Chad Jones’ Theater Dogs

The cast of the national tour of The Drowsy Chaperone will raise money for the Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation Monday, Aug. 11 at Club Fugazi, the home of Beach Blanket Babylon. Photo by Joan Marcus

For one night only, and to raise money for a good cause, the cast of The Drowsy Chaperone, along with special guests Susan Anton and “American Idol” contestants Constantine Maroulis and Vonzell Solomon, will come together for an evening of vivacious entertainment.

The evening, dubbed One Night Only Cabaret, benefits the Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation, an organization started by two mothers who lost their sons to AIDS and that now distributes money to AIDS service organizations around the Bay Area. To date, the REAF has distributed more than $2 million.

The cabaret evening at Club Fugazi (home of Beach Blanket Babylon) will feature the performers singing songs of their own choice, and audiences can expect an evening of upbeat, high-energy music, dance and comedy.

Tickets are $20 to $100. Call 415-421-4222.

The Drowsy Chaperone continues through Aug. 17 at the Orpheum Theatre. Visit www.shnsf.com for information.

The Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation’s annual gala fundraiser, Help Is on the Way 14: Blame It on the Movies, is this Sunday, Aug. 3, at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco.

As usual, the roster of performers is impressive. Among the locals you’ll find singing songs from movies (both great movie musicals and pop songs from contemporary blockbusters) are Rita Moreno, Paula West and the Barbary Coast Cloggers (they’ll be clogging a movie song, presumably).

Among the out-of-towners are a slew of “American Idol” alumni including Frenchie Davis, Vonzell Solomon, RJ Helton (above), Constantine Maroulis and Kimberly Locke — all the AI kids happen to be in town because they’ve been performing at the Rrazz Room.

And then there are the Hollywood celebs winging north to lend a hand and raise money that will be distributed to local AIDS/HIV organizations. Here are the stars:
- Marilu Henner - Probably best remembered for her stint on “Taxi,” she also performed in Chicago on Broadway.
- Ricki Lake (right)- Got her start in John Waters’ original movie Hairspray, went on to have her own headline-grabbing talk show.
- Maureen McGovern - One of the cabaret scene’s great talents, McGovern was, for a brief moment, the queen of disaster movie themes having recorded hit tunes from The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno.
- Jai Rodriguez - An Emmy winner for “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” Rodriguez has performed on stage in Rent, The Producers and Zanna Don’t.
- Lauren Wood - A singer-songwriter known for her song “Fallen” on the Pretty Woman soundtrack.
- Vicki Lewis - Lewis arrives fresh from her stint as Mama Rose at Sacramento’s Music Circus. She’s probably best known as the fiery redhead on NBC’s “Newsradio.”
- Carole Cook - The inimitable diva of Help Is on the Way, Cook’s comedy is always an evening highlight.
- Bruce Vilanch - What would an evening be without the comic stylings of the man who has made Bette Midler and the Academy Awards funny for years?

Tickets for Sunday’s event are $50-$175. Call 415-931-0317 or visit www.richmondermet.org

Laugh for a worthy cause on Wednesday, June 11 when The Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation presents
COMEDY TONIGHT! , an evening of “outrageous comedy & decadent divas.” Which begs the question, are there any other kind of divas?

Here are some of the comic divas expected to attend:
JUDY TENUTA American Comedy Awards “Best Female Comedian” / TV, film star
BRUCE VILANCH Broadway (Hairspray) / TV (”Hollywood Squares”) star
JOHNNY STEELE Winner San Francisco Comedy Competition
MARILYN PITTMAN Lesbian comic and radio talk show host
AUNDRE THE WONDERWOMAN Finalist SF Int’l. Comedy Competition

And here are some of the singing divas:
SHARON MCNIGHT Tony nominated (Starmites) cabaret star
MAUREEN McVERRY Cabaret star / actress
LEANNE BORGHESI Cabaret star, aka Anita Cocktail
plus Cast Members from INSIGNFICANT OTHERS - Theatre 39’s resident show
Musical Director Scrumbly Koldewyn

Here are the particulars: Wed., June 11, 2008, 8:00 pm
Theatre 39 on Pier 39 – (Beach St. and The Embarcadero), San Francisco (Complimentary Validated Parking at Pier 39 garage)

Show only $35
Show + Dessert After Party with the cast at Hard Rock Café $50
Pre-Comedy show Option - Special pre-fixe dinner at Hard Rock Café $25 (a portion of the dinner ticket will benefit REAF)

For tickets and information call 415-273-1620 or visit http://www.helpisontheway.org