Photo Coverage: Thom Allison, Jeff Madden & More Headline Harold Green Jewish Theatre Fundraiser

On Monday night the Harold Green Jewish Theatre held their annual fundraiser, bringing some of the city's top talents together under one roof to raise awareness and funds for the company. The event took a slightly different format this year, with the evening being split into two categories - music and laughter. The first half of the evening featured musical performances from a diverse range of local talent, and the second act featured improve comedy and The National Theatre of the World.

Co-Artistic Directors David Eisner and Avery Saltzman were on hand to oversee the event, which was hosted by Linda Kash and Sheila McCarthy. The dynamic pair are set to star in the company's upcoming production of Lost in Yonkers, which also features Marion Ross (of Happy Days fame). Ms. Ross was on hand as a special guest to randomly select the winner of a trip to NYC. 

This is the third Harold Green fundraiser I have attended, and as per usual, the musical portion of the evening did not disappoint. Each performance was inspired and touching, with every performer telling a story about the song they had chosen. The evening kicked off with a bang as Thom Allison took to the stage in one of his first Toronto performances after a year on Broadway with Priscilla Queen of the Desert. Other highlights included Gabi Epstein's shout-out to critic Martin Knelman when she sang the song he said was 'the one song missing from To Life', and Theresa Tova sharing an excerpt from an upcoming show she's working on. 

The second half of the evening featured a hilarious comedy sketch by Matt Baram and Naomi Snieckus of The NTOW which was improvised with suggestions from an enthusiastic audience.

All in all the evening was a smashing success, showcasing not only the tremendous talent in the city of Toronto but also the great work that the Harold Green Jewish Theatre company does. As Avery Saltzman proclaimed when he performed the closing musical number - "Entertain! Entertain! Entertain!" And entertain they did.

When and Where?

For more information on the Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company's upcoming season please visit their official website at www.hgjewishtheatre.com

Their next production, Lost in Yonkers, runs from May 12th to June 10th at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts. Tickets can be purchased by phone at 416-366-7723 or online at www.hgjewishtheatre.com/lostinyonkers.html

All photos by Racheal McCaig Photography.

Kelly Cameron's love affair with the theatre began when she was just five years old, on an outing to see the Original Canadian Cast of Les Miserables at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto. She instantly fell in love, and since then has been lucky enough to be involved in various theatre activities and productions, including a regional production of A Midsummer Night's Dream and a local production of Where the Sidewalk Ends. She has also received training from various teachers throughout Southwestern Ontario in both piano and voice, and competed in vocal competitions for which she received a few awards. Her writing career started almost by accident, when she had the opportunity to become a ghostwriter for up and coming businesses. She continues to do this, writing the content for all sorts of companies who are starting websites and looking to find their voice. Her passion and love for theatre led to her becoming involved with BroadwayWorld where she is thrilled to be writing for the Toronto contingent of the rapidly growing website. When she isn't at the theatre, you can generally find her firmly planted in front of her trusty Blackberry - tweeting, Facebooking or partaking in other such social media activities to ensure that those who want to know are kept apprised of everything that Toronto theatre has to offer. Other interests include movies, art, music, shopping, fashion and martial arts with the occasional foray into the world of finance. Follow Kelly on Twitter at @broadwaybabyto Creep her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Kelly-Cameron/500187141

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