Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

The Kimmel Center Kicks Off Summer with Second Annual Summer in the City Gala Saturday, May 22, 2004
Patti LuPone and Little Richard Headline Event Benefiting Kimmel Center, Inc.’s Diverse Artistic Programming, Education and Community Initiatives
April 2, 2004


Little Richard
Tony Award-winning singer and actress Patti LuPone and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Little Richard will headline the Kimmel Center’s second annual Summer in the City gala on Saturday, May 22, 2004. The gala fundraiser to be held at the Kimmel Center will benefit Kimmel Center, Inc.’s education and community access programs as well as the diverse offerings of the Kimmel Center Presents performance series.

The 2004 Summer in the City Gala Committee is chaired by Catherine and Anthony Clifton, Christina and Jeffrey Lurie, and Leslie Miller and Richard Worley. Corporate Chairs are William P. Hankowsky and Manuel N. Stamatakis. Honorary Chairs are Caroline and Sidney Kimmel, Governor Edward G. Rendell, Naomi Post-Street and the Honorable John F. Street. Sunoco is the presenting sponsor.

The theme of the 2004 Summer in the City gala is A Tropical Paradise. Guests are asked to "dress fabulous" in cocktail or tropical attire for an evening of dining, dancing and entertainment that will begin at 6pm with cocktails under the Kimmel Center’s shimmering glass dome. Dinner begins at 7:30 with seating throughout the Kimmel Center’s Tiers.

The Summer in the City performance begins at 9pm in Verizon Hall with actress-singer Patti LuPone, whose stage credits stretch from London’s West End to Broadway to Hollywood. In London, LuPone created the roles of Fantine in the Royal Shakespeare Company production of Les Misérables and Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard. In New York, she has starred in the hit Broadway revival of Noises Off, Pal Joey, Anything Goes, The Cradle Will Rock, Oliver! and Evita, for which she won the Tony and Drama Desk Awards for Best Actress in a Musical.

Recent Broadway credits also include critically acclaimed performances in David Mamet’s The Old Neighborhood, as Maria Callas in Terrence McNally's Tony Award-winning play Master Class and in her own concert Patti LuPone On Broadway, for which she won an Outer Critics Circle Award. Her numerous screen credits include the hit HBO series Oz, Frazier, Law & Order and the films State and Main, Summer of Sam, Driving Miss Daisy and Witness.

Best known for his "screaming vocals, rattling keyboard style and outrageous showmanship," Little Richard’s smash hits include "Tutti Frutti," "Long Tall Sally," "Rip It Up," "Lucille" and "Good Golly, Miss Molly." By 1968 he had sold more than 32 million records internationally. Little Richard was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.

Following the performance, guests can dance the night away under the stars in Commonwealth Plaza at a post-party hosted by "The Geator with the Heater," Philadelphia radio icon Jerry Blavat.

Tickets are $500-$1,000. To request an invitation, please call 215-790-5887. For corporate tables call 215-670-2377.

