Bebe Neuwirth to Perform Broadway Favorites at UB

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Center for the Arts at the University at Buffalo will present Bebe Neuwirth at 8 p.m. on Nov. 19 in the Mainstage Theatre in the Center for the Arts on the UB North (Amherst) Campus. The performance is sponsored by GEICO.

Neuwirth will perform a number of selections from favorite Broadway composers Kurt Weill and Kander & Ebb, backed by a 40-piece orchestra. A versatile actress who with a talent for both comedy and drama, she is a gifted dancer and vocalist who has won acclaim for her work on the musical stage.

She may be best known to television viewers as Lilith Sternin, Frazier Crane's tightly wound wife on the popular comedy "Cheers." Neuwirth studied dance at New York's prestigious Juilliard School, and in 1980 she made her professional debut as Shelia, a once-famous dancer looking to make a comeback, in a touring production of the long-running musical "A Chorus Line." In 1982, Neuwirth hit Broadway in two different shows, "Dancin'," directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse, and "Little Me." In 1986, she won the starring role in another Fosse musical, a revival of "Sweet Charity," which later earned her a Tony award and cemented her reputation on Broadway.

That year also marked Bebe Neuwirth's television debut with her first appearance as Dr. Lilith Sternin-Crane on NBC's "Cheers." Lilith soon became a regular fixture on "Cheers" and Neuwirth won two Emmy awards for her work until Lilith was written out of the show (at Neuwirth's request) in 1992, to allow Neuwirth to pursue film and stage work. Lilith occasionally made return visits to "Cheers," and later on Kelsey Grammer's spin-off series, "Frasier." Neuwirth made her feature-film debut in 1989 with a small role as a guidance counselor in "Say Anything...," and while a steady stream of supporting roles followed in such films as "Bugsy," "Green Card" and "Jumanji," she had a hard time finding screen roles which suited her edgy charm.

Neuwirth continued to have better luck on-stage, and in 1997 her performance in the Broadway revival of "Chicago" won her the Tony and Drama Desk awards. After scoring meatier roles in the films "Celebrity," "Summer of Sam" and "Liberty Heights," Neuwirth returned to episodic television in the well-reviewed but short-lived drama series "Deadline," in which she worked alongside Oliver Platt, Lili Taylor and Tom Conti. She later appeared in much larger movies such as "Tadpole," "Le Divorce," "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" and "The Big Bounce."

Tickets for Bebe Neuwirth Sings are $46, $41, and $36. Tickets are available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday in the Center for the Arts Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations, including Kaufmann's. To charge tickets, call 852-5000; in Canada, call 1-416-870-8000. For group sales, call 645-6771. For more information, call 645-ARTS. The Center for the Arts is a Ticketfast location.