Nothing Like a Dame: Kelli O'Hara joins line-up for benefit concert

The Actors Fund has announced that three-time Tony Award nominee Kelli O'Hara ('South Pacific,' 'The Pajama Game,' 'The Light in the Piazza') has joined the line-up for the all new "Nothing Like a Dame" benefit concert on 15 Jun 2009 at New World Stages.

All proceeds will benefit The Phyllis Newman Women's Health Initiative.

O'Hara, currently on maternity leave from her Tony-nominated performance as 'Nellie Forbush' in the acclaimed Lincoln Center Theater production of 'South Pacific,' will appear alongside previously announced "dames" Kristin Chenoweth (Wicked), Audra McDonald (Ragtime) and Bebe Neuwirth (Chicago) for this one-night-only concert event.

Hosted and re-constructed by Seth Rudetsky, the all-new Nothing Like a Dame concert will feature a new format of songs and stories from the women of Broadway, as well as rare video clips from earlier days in each of their remarkable careers, accompanied by commentary from Rudetsky and the women themselves.

Additional "dames" will be announced soon.

A longtime Actors Fund collaborator, Seth Rudetsky was the Artistic Producer and Music Director for all six annual Actors Fund Fall Benefit Concerts, including the acclaimed productions of 'Dreamgirls' with Audra McDonald (recorded on Nonesuch Records), 'Funny Girl' with Whoopi Goldberg and Sutton Foster, 'Chess' with Josh Groban, 'On the Twentieth Century' with Douglas Sills and Marin Mazzie, 'Hair' with Jennifer Hudson (recorded on Ghostlight Records, Grammy nomination) and 'The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas' with Emily Skinner and Terrence Mann.

For has last 14 years, The Phyllis Newman Women's Health Initiative has assisted more than 2,000 women coping with critical health concerns including breast, cervical and ovarian cancers, as well as domestic violence, chemical dependency and mental health issues.

Since the mid-nineties, through the auspices of The Actors Fund, PNWHI has provided millions of dollars in emergency financial assistance to women in crisis in the entertainment industry.

"Year after year, the 'Nothing Like a Dame' concert has been an absolutely wonderful experience for all concerned" said Phyllis Newman. "I'm thrilled we've been able to be of such help to so many women in our industry while also providing such a magnificent evening of entertainment for so many people."

The Actors Fund is a national human services organization that helps all professionals in performing arts and entertainment. The Fund - which supports those on stage and screen and everyone behind the scenes who works in theatre, film, television, music, dance, radio and opera - is a safety net, providing social services and emergency assistance, health services and health insurance information, employment and training programs and housing resources for those who are in need, crisis or transition.