In addition to the co-chairs, other members of the 2004 Summer in the City Gala Committee include: Peggy and Tim Abell, Susanna Lachs and Dean Adler, Kathy Z. and Gary J. Anderson, Barbara and Theodore R. Aronson, Sharon and Bill Avery, Dorothy and David Binswanger, Sheree and Wayne Bloch, Julie J. and Robert Bryan, Sally and Roland Bullard, Gretchen and Steve Burke, Stacy and Don Callaghan, Kathleen and Chris Cannon, Rhonda and David Cohen, Mr. and Mrs. Norman U. Cohn, Mari and Charley Connolly, Susan and Jeremy Coote, Debbie and Michael Coslov, Sarah and Frank Coulson, Melanie and Keith Cox, Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Cozen, Alice and Charles Dagit, Richard Dilsheimer, Mimi Dimeling, Betsy and Kevin Donohoe, Gloria and Jack Drosdick, Mrs. Thomas P. Emmons, Katharine and Bill Eyre, Judith and Alan Fellheimer, Mary and Joseph Fenkel, Kathleen and Martin Field, Marie and Joseph Field, Mr. and Mrs. Eugene C. Fish, Dr. Gary A. Fisher, Penny and Bob Fox, Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Gamble, Toni and Bob Garrison, Beverly and Joseph A. Gerber, Mr. and Mrs. Milton Ginsburg, Mr. and Mrs. John W. Goldschmidt, Jr., Marla and Richard Green, Ronna and Bob Hall, Anne and Matt Hamilton, Rosemary and William P. Hankowsky, Penny and Richard Hansen, Brenda and Harvey Hewit, Lynne and Harold Honickman, Marjorie and Jeffrey Honickman, Sondra and Alan Isen, Joan and Victor Johnson, Linda E. Johnson and Harold W. Pote, Tiffany and Wade Jones, Liz and Matthew Kamens, Mary and Larry Kent, Susan Kim and John Panichello, Susan and Leonard Klehr, Mr. and Mrs. Joshua Kopelman, Carol and Raymond Lawrence, Ellen and Jerry Lee, Marguerite and Gerry Lenfest, Lisa and Lester Lipschutz, Crawford C. Madeira, Jr., Julie and Gerry Marshall, Sandy and David Marshall, Buddy Marucci, Linda and H. Laddie Montague, Jr., Mrs. J. Maxwell Moran, Carol and Terry Newburger, Judith and Bernard Newman, Lynn Norley and Jay H. Tolson, Samantha and Jeffrey Orleans, Jane G. Pepper, Marsha and Jeffrey Perelman, Wendy and Derek Pew, Judy Pote, Mr. and Mrs. Bernard J. Poussot, Louise and Alan Reed, Aileen and Brian Roberts, Lisa Roberts and David Seltzer, Caro and Bob Rock, Wendy and Paul Rosen, Lyn and George Ross, Mr. and Mrs. David B. Rubenstein, Selma and Samuel J. Savitz, Adele and Harold Schaeffer, Dr. and Mrs. Gordon Schwartz, Irene and Fred Shabel, Carole and Joseph Shanis, Lynn and Howard Shecter, Molly D. Shepard and Gilles E. Richard, Kathy and Jay Sherrerd, Mr. and Mrs. C. Morgan Simpson, Mary and Sid Smith, Martha McGeary Snider, Mr. and Mrs. Craig A. Spencer, Betty and Harmon Spolan, Iliana and Ben Strauss, Keith and Jim Straw, Robbi and Bruce Toll, Christine and Paul Tufano, Judee and Clay von Seldeneck, Judie and Bennett Weinstock, Felecia and Jeffrey Weiss, Spencer M. Wertheimer, Esquire, Susan and Avie Wheeler, Kathy and Daniel J. Whelan, Kirsten and Christopher White, Connie and Sankey Williams, Arthur Alan Wolk, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew N. Yao, Janine and Jeff Yass, Randi J. Zemsky, Mr. and Mrs. Peter H. Zimmerman.

Members of the 2004 Gala Corporate Committee include: Timothy J. Abell, Fleet Bank; William J. Avery, Avery Foundation; Robert W. Bogle, The Philadelphia Tribune; C. Christopher Cannon, Penn Detroit Diesel-Allison; Stephen A. Cozen, Cozen O’Connor; Anthony A. Clifton, Review Publishing; G. Fred DiBona, Jr., Independence Blue Cross; John J. Donnelly, L.F. Driscoll Co.; Carl E. Dranoff, Dranoff Properties; John G. Drosdick, Sunoco, Inc.; Alan S. Fellheimer, Pennsylvania Business Bank; Kenneth Gamble, Universal Companies; Joseph A. Gerber, Cozen O’Connor; James B. Ginty, Right Management Consultants; Mark Graham, Wilmington Trust of Pennsylvania; S. Matthews V. Hamilton, Travel Services Company; Harold A. Honickman, Pepsi-Cola National Brands, Inc.; Kenneth M. Jarin, Ballard, Spahr, Andrews, and Ingersoll, LLP; Mark Kerin, Target Stores; Sarah Coxe Lange, Mellon Private Wealth Management - Mid-Atlantic Region; David G. Marshall, Amerimar Realty Company; George Nise, Beneficial Savings Bank; Jeffrey E. Perelman, JEP Management; George M. Ross, Goldman, Sachs & Co.; Ronald Rubin, Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust; William R. Sasso, Stradley, Ronon, Stevens and Young, LLP; James J. Smart, Smart and Associates, LLP; Francis J. Van Kirk, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP; Judith von Seldeneck, Diversified Search, Inc.; Daniel J. Whelan, Montgomery, McCracken, Walker and Rhoads, LLP.

Kimmel Center, Inc., a charitable, not-for-profit organization, owns, manages, supports and maintains The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, which includes Verizon Hall, Perelman Theater, Innovation Studio and the Merck Arts Education Center. Kimmel Center, Inc. also manages the Academy of Music, owned by the Philadelphia Orchestra Association. The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and the Academy of Music serve as home to eight Resident Company performing arts organizations, including The Philadelphia Orchestra, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Ballet, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, American Theater Arts for Youth, PHILADANCO, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society and Peter Nero and the Philly Pops®. Kimmel Center, Inc.’s mission also includes arts in education, community outreach and a rich diversity of programming through its Kimmel Center Presents and Citizens Bank Broadway at the Academy series of performances.

> index of news releases
> For more information, and to request high resolution images for press use, please send us a message online.