LILLIAS WHITE

To receive the second annual
American Songbook Association
DARRELL HENLINE AWARD

 Monday, May 22 at 7 pm
Chelsea Table + Stage, NYC
Click HERE for tickets

With performances by
PRISCILLA BASKERVILLE, CHUCK COOPER, AISHA de HAAS
DARIUS de HAAS, JOSEPH LONDON, ALEX NEWELL, WILL NUNZIATA
KEN PAGE, BILLY STRITCH, VIRGINIA WOODRUFF*

BRYAN PERRI serves as musical director

LILLIAS WHITE has 50 years of experience as an actor on Broadway, in television, on film, and on the concert stage which have contributed to her unparalleled performances on cabaret stages across the country. This makes her the ideal candidate for the 2023 ASA Darrell Henline Award.

The American Songbook Association (ASA) named this award in tribute to the late Darrell Henline, Cabaret Scenes magazine’s founder and original publisher. (Cabaret Scenes is the official publication of the ASA.) The award honors that individual whose professional career in the field of cabaret has been one of consistent excellence and distinction.

Lillias White is world-renowned for her glorious voice and extraordinary ability to communicate the heart of a song. She has been described by The New York Times as a “one-of-a-kind performer who combines the sass of a classic blues mama with the skill of a Broadway star,”Her performance in Cy Coleman’s Broadway musical, The Life, won her the Tony® Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She was nominated for a second Tony® Award for her brilliant work in Fela!  Additional Broadway credits include Hadestown, Barnum, Dreamgirls, Cats, Carrie, Once on This Island, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and Chicago. Other Off-Broadway and Regional Credits include The Public Theater’s Romance in Hard Times, for which she won the Obie® Award, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (directed by Phylicia Rashad), for which she won the Naacp Award, and the Carnegie Hall Concert version of South Pacific, starring Reba McEntire, which was also broadcast on PBS’ Great Performances. 

In addition to receiving Broadway acclaim, Lillias is internationally recognized for her TV and film work. She received the Daytime Emmy® Award for her role as Lillian Edwards for Outstanding Performer in a Children’s Series on Sesame Street in 1992 and is beloved by audiences around the world for voicing the lead muse Calliope in Disney’s animated feature Hercules. Film credits include Pieces of April (starring Katie Holmes) and How the Grinch Stole Christmas (starring Jim Carrey). Recent TV credits include the Baz Luhrmann-directed Netflix series The Get Down, as well as Russian Doll and Search Party. She has appeared in cabarets and concert halls around the world, including The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, and the Sydney Opera House. She can be heard on several Broadway cast albums, in addition to Get Yourself Some Happy! And From Brooklyn to Broadway.

Get Yourself Some Happy! Which is Lillias’ first solo studio album, was released in July 2021 via Old Mill Road Recording. It’s a modern mix of Motown, standards, rock-and-roll, Broadway, and jazz—all re-invented for today’s audiences. The tracks all center on the theme of happiness. Titles range from a soulful When You Wish Upon a Star to a lightning-fast The Twist to a sweet, tender version of You’re My Best Friend. Her disco inspired, orchestral You’ve Made Me So Very Happy will inspire dancing, and her tropical Put on a Happy Face will make listeners grin from ear to ear.

BRYAN PERRI served as music director for Jagged Little Pill at Broadway’s Broadhurst Theatre. He also recently served as Music Director for the Broadway bound production of Almost Famous at San Diego’s Old Globe Theater where he was the recipient of the Craig Noel Award for Outstanding Music Direction. Other credits as music director include the Broadway productions of Wicked, Chaplin (vocal and dance arrangements) and the Broadway National Tour of Next to Normal (starring Tony Winner Alice Ripley). Bryan also music directed Superhero, Dogfight, and Vanities all at 2nd Stage Theater off Broadway. He was also music supervisor for Disney’s Freaky Friday premiering at the Signature Theater in D.C. as well as Limelight at the La Jolla Playhouse. He was also music director for the National Tour of Altar Boyz, and was the arranger, orchestrator, and music director on Born to Dance (a show currently performing on the fleet of ships on Princess Cruises in association with Stephen Schwartz). Bryan is also music director and arranger for Aaron Tveit, performing with him in venues across the country including The American Songbook Series at Lincoln Center, Webster Hall, and Irving Plaza. Along with his husband Daniel C Levine, Bryan is a proud founding member of ACT of Connecticut—a new regional equity theater located in Ridgefield, Connecticut. Bryan also serves as its Resident Music Supervisor. He has supervised and music directed numerous events and productions at ACT including his own Broadway Unplugged Series.  Bryan is thrilled to be a part of Ridgefield’s vibrant and thriving artistic community and looks forward to continuing to build community through the vital art form of live theater. He is also a founding board member of Ridgefield Allies, a local organization dedicated to highlighting what each of us can do as individuals and to bring together bright minds to educate, inspire, and motivate our community to take action against racism.

Lillias receives her honor on Monday, May 22 at 7 pm at NYC’s Chelsea Table + Stage, 152 West 26th Street located in the Hilton Fashion District Hotel.

Tickets are available at www.chelseatableandstage.com. Ringside seating is $89, Premium seats are $69, general seating is $49, and bar seating is $39 There is a livestream option available for $19. A two (2) item minimum is required for each ticket holder.This can be a combination of any two items off the food and/or cocktail menus. *Performers subject to change.

American Songbook Association Inc. (ASA)—a 501(c)(3) nonprofit incorporated in New York State—seeks to preserve, promote, and advance the legacy of American popular music, the Great American Songbook (classic and new), and the unique art form of cabaret. The ASA publishes the long-established Cabaret Scenes magazine, conducts educational programs in New York City public schools, and creates performances serving its audience of seniors, students, and others. We strive to inspire, transform, empower, and create torchbearers for future generations so they may understand, appreciate, and embrace the historical and cultural importance of America’s rich musical heritage. Please visit us online at AmericanSongbookAssociation.org for more information.