Provided by Upstage Lung Cancer
The celebrity cast of Upstage Lung Cancer’s Barbra, Bette & Bernadette benefit concert.
The following announcement was provided by Upstage Lung Cancer:
Kicking off its 10th anniversary celebration of utilizing the performing arts to raise awareness for the fight against lung cancer, Upstage Lung Cancer (ULC) presents a one-night-only cabaret concert benefitBarbra, Bette & Bernadette, on Tuesday, October 23, 7:30 pm at the Mosesian Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal Street, Watertown. The event is open to the public, a pre-concert silent auction begins at 6 pm. Presented in partnership with the LUNGevity Foundation, all proceeds from the performance support the critically important cause of early lung cancer detection research.
A high-spirited evening of music making and storytelling, Barbra, Better & Bernadette honors the voices of Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler and Bernadette Peters, three iconic female performing artists. The concert salutes the towering, talented trio of beloved and powerful singers who have transformed today’s popular music, leaving an indelible mark on the world of entertainment. Notably, all three women performed the role of Dolly Levi in the Broadway musical Hello Dolly, a powerful, charismatic and determined woman with heart.
Emmy Award-winning arts and entertainment critic Joyce Kulhawik returns for her 10th year as emcee, along with a celebrated lineup of renowned, award-winning New England performers, including Brian De Lorenzo, Hildy Grossman, Michael Hammond and Paula Markowicz. Special guest Candy O’Terry, radio and television celebrity, and founder and former co-host of WMJX Magic 106.7 Boston’s Exceptional Women radio show, adds her vocal talents and anecdotes from interviews with Bette Midler. Tim Evans takes the baton as music director alongside Michael Hammond, director. This inspiring concert offers a treasure trove of unforgettable stories and songs, including, “The Rose,” “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” “Second Hand Rose,” “Happy Days are Here Again,” “Broadway Baby,” Hello Dolly” and more.
Grossman, founder of Upstage Lung Cancer and one of the evening’s performers, is one of the 5 percent of survivors enjoying life 10 years beyond diagnosis. Her cancer was first discovered, by accident, in 2007. “Over the past decade I’ve witnessed many advances,” shares Grossman. “New treatments emerge each year. And yet, we still must find a reliable method to discover lung cancer at the earliest possible time. This will extend and improve lives. With advances, there are good reasons for hope.”
During the evening’s festivities, ULC presents its 10th annual Fan Award to a recipient demonstrating exceptional leadership in the fight for a cure. Jerry Remy, beloved Red Sox announcer, was the first award recipient. This year’s honoree, Bonnie J. Addario, lung cancer survivor and Founder and Chair of Addario Lung Cancer Foundation, has served as activist, advocate, educator, and agent for change empowering patients with a strong voice in the fight against lung cancer. An inspirational survivor herself, Addario received a stage 3B diagnosis more than a decade ago. She serves as the Foundation’s patient voice at national/international conferences, on panels and boards, and to industry leaders, clinicians and policy makers.
Upstage Lung Cancer is a vibrant and unique non-profit organization that has excelled for a decade in their mission to create awareness and to fund early detection research for lung cancer, the number one cancer killer.
Founded in Boston in 2008, ULC is the only cancer advocate organization to exclusively utilize music and the performing arts to increase awareness, de-stigmatize the lung cancer disease and raise funds for cutting-edge early detection research. ULC’s founder, lung cancer survivor and jazz recording artist Hildy Grossman (lead singer of The Follen Angels) has combined her passion for music with her desire to foster knowledge about lung cancer in the hopes of spotlighting new directions in research and early detection of lung cancer.
Since its inception, Upstage Lung Cancer has funded over $2 million in early detection research grants, investing in the finest research opportunities available. This year, grants were awarded to leading doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and the Koch Institute at MIT. Upstage Lung Cancer maintains ongoing partnerships with LUNGevity Foundation, Addario Lung Cancer Foundation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Koch Institute at MIT.
Tickets to the Barbra, Bette & Bernadette tribute concert are $45 and $100 for reserved seating, with VIP tickets available from $250 to $500. The evening includes a post-concert reception.
Upstage Lung Cancer is proud to offer complimentary tickets to lung cancer survivors. For tickets and more information about the Mosesian Center for the Arts, visit www.mosesianarts.org, call 617-923-8487, or visit the box office. Free parking is available on site. For more information about Upstage Lung Cancer, visit UpstageLungCancer.org.