Legends! staged reading starring Charles Busch, Whoopi Goldberg and Lypsinka

Friends In Deed will present Charles Busch, Whoopi Goldberg and Lypsinka in the first-ever New York presentation of the infamous Broadway-play-that-wasn�t, Legends!.

Written by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner James Kirkwood (A Chorus Line), the play will be presented in a special One Night Only staged reading benefit on 23 Mar 2009 at the Town Hall.

Directed by Mark Waldrop and choreographed by Josh Rhodes, the presentation will feature a script that has been adapted for this reading by John Epperson.

Also starring Bryan Batt ('Mad Men') with additional casting to be announced, the special event is a benefit for Friends In Deed - The Crisis Center for Life-Threatening Illness.

A comedy about two glamorous, Hollywood has-beens and arch-rivals forced to consider working together on a new project to resuscitate their careers, Legends! is one of the most notorious theatrical properties ever written � notably for what happened behind-the-scenes.

Originally presented in a 1986 year-long, pre-Broadway tour starring Carol Channing and Mary Martin, it closed on the road before making it to New York. The juicy on and off-stage antics were chronicled and immortalized in playwright James Kirkwood�s own non-fiction account, 'Diary of a Mad Playwright: Perilous Adventures on the Road with Mary Martin and Carol Channing.'

In 2007, the play was again presented as a pre-Broadway national tour, this time helmed by 'Dynasty' co-stars Joan Collins and Linda Evans. Also failing to make it to New York, the production had its backstage wars chronicled in lurid detail by Ms. Collins in a two-part series in London�s Daily Mail.

Tony-nominated and Drama Desk Award-winning actor, writer, director and drag legend Charles Busch (star of the film adaptation of his play 'Die Mommie Die' and author of Broadway�s 'The Tale of the Allergist�s Wife') will take on the role of former film fatale, 'Sylvia Glenn.' Busch can currently be seen in his Off-Broadway comedy The Third Story

Award-winning actor, writer, fashionista and lip-synching pioneer who defies categorization 'Lypsinka' ('I Could Go On Lip-Synching!,' 'The Passion of the Crawford,' his recent Medea-based play 'My Deah') will play the part of the seemingly-saintly 'Leatrice Monsee.'

Rounding out the trio is Oscar, Tony, Emmy and Grammy Award-winning icon Whoopi Goldberg (star of 'Ghost,' producer of 'Thoroughly Modern Millie,' host of AMC�s 'Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel' and the album Whoopi Goldberg; plus current moderator of ABC�s 'The View'), who will essay the role of the quick-witted 'servant Aretha.'

'Mad Men' series regular Bryan Batt (as closeted art director Salvatore Romano) will play 'Martin Klemmer,' the producer scheming to get the two film stars to work together. No stranger to the stage, he�s been featured in nearly a dozen Broadway shows ('La Cage aux Folles,' 'Sunset Boulevard,' 'Beauty & the Beast') and created the role of 'Darius' in the stage and film versions of 'Jeffrey.'

Legends! is being directed by Mark Waldrop, whose credits include 'Bea Arthur on Broadway' and the Drama Desk Award-winning Off-Broadway revue 'When Pigs Fly,' for which he also provided book and lyrics. As a lyricist, he is the recipient of the Edward Kleban Award.

Set Designer is three-time Emmy Award winner 'Ray Klausen,' Costume Designer is 'Fabio Toblini' and Lighting & Sound Designerr is Matt Berman. Choreography is by Josh Rhodes. Costumes will be made by Eric Winterling, Inc., Euroco Costumes, Inc., Studio Rouge and Tricorne, Inc.

Additional casting will be announced in the coming weeks, and the evening will also feature some onstage surprises.

Founded by Mike Nichols and Cynthia O�Neal in 1991, Friends In Deed � The Crisis Center for Life-Threatening Illness� � has helped transform many thousands of lives through a wide array of free programs and services. It provides emotional and spiritual support for anyone diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-threatening physical illnesses. Support is also available for family, friends, and caregivers of those who are ill, and anyone dealing with grief and bereavement. Friends In Deed also runs an HIV prevention program for teens in NYC public schools, having already reached over 100,000 at-risk students. All services are free of charge. For more information, visit www.friendsindeed.org.