Kelli O'Hara

Michael Cavanaugh

Laura Benanti	Cady Huffman	Daphne Rubin-Vega	John Lloyd Young

To benefit Ross School Theater program.

LAURA BENANTI

Playing compelling roles in Broadway theatre, television and film have made Tony Award winning actress Laura Benanti one to watch. This year, Benanti hit Broadway by storm starring opposite Patti Lupone in Gypsy, which opened March 2008. Playing Louise, Benanti received critical acclaim for her performance, and most recently won the Tony Award for "Best Featured Actress in a Musical." This also makes Benanti the first actress to play Louise on Broadway to win the Tony. She also won the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards for "Best Featured Actress in a Musical" and also received a "Distinguished Performance" award from the Drama League.

Benanti made her Broadway debut just out of high school, leading the cast of Rodger & Hammerstein's long awaited The Sound of Music revival. Benanti received rave reviews as "Maria," starring opposite theatre-legend Richard Chamberlain. Since then, she has played numerous key theatrical roles that have won her wide recognition amongst audiences and critics.

Next up, Benanti went on to star in Swing!, the commemorative theatrical homage to the Duke Ellington era of Jazz music. This show earned Benanti her first Tony Award nomination. Following this acclaimed role, Benanti went on to star as "Cinderella" opposite Vanessa Williams in Into the Woods. The Sondheim revival brought Benanti a second Tony Award nomination, as well as a 2002 Drama Desk Award nomination, a 2002 Outer Critics Circle nomination, and an LA Ovation nomination.

Soon after Into the Woods came the highly-anticipated theatrical revival of Nine, where Benanti starred opposite Antonio Banderas, playing the role of his muse. In 2006, Benanti starred in the five-time Tony Award nominated musical The Wedding Singer.

MICHAEL CAVANAUGH

Michael Cavanaugh captured the New York City spotlight as the star vocalist and pianist in the hit Broadway Musical "Movin' Out." Hand-picked by Billy Joel for the show's starring role, Michael won the hearts of audiences and critics night after night during his three years and over 1,200 performances as the show's captivating ‘Piano Man'. Michael received rave reviews and accolades while starring in "Movin' Out," including both Tony and Grammy award nominations.

Shortly after his tremendous success in "Movin' Out," Michael began touring across the country performing before hundreds of thousands of fans at events of all kinds. Michael's recent appearances include performances at the U.S. Open, The Indy 500, and at numerous corporate, private, and special events for organizations such as Microsoft, G.E., the PGA, and many more.

Michael's live performances include his wildly popular new arrangements of countless Rock n' Roll hits from the 1950's through the current day. Michael's performance style and musical expertise have secured his place as the leading interpreter of classic rock and popular songs written during the last 60 years. His charismatic performances feature crowd favorites from Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Beatles, The Who, Elton John, Billy Joel, and many more, and include engaging anecdotes about his career and background. A night with Michael Cavanaugh at the piano is a chance for audiences to celebrate the greatest legends of Rock n' Roll with one of the world's most exciting and talented performers.

CADY HUFFMAN

Cady wowed audiences and critics alike with her performance as the Swedish Bombshell "Ulla" in the Broadway smash hit The Producers for which she won the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards. Her other Broadway credits include her Tony nominated performance as Ziegfeld's Favorite in The Will Rogers Follies, La Cage Aux Folles, Steel Pier, Dame Edna: The Royal Tour and Bob Fosse's last original musical Big Deal.

Film credits include DARE (post production), John Turturro's ROMANCE & CIGARETTES, THE NANNY DIARIES, HERO (with Dustin Hoffman), $20 DRINKS, SPACE MARINES, THROW THE HOOLIHAN and SUNDAY ON THE ROCKS (which she also co-produced). As well as being a regular judge on IRON CHEF AMERICA, Cady's television credits include a recurring role on the award winning HBO series CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM; LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT.

KELLI O'HARA

Kelli O'Hara has unequivocally established herself as one of Broadway's great ingénues. With her critically acclaimed performance of Eliza Doolittle in the NewYork Philharmonic production of My Fair Lady, a Carnegie Hall debut, and the completion of her first album, this past year has been a busy one.

A native of Oklahoma, Ms. O'Hara received a degree in opera, and after winning the State Metropolitan Opera Competition moved to New York and enrolled in the Lee Strasberg Institute. She made her Broadway debut in Jekyll & Hyde and followed it with Sondheim's Follies, Sweet Smell of Success opposite John Lithgow, and Dracula.

In 2003 Ms. O'Hara committed to a production of The Light in the Piazza at Seattle's Intiman Theatre. The show landed on Broadway in 2005 and earned Ms. O'Hara her first Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations. She moved from one huge critical and commercial success to another when she joined Harry Connick on Broadway in the 2006 Tony Award–winning production of The Pajama Game, for which she received Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics award nominations. Ms. O'Hara has worked regionally and Off-Broadway in Sunday in the Park with George at Reprise, My Life with Albertine at Playwright's Horizons, and Beauty at the La Jolla Playhouse.

