One Night Only . . . We're Here Because We Care
By Mary F Silverman
Text and photos by Jay Jorgensen
One of the great things about an evening like "One Night Only" at the
McCallum Theatre is that the ensemble cast, unencumbered by a theme
show, is allowed to bring their very best material to the production.
Some sang old favorites, some tried out new songs -- everything was top
drawer. But a problem arose during rehearsal. The theme song of the
evening, "One Night Only" contains the lyric "let's not pretend to
care." But the cast did care. After all, many had made the trek from
Los Angeles (with Chris Calloway flying in from Santa Fe) for the
event, which benefited Family Services of the Desert. Singer Kevin
Spirtas suggested the line be changed to "we're here because we care,"
which set the tone for the benefit.
Producer Michael Childers brought together a stellar cast from theater,
television, and film including: Don Wardell, Valarie Pettiford, Ronobir
Lahiri, Wilson Cruz, Chris Calloway, Brian Lane Green, Sally Kellerman,
KT Sullivan, Michael Nouri, Nancy Dussault, Kevin Spirtas, Suzanna
Guzman, Channing Cook Holmes, Loretta Devine, Andrea Marcovicci, Rod
McKuen, Stefanie Powers, Robert Morse, Betty Garrett, Freda Payne,
Samantha Lockwood, and Stephanie Perry. The evening was hosted by Doris
Roberts and Bruce Vilanch.
The audience cheered each number, which ranged from Guzman's "Habanera"
from Bizet's "Carmen" to Vilanch's hysterical "You Can't Succeed on
Broadway" from "Spamalot."
Other kudos go to event co-chairs Jackie Lee Houston and Mark Adams,
director Stuart Ross, musical director Ron Abel, and choreographer Mark
Esposito.
Highlights of the weekend included a private party for the cast given
by David Lee and Mark Nichols and the high-energy after-party at
Piero's Acqua Pazza restaurant.
One Night Only photo gallery
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