Long Beach Playhouse Celebrates 76 Years with "Taste of the Playhouse" Fundraiser

The Long Beach Playhouse will be hosting their second annual fundraiser -- Taste of the Playhouse -- on Sunday, October 16, to commemorate 76 years of entertainment. Held at the Playhouses Mainstage Theatre, the benefit will begin with dinner from the finest local restaurants and end with entertainment from an all-star line-up of celebrities including Beverly Garland, Noah Gray-Cabey, Jacquelyn Levy, Lee Meriwether, DeeDee Rescher.

Long Beach, CA (PRWEB) September 21, 2005 -- The Long Beach Playhouse will be hosting their second annual fundraiser -- Taste of the Playhouse -- on Sunday, October 16, to commemorate 76 years of entertainment. Held at the Playhouses Mainstage Theatre, the benefit will begin with dinner from the finest local restaurants and end with entertainment from an all-star line-up of celebrities including:

- Beverly Garland -- Starred in 41 feature films and nearly 700 television programs including a series regular on the "Bing Crosby Show," "My Three Sons," "Scarecrow and Mrs. King," and "Lois and Clark - The New Adventures of Superman." She was the first actress to star in the title role of a full-season dramatic series, "Decoy," playing NYPD officer Casey Jones in 1957. Beverly received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1983.

- Noah Gray-Cabey -- Was a series regular who played the precocious kid Franklin on ABC's "My Wife & Kids". Currently, Noah has been cast in the M. Night Shyamalan film "Lady in the Water," which is now shooting in Philadelphia. Noah, who just turned 9, is a trained classical pianist and one of the youngest performers to ever play a solo at the Sydney Opera Hall.

- Jacquelyn Levy -- A Los Angeles native who has performed extensively in the Southern California area. She has received acclaim for her portrayal of Lena 'Mama Younger in "A Raisin in the Sun." Her film and television credits include: "Mothers & Daughters," "Ms. Representation," "Honey -- I Blew Up the Kids," "Original Intent," "The Women of Brewster Place," "MADtv," and "Arli$$."

- Lee Meriwether -- Most know Lee as "Betty" in the highly successful TV series "Barnaby Jones," where she co-starred with Buddy Ebsen for eight years. She played Ruth Martin on the daytime drama "All My Children" for two years. Her noteworthy film roles include: "The Undefeated," "Namu, the Killer Whale," "The Legend of Lylah Clare" and she played Catwoman in the original "Batman" movie.

- DeeDee Rescher -- Fresh off the stage from the Long Beach Playhouses production of Shirley Valentine, DeeDee can also be seen this season as Donna in Lisa Kudrows new series for HBO -- "The Comeback." Some of her numerous television credits include recurring roles in "The Nanny," "Hope and Gloria," and "The King of Queens." Films credits include "Skin Deep," "Summer School," "Communion," "Once Bitten" and "Ferris Buellers Day Off."

Established in 1929, the Long Beach Playhouse is one of the oldest continually operating theatres west of the Mississippi. Operating year-round, the Playhouse serves more than 35,000 patrons, artists and students -- nurturing and cultivating new and traditional audiences and emerging and established artists. With two theatres, the 200-seat Mainstage and the 99-seat Equity Waiver Studio Theatre, the Playhouse produces 16 full productions annually.

With legendary stars like Robert Mitchum, Robert Cornthwaite, Loraine Day, Hugh Beaumont and Dwight Yoakam having performed at the Playhouse, the theatre has long played a role in providing opportunities for both seasoned and new artists to learn their craft while providing the region with professional live theatrical entertainment.

Tickets are $100 per person / $600 VIP table (seats 5). To purchase call the Box Office at (562) 494-1014. For more information on the Playhouse, visit www.lbph.com.

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