Veterans of stage and screen Anita Gillette and Penny Fuller, two of Broadway’s beloved Tony Award-nominated performers present their latest show Sin Twisters: The Next Frontier on Monday, April 17 at 7:00 PM at Birdland. Once again, musical director Paul Greenwood is at the keyboard and veteran director Barry Kleinbort is at the helm.
The pair share stories about shows they’ve done (or perhaps might have done) as well as give voice to many of the Broadway songwriters they have been fortunate to work with over their fifty years in the business, including Irving Berlin, Charles Strouse & Lee Adams, John Kander & Fred Ebb, Arthur Schwartz, Jule Styne, and William Finn. The evening is a joyful testament to the glories of the American musical theater as well as to the enduring bonds of friendship.
Anita Gillette debuted her one woman show After All at Birdland and won the MAC and Bistro Awards. She has also played 54 Below, Cape May Stage, and London’s St. James Studio. Probably best known as Miss Mona in Moonstruck, or Miss Mitzi in Shall We Dance?, her other feature films include: The Fitzgerald Family Christmas, Boys on the Side, She’s the One, Bob Roberts, Larger Than Life, The Guru, and The Great New Wonderful. She starred in fourteen Broadway shows including: Chapter Two (Tony nomination, LA Drama Critics Award), Cabaret (Sally Bowles), Carnival, Gypsy, Guys & Dolls,Don’t Drink the Water, All American, Jimmy, They’re Playing Our Song, Brighton Beach Memoirs, and Mr. President. She was Tina Fey’s mother on “30 Rock,” a series regular on “Quincy,” “Almost Grown,” and more. Episodic work includes “Modern Family,” “Chicago Med,” “Elementary,” “Sex and the City,” “Cold Case,” “Frasier,” “Law & Order,” and “Mad About You.” She has appeared on every major game show including “Pyramid, “Password,” “Match Game,” “To Tell the Truth,” “What’s My Line” and more, in addition to being a foil for Johnny Carson on at least 50 episodes of “The Tonight Show.”
Penny Fuller was recently seen on Broadway in the acclaimed revival of Sunday in the Park with George. She began her Broadway career starring in Barefoot in the Park, three Shakespeare-in-the-Park productions, and the musicals Cabaret, Rex, and Applause (Tony nomination for “Eve Harrington”). Her television work garnered her six Emmy nominations and the Emmy Award for ABC’s “The Elephant Man.” Recent Broadway productions include Horton Foote’s Dividing the Estate and Neil Simon’s The Dinner Party (Tony nomination). She was seen at Lincoln Center Theater in William Finn’s A New Brain and Off-Broadway in Love, Loss and What I Wore; Beautiful Child; Southern Comfort; and Three Viewings. With the encouragement of director Barry Kleinbort, she has embarked on a new career as cabaret artist in New York clubs and theaters. Their latest collaboration is a solo musical play: Thirteen Things About Ed Carpolotti, seen at 59E59 Theaters in New York, and Merrimack Repertory in Lowell, Massachusetts, for which she won the 2015 IRNE Award for Best Solo Performance. She and Anita Gillette began their collaboration several years ago, and they have performed together in New York and London.
There is a $40 music charge and a $20 food and beverage minimum. For reservations, please call (212) 581-3080 or visit www.BirdlandJazz.com.
Birdland is located at 315 West 44th Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues) in Manhattan.