In addition to her critically acclaimed Carnegie Hall solo debut with the New York Pops conducted by Rob Fisher, her concerts include Carnegie Hall with Barbara Cook, the Kennedy Center with Marvin Hamlisch and the National Symphony Orchestra, Lincoln Center, Town Hall, Cooper Union, Joe's Pub, and a performance with the Philly Pops conducted by Peter Nero.

Her recordings include The Light in the Piazza (Nonesuch Records; Grammy nomination), The Pajama Game (Sony; Grammy nomination), The Sweet Smell of Success (Sony), My Life with Albertine (PS Classics), Dream True (PSClassics), Jule Styne Goes Hollywood (PS Classics), and her upcoming solo album Wonder in the World on Ghostlight Records.

Ms. O'Hara resides in New York with her husband, Greg Naughton.

DAPHNE RUBIN-VEGA

Daphne Rubin-Vega first lit up on Broadway with her debut as Mimi in the original cast of "Rent". It earned her a Theater World Award, a Tony nomination as Best Actress in a musical and one for the Drama Desk Award.

Born in Panama, Rubin-Vega moved to NYC's Greenwich Village with her family as a child. She got an early start when as a teen, she confronted producer Arif Mardin (who, years later produced the Broadway soundtrack to "Rent") at a vocal session for David Bowie and begged him to let her sing on the soundtrack to George Lucas' film, "Labyrinth".

In 2001, Rubin-Vega returned to Broadway as Magenta in "The Rocky Horror Show" at the Circle in the Square Theater. She also won a Best Actress in a Feature Film from the New York Independent Film and Video festival for her lead as Olya in "Skeleton Woman". In 2002, she became a member of the Drama Department after performing in "Free to Be You and Me", directed by Douglas Carter Beane, and in 2003, she received a Lucille Lortel Best Featured Actress nod for her role as Canary Mary in Susan Lori Parks' "Fucking A" at the Public Theater directed by Michael Greif.

In 2004, Daphne Rubin-Vega received her second Tony nomination for best featured actress in a play for Nilo Cruz' "Anna in the Tropics" also starring Jimmy Smits, and she appeared in MTC's "Between Us". She sizzled to rave reviews, receiving the first Outstanding Female Performance award given by Rutgers University and a Doctor of Humane Letters from Kean University (2005). "Dr." Rubin-Vega is now producing her second solo album right on the heels of her biggest production - her son.

JOHN LLOYD YOUNG

Tony Award winner JOHN LLOYD YOUNG created the role of "Frankie Valli" in the Original Broadway Cast of JERSEY BOYS, the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. For his Broadway debut in JERSEY BOYS, Young won the Lead Actor Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Theatre World Awards, and he can be heard as lead singer Valli on the Grammy Award-winning Original Cast Recording. Young's other honors for JERSEY BOYS include being chosen for three prestigious "Best of " lists by Entertainment Weekly, Reader's Digest and The New York Times. Before JERSEY BOYS, Young was a New York theatre actor in plays including the New York-area premiere of Michael Healey's THE DRAWER BOY, with Frasier's John Mahoney; and he was named one of 2004's Best Featured Actors in a Play by the NJ Star-Ledger for "Danny Saunders" in Aaron Posner and Chaim Potok's dramatic adaptation of THE CHOSEN, opposite Theodore Bikel, directed by David Ellenstein. New York Theatre: "Charlie" in Julia Jordan's THE SUMMER OF THE SWANS for director Joe Calarco (Lucille Lortel Theatre), "Moritz" in the Douglas Langworthy translation of Wedekind's SPRING AWAKENING; and nail-biting number theorist "Claudio" in Rinne Groff's THE FIVE HYSTERICAL GIRLS THEOREM, for Obie-winning Target Margin Theatre.

Young has performed at Carnegie Hall, the White House, New Year's Eve in Times Square, Radio City Music Hall, the New York City Marathon, Yankee Stadium, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, McCarter Theatre Center, Kennedy Center and New York 's Town Hall. Festival Films: THE BELLIGERENTS, THE ROMAN SOLDIER. Television: NBC's LAW & ORDER, and appearances on CBS TV's Late Show with David Letterman, ABC's Live with Regis and Kelly, A&E's Breakfast with the Arts, Entertainment Tonight, Celebrity Jeopardy, and three times on NBC's Today Show (including Katie Couric's highly-rated farewell). In February 2008, Young made his solo concert debut singing rock from the 60s and 70s in two sold-out performances at Lincoln Center. In August 2008, Young will made his debut at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Member: William Inge Festival National Advisory Board. Co-chair: Actors Fund of America National Advisory Board. Graduate: Brown University.