A Magical Night On Broadway

A MAGICAL NIGHT ON BROADWAY is a fully staged and costumed tribute to The American Musical starring Stage, Film and Television personality JoAnne Worley and featuring music from some of Broadway's most celebrated musicals including Chicago, Miss Saigon, Wicked, Sunset Boulevard, Hairspray, A Chorus Line, The Lion King, The Producers and more. Joining Ms. Worley are Broadway and Television stars Rex Smith, Tony Nominated Actress Jonelle Allen, Terron Brooks and Carol Channing's American Glee Club - a young song and dance group representing America's public schools, along with a few surprise guests.

JoAnne Worley began her career at The Pasadena Playhouse in the musical Wonderful Town. In 1961, she received her first major break when she appeared in the musical revue Billy Barnes People in Los Angeles; this production moved to Broadway, where it ran for only six performances. However, the New York Times reviewer wrote: "Jo Anne Worley has an earthy style that suggests she could be a rowdy comedienne. In 1964, Worley was selected to appear as understudy to Carol Channing in the original Broadway production of Hello, Dolly! One year later, she created her own nightclub act in Greenwich Village, where she was discovered by Merv Griffin.
 

Impressed by Worley's talents, Griffin engaged her to be one of his primary guest stars on his show, where she made approximately 40 appearances on The Merv Griffin Show which led to her discovery by George Schlatter, who soon cast her in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. In 1970, she left Laugh-In to pursue other projects and has made guest appearances on several TV shows, including Hot Dog, Love, American Style, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, The Andy Williams Show, and different game shows such as Hollywood Squares. Her voice work includes Nutcracker Fantasy (1979), the Disney movies Beauty and the Beast (1991), A Goofy Movie (1995), Belle's Magical World (1998), and the voice of the Wardrobe in the video game Kingdom Hearts II (2005). She remains involved with Disney, making cameos in several Disney Channel sitcoms such as Kim Possible, Wizards of Waverly Place, and Jessie.

In 1989, she returned to Broadway to appear in Prince of Central Park and as The Wicked Witch of the West in a 1999 musical production of  The Wizard of Oz with Mickey Rooney at Madison Square Garden. Worley played Mrs. Tottendale in the Broadway musical, The Drowsy Chaperone at the Marquis Theatre from July through December 2007 and she played the role of Madame Morrible in the Los Angeles production of Wicked.

Rex Smith made his Broadway debut starring as Danny Zuko in the musical Grease in 1978. Smith also starred as Frederic in the New York Shakespeare Festival's Central Park production of The Pirates of Penzance for which he won the Theatre World Award for as Best Leading Actor on a Musical. For the 1983 film adaptation, Smith reprised the role of Frederic along with two other cast members, Kevin Kline as the Pirate King and Linda Ronstadt as Mabel. He has on Boradway in The Scarlet Pimpernel, Grand Hotel, The Human Comedy, and Annie Get Your Gun. He played Joe Gillis opposite Diahann Carroll as Norma Desmond in the 1995 Canadian production of Sunset Boulevard and starred in the 2001-2002 national tour of Kiss Me, Kate. Smith is best known for his role as Jesse Mach in the 1985 television series Street Hawk, as well as being pop singer and teen idol, featured regularly in 16 Magazine and Tiger Beat. He had a gold Top 10 single, "You Take My Breath Away," in 1979. In 1981, Smith would hit the top 40 again with a remake of "Everlasting Love", in a duet with singer Rachel Sweet.. Smith replaced Andy Gibb as a host on the music variety show, Solid Gold. and was a contract player on the CBS daytime drama, As the World Turns, in the role of Darryl Crawford.

Terron Brooks is a Southern California native and has been singing since the age of six. He has sung with many artists including Stephanie Mills, Smokey Robinson and Michael Jackson, performed throughout the US and Europe and wasa member of the  internationally acclaimed doo-wop group The Alley Cats. On Broadway he starred as "Simba" in Disney's The Lion King and "Seaweed" in Hairspray. Terron has been featured on numerous film and TV soundtrack albums including Tears from the Sun, the Adventures of Brer Rabbit and ABC's Gepetto. Brooks starred in the hit romantic comedy All About You opposite Debbie Allen, co-wrote its theme song as well as contributed his vocals to the movie soundtrack which was produced by American Idol musical director, Rickey Minor. As an actor, Brooks is a two time NAACP Award nominee for supporting actor and is best remembered for his critically acclaimed portrayal of Eddie Kendricks in the Emmy Award-winning NBC mini-series The Temptations. The Los Angeles Times has described his voice as "smooth and soulful."

 

Born in New York City, Allen grew up in Harlem's Sugar Hill among neighbors that included Duke Ellington, Sonny Rollins, and Johnny Hodges, all of whom had an influence on her career choice. She made her Broadway debut at the age of six in The Wisteria Trees, Joshua Logan's Americanized adaptation of The Cherry Orchard starring Helen Hayes. As a child she also made regular appearances on a local children's television series, The Merry Mailman, hosted by Ray Heatherton.

Allen returned to Broadway for a revival of Finian's Rainbow. She was in the cast of the original off-Broadway production of Hair at Joseph Papp's Public Theater and also appeared in George M!  before receiving critical acclaim and a Tony Award nomination for Two Gentlemen of Verona, which earned her New York Drama Critics' Circle, Drama Desk, Theatre World, and Outer Critics Circle Awards for her performance. She also wrote and performed as the Legendary Jazz Singer, Florence Mills, in Harlem Renaissance.

Allen's film credits include Cotton Comes to Harlem, The Hotel New Hampshire, and The River Niger, for which she won an NAACP Image Award. She had a regular role in the dramatic series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman from 1993-97. Other television appearances include Barney Miller, The Love Boat, All in the Family, Trapper John, M.D., Hill Street Blues, Cagney and Lacey, ER, and Girlfriends. Her most notable roles are the flamboyant and outspoken Doreen Jackson on the NBC soap opera, Generations and Lucinda Cavender, the vampire witch in the horror comedy film The Midnight Hour.

Carol Channing’s American Glee Club is Southern California’s most talented young song and dance troupe, in residence at the nationally acclaimed Musical Theatre University. Performers, selected by audition, are between the ages of 14 and 22 and represent our nation’s public schools. The Glee Club performs for trade shows, conventions, charitable organizations and in concert throughout the United States.