The three stars sang at the Bloomingdale’s Flagship store in New York and shared anecdotes about why they support the fund. A crowd of theater fans, Bloomingdale employees, and other Broadway stars, including “Evita’s” Max Von Essen and Tony-winner Lisa Lambert filled the space.
“Life in the performing arts is filled with lots of unique challenges from the way that people work, what they have to do for a living, the hours they deal with and the dependency on others to be hired,” Barbara Davis, chief operating officer of the Actors Fund, said at the event.
Block addressed the audience, explaining the “ebbs and flows in not working.” She went on to share her personal story of how she couldn’t pay her rent “two months running” after never receiving a check in the mail from a producer she worked for in Singapore.
Bloomingdale’s donated 10 percent of all tracked purchases throughout the day to the Fund.
At the presentation, Caruso sang a jazzy rendition of the “The Boy From Oz” ballad “When I Get My Name In Lights,” while Stritch accompanied him on keyboard. He then gave a brief history lesson on the Actor’s Fund, saying that “in the 19th century the term ‘actor’ defined anyone and everyone working in the theatrical profession, whether you were a film editor, a disk jockey or a gaffer.”
Block also sang title song from “Anything Goes,” in which she is currently starring as club singer, Reno Sweeny. The evening came to a close when the three sang “I Got Rhythm,” which ended with uproarious applause.
