NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 2: The Drama League's 25th Annual All Star Benefit Gala.

Monday, February 2, 2009 - NEW YORK - February 2: NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 2: The Drama League's 25th Annual All Star Benefit Gala at the Rainbow Room in New York City. PHOTO CREDIT: © 2008 by Steve Mack | Booking Inquries Contact: Steve Mack | tel: 917.202.4358 |e-mail: steve@sdmackpictures.com | PLEASE NOTE: These images are available for licensing through S.D. Mack Pictures and The Herbert Collection. The Drama League's 25th Annual Benefit Gala - "A Musical Celebration of Broadway" February 2, 2009. New York City. The Drama League held it's annual Gala at the Rainbow Room high above the New York City skyline. The brightest stars of Broadway came out to bedazzle us in honor of beloved producers Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley as well as to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Drama League Director's Project. The Drama League described the Honorees as, "the powerhouse husband-and-wife producers Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley." Adding, 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 theatres 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, other recent shows include Sunday in the Park with George, The 39 Steps, and the upcoming revival of American Buffalo. One of the many highlights of the evening's grand dinner was a musical revue by Chita Rivera (Nine), Donna Murphy (Wonderful Town), Lee Roy Reams (La Cage Aux Folles) and Cady Huffman (The Producers.) Stars really let their talents shine in a night filled with music and song. The show included performances highlighting the careers of Lane and Comley, as well as past Broadway productions and the reuniting of original cast members from La Cage aux Folles, Urinetown and some cast members including Keith Carradine from The Will Rogers Follies performing their toe-tapping, sing-along hits. Cady Huffman, choreographed the evening with skill and grace. The Drama League Directors Project, is the nation's leading career development program for early and mid-career theatre 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. Through its partnerships with professional theaters across the US and its commitment to ongoing career development, The Directors Project uniquely supports aspiring theater artists in America. Notable alumni of The Directors Project include Christopher Ashley, Mark Brokaw, Michael Mayer, Diane Paulus, John Rando and Alex Timbers. All proceeds from "A MUSICAL CELEBRATION OF BROADWAY" support The Drama League, which was founded in 1916 as an association of theatre professionals and patrons dedicated to encouraging the finest in professional theatre and has since then developed into the theatre's premiere service organization. To learn more go to www.dramaleague.org. Story by Sara Herbert-Galloway For more stories go to www.blacktiemagazine.com To view more photos go to www.sdmackpictures.com