Veteran actor/writer David Rogers takes the stage at Fairfield University's Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts

Veteran actor/writer David Rogers takes the stage at Fairfield University's Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts

Veteran actor/writer David Rogers stars in "Naked on Broadway - A Lifetime with David Rogers," a memorable evening of stories and song from his distinguished career on Broadway and beyond, at Fairfield University's Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. Performances will take place at 8 p.m. from Thursday, March 16, through Saturday, March 18.

In this one-man show, Rogers will treat audiences to songs he wrote with John Kander, Alan Menken, Charles Strouse and others and tell hilarious backstage stories about his life in the limelight.

Rogers' dual career began at the age of 17 when he made his Broadway debut in a revival of "As You Like It" in the same week that his first short story appeared in Gourmet Magazine .

In his 25-year writing career, he's worked in every possible medium, contributing to six Broadway shows, including "Charlie and Algernon," for which he was nominated for a Tony Award. He's had four shows in London's West End and written 45 published plays and musicals, five novels, an opera - "The Hero," which was commissioned by Lincoln Center and won the Prix d'Italia - and television scripts for Jackie Gleason and Carol Burnett. Among the stars who have performed his material are Tallulah Bankhead, Beatrice Lillie, Beatrice Arthur, Dick Shawn, Frank Gorshin and Kaye Ballard.

When he tired of the typewriter, Rogers turned to the stage, performing in "Doubles," George Abbott's "Broadway," and "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" with David Alan Grier. He toured nationally in Tommy Tune's "Grand Hotel" and has played the best regional theaters from coast to coast, including the San Jose Repertory Theatre, Denver Theatre Center, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Cincinnati's Playhouse in the Park and the Merrimac Rep in Massachusetts.

Rogers received critical and audience approval recently in "The Sunshine Boys" at The Downtown Cabaret in Bridgeport, "Empire" at Stamford's Rich Forum, and in "The Perfect Party" and "Perfect Wedding" at the Westport Country Playhouse. On television, he has also been featured on all three "Law & Order" series.

A Westport resident for more than 30 years, Rogers serves on the First Selectman's Arts Advisory Committee and the board of the Theatre Artists Workshop, of which he is a founding member. He has appeared in many of the Workshop's popular public performances and he credits the Workshop with having restarted his acting career and helped him develop "Naked on Broadway."

Tickets are $25. For tickets, call the Quick Center box office at (203) 254-4010 or toll free at 1-877-ARTS-396. For more information, visit www.quickcenter.com.

Posted On: 02-13-2006 10:02 AM

Volume: 38 Number: 131