Laura Benanti at Tilles Center

I know that there are a lot of Laura Benanti fans here and Long Island events don't get much coverage. So I'll just throw out there that Laura will be doing two shows on Saturday, September 28, at the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts in central Nassau County.

Tilles Center is a handsome performing arts center on the campus of CW Post University on Northern Boulevard in Nassau County. According to Google, it is a 30 minute drive from Jamaica, Queens.

On Sept. 28, Laura Benanti will be doing two shows, 7:30 and 9:30, at the Tilles Center's small and newly refurbished 500 seat Krasnoff theater.

"Songs from the Tony Award winner's career along with humorous anecdotes and experiences that she has encountered on and off the stage and screen."

Tickets are $79 for the 7:30 show. Center orchestra sold out, but loge and side orchestras still have a decent number of seats.

For the late show, tickets are $65 and availability is almost too good, if Ticketmaster is to be believed. As like, why don't they pubiicize these more?

I'm seriously thinking of going to the late show as it's only about a 20 minute drive for me. But don't let that keep you away.

New topic. If you're willing to continue driving east for 45 minutes to an hour, you come to the Staller Center for the Arts on the campus of the State University at Stony Brook. Their gala is next 7th of March and it was supposed to feature Kelli O'Hara and Matthew Morrison. These two love to perform together. I saw actually the dress rehearsal for their performance at the New York Pops Carnegie Hall holiday show a few years back. (Overheard Kelli tell Matthew that her son wanted a pet rabbit for Christmas. Really hope they didn't go there.)

Matthew has withdrawn from the gala, but many may prefer his replacement: Sutton Foster. Yes, Kelli and Sutton together. Sounds pretty good. When I see them in a publicity photo together, with Kelli looking maternal, at least for someone wearing a killer gown, and Sutton dressed casually, it's difficult to believe that Sutton is actually a few months older.

Tickets are $90 and the seating chart says that everything is nearly sold out, but they'll be adding seats prior to the show.

Thanks. In the days when I was following Kelli around nearly everywhere, about a month a so after her huge Carnegie Hall concert which involved her whole family and at which Kristin Chenoweth and the dying Barbara Cook appeared, I drove out to Staller to a concert. Quite different. Just Kelli, her piano player and an audience that seemed to be heavy on sedate older couples. But with that audience "They Won't Let You in the Opera" still brought down the house.

I was very impressed with Steven in that ad hoc Carousel bench scene that he and Laura Osnes did in their hotel room in their civies. There's also about a minute of his "Soliloquy." I thought that he nailed Billy better than most who have played the role.

Kelli will easily tell you that Bridges was her favorite roll and intimated that it will return. She had creative input into the musical. Probably will reappear in concert, and maybe not until the 10th anniversary.