By Sharon Eberson
Broadway’s Norm Lewis and Hugh Panaro are coming to Pittsburgh to join Billy Harting in “Lifting Our Voices,” the annual fundraising gala for The Center for Theater Arts in Mt. Lebanon.
Among their many Broadway credits, Lewis, a Tony, Emmy, and SAG Award nominee, and Panero have both played the lead in The Phantom of the Opera.
They join Hartung, a Broadway veteran and executive director of the nonprofit performing arts school, in concert at Heinz Hall on Saturday, March 19, at 7:30 p.m.,
Panaro starred in the musical “Lestat” and has been seen in Les Miserables and Showboat. He played the role of the Phantom more than 2,000 times on Broadway.
Lewis, who recently made his Carnegie Hall concert debut in New York, became Broadway’s first Black Phantom in 2014. His career includes a Tony-nominated performance in “The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess.” He was seen in Spike Lee’s “Da Five Bloods and on the FX drama Pose opposite Billy Porter. Last year, Lewis joined Pittsburgh CLO for their 2021 Summer Under the Stars 75th-anniversary concert.
Their performances will feature numbers from Phantom of the Opera, Company, Miss Saigon, Les Miz, Wicked, The Music Man, and Side Show.
Lifting Our Voices also will feature performances from the Center’s faculty, students, alumni, and students in the Special Actors Program.
The fundraiser supports initiatives and programs making performing arts instruction accessible for students ages 4 to 18 of all talents and abilities, including those with special needs.
“We can’t wait to welcome our family of supporters, students and their families, and all of our friends in the community back to Heinz Hall for this special night that we all look forward to so much,” Hartung said in a statement. “The 2022 event will truly be a celebration. With the help of Hugh Panaro and Norm Lewis, Lifting Our Voices will raise critically-needed funds for our programs and services in a safe manner and enable us to welcome guests from across the city and even the country.”
Hartung recently surprised Billy Porter as a guest on Stars in the House, the longtime online show and Actors’ Equity fundraiser by Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley. As tweens, Hartung and Porter were the only boys, and both were scholarship kids in the Tuesday night dance classes at The Center for Theater Arts. With only public transportation available to Porter, Hartung’s family drove the other Billy home from Mt. Lebanon to Homewood every Tuesday for two years.
Hartung now runs the school that gave him his start, and that same Stars in the House show included a video of him as a member of the Broadway cast of Footloose.
“Our patrons, students, families, and supporters are the true lifeblood of CTA,” Hartung said. “The gala is one way we aim to connect with the community and give back to so many who have given generously to us.”
This year, the heavy hitters helping Hartung include Panaro, who was cast by Harold Prince as both the Phantom and Raoul in the show’s Broadway production. Panaro also created the roles of Buddy in the original Side Show, Julian Craster in Jule Styne’s musical The Red Shoes, and the title role in the American premiere of Martin Guerre. Panaro was nominated for an Outer Critic Circle Award for his performance in the title role of Elton John’s Lestat, based on Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles.
Lewis comes to Pittsburgh following his March 4 Carnegie Hall concert with The New York Pops. Lewis can be seen in the Peacock series Dr. Death and heard in the latest season of Apple TV’s animated Central Park. Last year, he was most recently on Broadway starring in Chicken and Biscuits at Circle In The Square.
Tickets start at $25 at pittsburghsymphony.org. The event is made possible by the support of the Michael J. Kara family.
Categories: Show Previews
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