APT in the News
Broadway Star Tommy Tune Brings Revue to Auburn as Tribute to Late Friend Thommie Walsh
May 10, 2012
Auburn will welcome a Broadway star with local connections to Cayuga Community College's campus for a performance that will benefit CCC students in the form of a scholarship. And a well-known Auburn native will welcome him to the stage.
Nine-time Tony Award-winning performer Tommy Tune will visit Auburn for two nights of his acclaimed show "Steps in Time: A Broadway Biography in Song and Dance." The performance will honor the late Thommie Walsh, Tune's friend and collaborator, and an Auburn native.
"I think it's a special show - it's the first show that Auburn Public Theater is producing outside its own venue," said Carey Eidel, executive director of APT. "It's a special event for Auburn and for the entire region."
Walsh took dance lessons from age 5 and studied at the Boston Conservatory of Music before landing gigs in Boradway. He was a member of the chorus of "Seesaw," developed a stand-up comedy routine, had a role in "A Chorus Line," and co-authored a 1990 book, "On The Line: The Creation of 'A Chorus Line.'"
Walsh worked with Tune; they both danced in "Seesaw" and collaborated in "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," with Tune co-directing and Walsh as associate choreographer.
Walsh won two Tony Awards and two Drama Desk Awards for his choreography work in "My One and Only" and "A Day in Hollywood/A Night in Ukraine," for which Tune also won a Tony Award. The two also shared a Tony directing nomination for "My One and Only."
Walsh was in his late 50s when he was diagnosed with lymphoma; he died in 2007 in Auburn.
Tune's Friday and Saturday performances will honor Walsh's memory and proceeds will be donated toward a new memorial scholarship for theater arts students at CCC.
Eidel said he hopes the performance will raise at least $10,000 to endow the scholarship.
"It's honoring one of Auburn's most successful citizens (Walsh) and creating the educational scholarship so that people who want to study theater arts at CCC will have some assistance," he said.
In addition to Tune, Auburn native and host of "America's Most Wanted" John Walsh, Thommie Walsh's cousin, will also be in town for the performances; he will be introducing them.
For those who want to see stars, a special reception after Saturday's show will feature a meet-and-greet with Tune and Walsh. For the reception, a cost of $25 will be added on to the performance cost.
The song-dance-instrumental trio The Manhattan Rhythm Kings will provide the music for the show.
