song and Dance in LA) we all went out for dinner and Jim and I started talking about the theatre business. It was like I was talking with another me. In the midst of our conversation Jim brings up that the next show he wanted to produce which was Chess.  Originally, Jim had talked to me about playing Freddie opposite Cindy in the production and I was very much interested. I also told him that I have a production company and why don't we Co-produce. He became very interested.

We came to an agreement about ideas for the cast, the look and concept of the show, etc. For the next month we had numerous lunch and phone meetings, we even looked at the Ford Amphitheatre in Hollywood and fell in love with space and put a hold on it. Everything was going smoothly and the collaboration was on. I felt like we had been working with each other for years....(On the morning I learned that) Jim Alexander had suffered a fatal heart attack, I was speechless and cried for hours. I had not only lost a partner and mentor but a close friend. I could not even imagine how Cindy was feeling. But out of the darkest moments must come the light. I drove to the Ford that morning and put down the deposit for the show. I pulled myself as an actor out of the show and now I was in Jim's shoes as Director and Producer. This is what Jim wanted and what he lived for. So there was no way I was not going to put this show on. It had meaning before being a fund raiser for BCEFA, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, but now it has even more meaning.</FONT>