Honorees Bonnie Comley and Stewart F. Lane with Jano Herbosch at the Drama League Awards. Photos by Ann Watt

New York City - Monday evening - a usually dark Broadway night - moved its stars high above the Manhattan skyline to The Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center. Yes, it is still open and was the set for The Drama League's annual black-tie soiree featuring a cocktail reception, a dazzling silent auction, a specially-crafted three-course meal, and a unique, one-night-only musical revue featuring superstars from Broadway and Hollywood!

Featuring Keith Carradine (Will Rogers Follies), Chita Rivera (Nine), Donna Murphy (Wonderful Town), Lee Roy Reams (La Cage Aux Folles), and Cady Huffman (The Producers), one of the evening's highlights was the reuniting of original cast members of "La Cage aux Folles," "Urinetown," and "The Will Rogers Follies" to perform showstoppers from their legendary productions. The 2009 cast of "HAIR" were also front and center.

The Gala Honorees for the evening were the powerhouse spouses' and producers from East Hampton, Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley. Aptly nicknamed "Mr. Broadway," Lane is a four-time Tony Award winner for "Jay Johnson: The Two and Only" (2006), "Thoroughly Modern Millie" (2002), "The Will Rogers Follies" (1991), and "La Cage Aux Folles" (1984). Mr. Lane's producing career began in 1979 with Jerry Herman's "The Grand Tour" starring Joel Grey; since that first venture, Lane has produced shows with some of the theater's brightest stars, including Liza Minnelli, Lauren Bacall, Raquel Welch, Debbie Reynolds, Harvey Fierstein, Keith Carradine, Martin Short, Marisa Tomei, and Sutton Foster. Teaming up with wife Comley in 2003, the two hit the Great White Way with Bernadette Peters in the revival of "Gypsy", Alfred Molina in "Fiddler on the Roof", Laura Bell Bundy in "Legally Blonde," and Kevin Kline in last season's acclaimed revival of "Cyrano de Bergerac."

This season's revival of "American Buffalo" and the Pasadena Playhouse production of "Stormy Weather" are the current projects that Lane and Comley are busy with, as well as hosting "West Side Story" at their Palace Theater on Broadway.

Brian Stokes Mitchell, Chita Rivera, and Alysson Tucker enjoyed the revue.

The highlight of the evening was a quick interview with fellow "Latino" Daphne Rubin-Vega (RENT).  She was wearing a very cool outfit that was out of her own closet, Bravo! She took time out from her busy schedule to honor The Drama League since she is filming "Jack Goes Boating," a play she did in New York. Philip Seymour Hoffman is directing. The film is an independent done by the same producers of "Little Miss Sunshine."
 
Lee Roy Reams, playing Zza Zza hit the stage with a red boa – "It takes a real man to use a feather boa!" was his opening line amid the thunderous applause. Our hosts for the evening, were the delectable, delicious, and certainly delovely Donna Murphy and Julie White.  Julie said about the Rainbow Room, "Next week I hear it's going to be an office space - maybe Governor Paterson can use it and enjoy the view." Donna brought down the house with "Xanadu" and "Hairspray" star Jackie Hoffman singing "What's So Wonderful?"
  
The gala also celebrated the 25th Anniversary of The Drama League Directors Project, the nation's leading career development program for early and mid-career theater directors. Founded by former Drama League President Julia Hansen, The Directors Project is aimed at identifying and helping young, talented directors to bridge the gap between academic training and professional success.