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CABARET SERIES COMING TO STEELSTACKS STARTING NOV. 29

DATE: Nov 8, 2011
CONTACT: Mark Demko, ArtsQuest, 610-332-1300, ext. 342, or mdemko@artsquest.org

CABARET SERIES COMING TO STEELSTACKS STARTING NOV. 29

Performances at ArtsQuest Center Feature Broadway Singer and Actress Lynnie Godfrey

BETHLEHEM, PA—Broadway, television and motion picture actress and singer Lynnie Godfrey brings her interpretations of the Great American Songbook to the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks, 101 Founders Way, during "An Evening of Cabaret with Lynnie Godfrey and Dave Roper," the new monthly cabaret series that will take place in the center's Fowler Blast Furnace Room. The first two performances in the series are Nov. 29 and Dec. 18, 7:30 p.m. Tickets for each show are $15; they will go on sale to the public Friday, Nov. 11, 10 a.m., and will be available at www.artsquest.org or 610-332-3378.

For An Evening of Cabaret with Lynnie Godfrey and Dave Roper, the Fowler Blast Furnace Room will be transformed into a New York-style cabaret, as Godfrey sings jazz standards and classic Broadway/show tunes, accompanied by Roper on piano. On Nov. 29, the music of composers such as George Gershwin, Duke Ellington, Cole Porter, Billy Strayhorn and Johnny Mercer will be showcased, while on Dec. 18, Godfrey will perform a mix of jazz standards and selections from "Ladies Of Song," her one-woman tribute to Ethel Waters, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan. Both performances will also feature solo numbers performed by Roper, who is known for his remarkable interpretations of jazz and classical music.

"The Great American Songbook is to me the most wonderful songbook in the world, and I have been singing it since I was about 14 years old," says Godfrey. "But now, through life experiences, I understand the lyrics more and appreciate the melodic creativity of the composers even more. I look forward to these performances being an evening where 100-plus of my 'best friends' come into my living room to enjoy some of the most beloved music of the 20th century."

A new resident of Lowhill Township, Godfrey was born and raised in Harlem and graduated from Hunter College. She made her Broadway debut in the musical revue "EUBIE," for which she captured a Drama Desk nomination and an AUDELCO Recognition Award, and she also performed the lead role in the "Snow Queen" in New York, as well as London's West End. Other theatrical performances have included a regional touring production of "Ain't Misbehavin';" "Damn Yankees" (Lola) at the Hartford Stage in Hartford, Conn.; and a New York City/New York State tour of "Cinderella" (Stepmother). Godfrey's most recent theatrical role was as the narrator and Harriet Tubman in "Let My People Go," which appeared at the Kennedy Center.

As a movie actress, Godfrey's credits include "V.I. Warshawski," where she appeared as Kathleen Turner's best friend, Sal; "Women Without Implants" and "Enemy Territory." Her numerous television credits include "704 Hauser," Norman Lear's sequel to "All in the Family;" "227;" "Amen;" "LA Law;" "Frank's Palace;" "thirtysomething" and "Brewster's Place."

Godfrey regularly tours "Ladies Of Song" in New York and Virginia and has performed in Las Vegas, as well as clubs and cabarets in New York City such as the Laura Beechman Theatre, Don't Tell Mama and Sweetwater's. She is the recipient of a Tyrone Guthrie Award for Excellence in Directing. Through her production company, GODLEE Entertainment Inc., Godfrey is responsible for productions and readings of original works such as "Vier Negerinnen," "May I Help You?," "Shirley Basin" and "Ladies Of Song." Other works such as "Infancy" by Thorton Wilder and "To Be Young, Gifted and Black" were directed by Godfrey and produced by GODLEE Entertainment Inc.

An Evening of Cabaret with Lynnie Godfrey and Dave Roper marks the launch of a partnership between ArtsQuest and Godfrey to bring quality cabaret and theater-related programming to the ArtsQuest Center. Future plans call for a monthly play reading series, playwright manuscript review sessions, cabaret performances by special guests and more starting in 2012.

For more information on An Evening of Cabaret with Lynnie Godfrey and Dave Roper, please visit www.artsquest.org.

ABOUT ARTSQUEST

ArtsQuest™ is a Bethlehem, PA-based nonprofit dedicated to presenting music, arts, festivals, cultural experiences and educational and outreach programs that aid in economic development, urban revitalization and community enrichment. Through festivals such as its flagship event, Musikfest®; the Banana Factory® cultural arts and education center; and the ArtsQuest Center and SteelStacks™ arts and cultural campus, ArtsQuest's programming reaches more than 1.5 million people annually.

For more information on ArtsQuest, visit www.artsquest.org or call 610-332-1300.