Molloy takes the wraps off new venue

It was a glittering evening of theatrical glamour as Molloy College opened its Madison Theatre, located in its new Public Square building, at its gala “Evening of Entertainment” on Nov. 12. Special guests and attendees got a first look at the state-of-the-art theater, with a musical revue hosted by comedian Martin Short, and written by the Emmy Award-winning Alan Zweibel, one of the original Saturday Night Live writers.

The show featured appearances by comedian Mario Cantone, Saturday Night Live’s Rachel Dratch, actress Cady Huffman, 30 Rock’s Scott Adsit, renowned violinist Ittai Shapira, the Elite String Ensemble of the Children’s Orchestra (directed by Dr. Yeou-Cheng Ma,) rock musician Jo Wymer, Ashle Dawson from So You Think You Can Dance, Broadway dancer Ashley Amber, and jazz singer Gregory Generet.

Molloy College President Dr. Drew Bogner and Sister Mary Hughes, O.P., Ed.D. ‘68 were the gala’s honorees. Bogner received the Lifetime Achievement Award, which is given to an outstanding community leader whose professional career has been marked by extraordinary personal and professional accomplishment. Hughes received the Distinguished Alumni Award, which is given to a Molloy alumnus who demonstrates the true spirit of the college mission and whose professional career is characterized by a series of outstanding achievements.

The gala evening was the prelude to the Madison Theatre’s inaugural season, which opened this past Sunday with a performance by the South Shore Symphony Orchestra featuring pianist Karen Baer, South Side High School’s. Upcoming shows include Steve Solomon’s one-man comedy “My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish, and I’m in Therapy! on Dec. 7 and Shuffle Concert, in which an ensemble of 6 musicians performs a program varied music selected by the audience during the concert, on Dec. 10.

The season continues in February, with a schedule that features concerts, children’s shows, comedy, theatrical works, and a film series. All events will be listed in the Stepping Out calendar, which appears in all Herald editions.