DO40 Members - CLICK HERE for video clips of the event!!
Members and Non-Members - CLICK HERE for photos (184) of the event!
Above: The Curtain Call/Finale. Over 50 performers and choreographers!
THE REVIEWS ARE IN!!
“It was a triumph!”
“WHAT AN INCREDIBLE NIGHT!”
“Sensational!”
From the Audience:
“How fabu-deluxe was last night!!! Wow, to see Carol Lawrence and Chita Rivera and the Cell Block Tango Ladies was a true thrill!!! Congrats on a wonderful evening.”
“Congratulations! It was dynamite!! The whole evening was wonderful, and the entire show was so well crafted – a terrific job, as always.”
“Congratulations on a fabulous show - the best I thing I've seen of DO40 - superb cast. Great job! Cheers! And again, major congrats. You are really doing a great job.”
Carol Lawrence doing TOP HAT with her “Boys” – all selected at random from the audience!
“Congrats on a very entertaining and creative show, it was an incredible night. The whole theater lit up with Carol Lawrence hosting the show, which she did masterfully and as only she can. And looking absolutely gorgeous, of course Chita, the Diva of Broadway performing her murderess number was one of the high points of the show. With the two of these fabulous women on stage, they made it a night to remember. I adore them both. Along with Larry Fuller’s choreography and John Sefakis’ handling the whole affair brilliantly made it a night for an audience screaming for more. Let me not leave out the cast who did a magnificent job of making a song and dance event one will remember for a long time. From the bottom of my heart, thanks for a wonderful event.”
The Ladies of the Cell Block Tango: Joan Bell, Chita Rivera, Candace Tovar,
Candy Brown, Michon Peacock and Cheryl Clark!
And from the Cast:
“What a glorious evening!!! DO40 put together the most amazing show and was so gracious to the cast and audience. The generosity you inspired was almost palpable. Thank you thank you thank you. What an honor to be a part of such an accomplished group of artists! Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
“Guys -- I really didn't anticipate how much fun I would have doing the benefit this year. Thank you for asking me, and let me know if I can ever help again.”
“You are all fabulous! What a show you managed to put together; I so admire your passion, commitment, and energy. Thanks for letting me be a part of it and I know we will see each other again soon.”
Ode to a Dance Belt, Front Row: Ron Young, Ken Urmston, Paul Berne and Jonathan Cerullo;
Back Row: Buddy Flowers, Daniel Lynn Evans, AntyonLeMonte and Erik Magnus!
“You must be wiped out!! Everything went well and your hard work paid off. It looked great and I hope I helped in some way. Great seeing old friends too. Thank you, John, for making me a part of the event! I am so glad it went well for you, Larry, all of the performers and the DO40 organization!”
“I know I said this last night to you but I want to tell you again, thank you from the bottom of my heart and soul to have included me in this evening. My heart is so filled with joy from this, something I haven’t felt in a good while. You will let me know about next year’s benefit and I would love to talk to you about the organization’s future with you and my involvement. I am glad to know you, John, you’re doing a good thing. XOXO”
THE SHOW:
The stars were all in alignment. And the STARS were all in alignment, too! DO40’s Song and Dance Concert hit the right note, the right beat, and soared to new heights. Everything clicked. From stage management, lighting, choreographers, dancers, singers, crew, volunteers. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect group of people to work with (although we WILL ask them again, soon!). All heck can break loose (and more expletives!) when benefits happen. One day in the theater, two hours for tech, three for tech rehearsal. Ticket sales, SOLD OUT…adding another row to the seating chart. 50 performers in two dressing rooms! Fourteen numbers, some live, some with tracks. Props! Tap shoe trauma! Cell Block madness! But these were pros…from 20 to 85, all pros. All worked together to support two important causes, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and Project Achieve/Columbia University and the NYC HIV Vaccine Trials Network. And as Carol Lawrence said in her remarks to introduce the dance numbers that underscored these causes, “Remember, death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal. (Left, Jose Arturo Chacon, baritone, and Aviad Arik Herman, dancer, in "Not Even if I Try").
Solos, duets, group numbers, a lady with a lampshade on her head, gypsies, tramps and a drag queen, an intragenerational 
smorgasbord of talent! Headlining, of course, with the indomitable Carol Lawrence, who wowed and seduced the audience (and made some of them her chorus boys!) all evening. And then Chita Rivera. Period. And then Chita Rivera and the ladies of the 1975 production of CHICAGO, returning to The Cell Block Tango after 37 years! We can leave now! Well, not so fast! Rachelle Rak, (top ON..and bottoms, too), with I Gotcha (right), two rousing group numbers choreographed by Larry Fuller that opened (It’s Not Where You Start) and closed the show (Ode to a Dance Belt), JT Horenstein, who flew in eight of his dancers from LA for the evening (The Question), and SF choreographer Amy Seiwert of the Smuin Ballet who came in with a gorgeous solo for Charlie Neshbya-Hodges (Double Consciousness). The lovely and un-pidgeon-hole-able Claire Porter, lampshade on head, discussing light and other concerns of the universe (Lady Lamp), DO40 members Mary Lou Barber (Eight O’Clock Blues) and George Marcy (Broadway Baby) in solo turns each near and dear to their hearts. And more. Incredible duets by the Mark Stuart Dance Theater (Libertango) and Thomas/Ortiz Dance (Ablaze), as well as Sasha Spielvogel’s moving AIDS piece (Not Even if I Try), and JT Horenstein’s homage to tap duos of the past.
And the audience wasn’t bad, star-wise, either! Many of Broadway’s best attended, and stood many times during the show to show their support. Richard Skipper was there to tape interviews and post all over the blogisphere! The after part was… on stage after the Finale and Curtain Call. Dancers found their old friends, people made new connections, and Chita Rivera even signed the dance belts of the young gypsies in Ode to a Dance Belt! Something they will NEVER forget!
This was a huge endeavor for DO40. We would like to offer a group hug to all involved, and hope that more people will consider getting involved in ALL of our activities – panels, performances and socials – in the coming season. We can’t do it without you! And when in doubt about why you should lend a helping hand, volunteer your services to a non-profit or just donate to a great cause -- consider this quote from India’s most acclaimed philosopher, Rabindranath Tagore:
“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.”
Carol Lawrence, George Marcy and |
Mary Lou Barber in "8 O'Clock Blues" |
Performance Artist Claire Porter in "Lady Lamp" |
Charlie Neshbya-Hodges in "Double Consciousness" |
Virginia Horne and Royce Zachary in "Ablaze" |
Jaime Verazin and Mark Stuart in "Libertango" |
The Cast of "It’s Not Where You Start":
Patti Mariano, Steve Petrillo, Nicole Barth, Ron Young, Nancy Dalton Flowers,
James Horvath, Joy Serio Dunbar, Tom Sinibaldi
"The Question": Melissa Emrico, Ambrose Respicio, Julius Rubio, Anna Schnaitter,
Matt Steffens, as well as Jennifer Hamilton, Tim Wilson and Anthony Marciona
"Diggin’ Me": Nadine Isenegger and JT Horenstein