Charles Busch: "Native New Yorker"

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC | Actor, playwright, and cabaret entertainer, Tony nominee, and two-time MAC Award winner Charles Busch appears in a musical entertainment that gets to the essence of this legendary theatrical figure. Through an eclectic songbook from the seventies and early eighties, Busch unfolds an outrageously comic yet also poignant tale of his early years striving to find a place for himself in show business. Songs include the work of Michel Legrand, Rupert Holmes, Stephen Sondheim, Jim Croce among the best of Broadway, film and pop. He will be joined by his longtime musical director Tom Judson.

"Busch is a magnificent actor, which makes him a lyricist’s dream — consistently finding the meaning in every word and communicating with an audience through vocal precision, emotional passion, and broad gestures, enabling a listener to hear old, familiar songs as if for the first time." —Cabaret Scenes

Charles Busch is the author and star of such plays as The Confession of Lily Dare (upcoming at Primary Stages, Cherry Lane Theatre), The Divine Sister, Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, The Tribute Artist and The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife, which ran for nearly two years on Broadway and received a Tony nomination for Best Play. He wrote and starred in the film versions of his plays, Psycho Beach Party and Die Mommie Die, the latter of which won him the Best Performance Award at the Sundance Film Festival. In 2003, Mr. Busch received a special Drama Desk Award for career achievement as both performer and playwright. He is also the subject of the acclaimed documentary film The Lady in Question is Charles Busch. He is a two-time MAC award winner and has performed his cabaret act in many cities including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, New Orleans, Atlanta, Philadelphia, London, Paris and New York. In winter of 2016, his show The Lady at the Mic premiered at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s American Songbook series. His first CD, Charles Busch Live at Feinstein’s 54 Below, has been released by Broadway Records. 

Tom Judson has appeared on Broadway in the Roundabout Theater production of Cabaret at Studio 54. He toured the country in that show and in 42nd Street. He composed the score to Whit Stillman’s indie film classic Metropolitan and has written songs for Sesame Street, Ann Magnuson, Lisa Kron and many others. Tom is also an author (Laid Bare), magazine columnist and Huffington Post contributor.