Julie Benko: A Star is Born
Sponsors: Drs. Lynda & Conrad Giles and Ruthie & Marty Seltzer
First Performance: Doors open at 6 p.m., show at 6:30 p.m.
Second Performance: Doors open at 8:15 p.m., show at 8:45 p.m.
“2022 Breakout Star for Theater”
— The New York Times
Broadway sensation Julie Benko captivated audiences nationwide with her remarkable rise from understudy to star in Funny Girl, performing the iconic role of Fanny Brice more than 180 times and earning acclaim from The New York Times, Variety, and audiences across the country. She most recently returned to Broadway in the Tony Award-winning revival of Ragtime. In this intimate evening, Benko brings her radiant voice, magnetic storytelling, and deep love of the Great American Songbook to Cabaret 313. Featuring Broadway favorites, beloved standards, and selections from her acclaimed recordings, this is a rare opportunity to experience one of theater’s brightest stars up close.
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Julie Benko became a Broadway sensation as Fanny Brice in the recent revival of Funny Girl, earning the Dorothy Loudon Award for her performance and a New York Times “Breakout Star” nod for her celebrated understudy-to-star journey in the show. She most recently returned to Broadway as Emma Goldman in the acclaimed revival of Ragtime at Lincoln Center. Other Broadway appearances include Harmony, Fiddler on the Roof, and Les Misérables, as well as the national tour of Spring Awakening. Favorite regional credits include My Fair Lady, Jane Eyre, Once, Guys and Dolls, Our Town, Rags, and more. She recently made her film debut in the award-winning indie feature “Caravan,” and has released four critically acclaimed studio albums with her pianist-husband Jason Yeager (available on all streaming platforms). Her newest record Euphonic Gumbo, which celebrates the music of New Orleans, has just been released on Club44 Records. Julie is also an emerging playwright; her full-length play Down the Line was named as semifinalist at the Eugene O’Neill Center’s National Playwright Conference and is currently in development. She holds an MFA in Acting from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. For more, visit www.JulieBenko.com or follow her @jujujuliebee.
What do Kurt Vonnegut, Thelonious Monk, and Latin American folk music have in common? All find their way into the music of New York-based pianist, composer, and educator Jason Yeager. An adroit and sensitive accompanist as well as an imaginative soloist and bandleader, Jason has released eight critically acclaimed albums of original music, including recent projects with Julie Benko, Jason Anick, and Miguel Zenón. In 2027 he will release two new projects, Little Crow (with Justin Poindexter) and Quotidian Songbook (with his eponymous trio). Yeager’s music has been featured by such outlets as Downbeat, Jazz Times, The New York Times, WQXR, and WBGO.
Jason has performed across five continents, at such storied venues as Carnegie Hall, Birdland, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and on Broadway. As a composer and arranger, he has been commissioned by Two River Theater, Jazz WaHi, and the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus. In addition to his work as a bandleader, Yeager has played on 50 additional recordings and performed with such luminaries as Sean Jones, Luciana Souza, and Noah Preminger. Jason currently teaches at Berklee College of Music and MIT.