ARTISTS:   

Honolulu Symphony Toyota Pops: Ben Vereen
Matt Catingub, conductor
Ben Vereen, vocals
                                                 

CONCERT:   

Friday, October 23 at 8 p.m. & Saturday, October 24 at 8 p.m.
       
Blaisdell Concert Hall
   

TICKETS:   

$20, $34, $49, $59, $82 (including service fees)
Military & seniors receive 20% discount.
Student & children’s tickets are always $10.
Tickets sold at Ticketmaster outlets (1-800-745-3000), Macy’s and                www.ticketmaster.com and www.honolulusymphony.com.
       
Call the Box Office at (808) 792-2000 (weekdays) or (808) 524-0815 ext. 245 (evenings) for more information.
       
Honolulu – Tony and Emmy Award-winning Broadway, television and film star Ben Vereen will join Maestro Matt Catingub and the Honolulu Symphony Toyota Pops to open the spectacular 2009-2010 Toyota Pops season on Friday, October 23 and Saturday, October 24 at the Blaisdell Concert Hall. Vereen has appeared in Pippin, Wicked, Fosse, I’m Not Rappaport, Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, Pippin, Grind, Jelly’s Last Jam, and A Christmas Carol. His role in Pippin garnered him both the prestigious Tony Award and the Drama Desk Award for “Best Actor in a Musical.” Together with Maestro Matt and the Toyota Pops, Vereen will charm audiences with a wonderful evening of the very best of Broadway and beyond. Tickets for this exciting performance start from $20 and are on sale now. Discounts are available for military, seniors, students and children.

An active philanthropist and inspirational speaker, Mr. Vereen will be visiting several groups while on Oahu to talk about his life and career, including the Castle Performing Arts Center at Castle High School and Tripler Army Medical Center. 

Vereen, whose acting credits include an unforgettable performance as Chicken George in Roots and as Louis Armstrong in Louis Armstrong - Chicago Style, was recently nominated for an NAACP award for his performance in the Emmy nominated Hallmark feature An Accidental Friendship, starring opposite Chandra Wilson. Other recent credits include guest starring roles on Grey's Anatomy, Law and Order: Criminal Intent and Tyler Perry’s House of Payne.  Vereen has also guest starred in OZ, Touched By An Angel, New York Undercover, The Nanny, Star Trek - The Next Generation, The Jamie Fox Show, and Fresh Prince of Bel-Air as well as recurring roles on Silk Stalkings, Webster and Booker. His own network specials are Ben Vereen: His Roots (recipient of seven Emmy Awards), Tenspeed and Brown Shoe, and You Write the Songs.

In addition, Vereen’s film credits include Idlewild, Sweet Charity, All That Jazz, Funny Lady (for which he received a Golden Globe nomination), Why Do Fools Fall in Love, And Then Came Love starring Vanessa Williams, the animated movie Once Upon a Forest, Christmas in Washington and The Painting, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.

For more than 25 years, Vereen has showcased his versatility and creativity, performing one-man shows not only in the United States, but also Europe, Asia the Middle East and the Caribbean. He was the first simultaneous winner of the “Entertainer of the Year,” “Rising Star,” and “Song and Dance Star” awards from the American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA). He has also earned a coveted spot in the Casino Legends Hall of Fame.

Currently, Vereen is touring his one-man show, “Ben Sings a Tribute to Sammy Davis Jr. featuring the music of Sammy Davis Jr.” He also appears in two soon-to-be-released features, 21 and Wake Up, starring Faye Dunaway, and Mama I Want to Sing in which Vereen co-starred opposite Ciara and Patti Labelle. Up next, Vereen will star in the world premiere of Fetch Clay, Make Man directed by Des McAnuff (Jersey Boys) at the Mccarter Theater.

In addition to philanthropic work across the country, Vereen is leading an ongoing diabetes awareness campaign called “Taking the Stage for Diabetes” in partnership with Sanofi-Aventis pharmaceuticals. For his humanitarian contributions, Vereen has received a number of awards including Israel’s Cultural and Humanitarian Awards, three NAACP Image Awards, an Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award and a Victory Award. He has received honorary doctorates from the University of Arizona, Emerson College, St. Francis College, and Columbia College in Chicago. For more information, visit www.benvereen.com.