Broadway Stars to Perform in Benefit Concert at Madison Theatre

Broadway stars of The Phantom of the Opera and Les Misérables Ciarán Sheehan and Gwen Eagleton will perform a one-night-only musical event From Galway to Broadway on Monday, October 20 at 7:30 p.m. at the F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre. The concert will benefit The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey’s young artist education and training programs.

Sheehan and Eagleton will perform a medley of Broadway standards, traditional Irish songs, and beloved pop tunes. Tickets start at $20. Prime seating is available for $35 and a $60 ticket includes a post-show reception with the artists. For more information, contact the Box Office at (973) 408-5600 or click here.

A Dublin native, Sheehan began his career as a classical actor and admits to never considering musical theatre until working with famed Tony Award-winning producer and director Hal Prince, who suggested he audition for The Phantom of the Opera.

Sheehan made his Broadway debut in Les Misérables as Babet and Marius. Shortly after, Sheehan was cast as Raoul in the smash hit’s third national tour. He went on play the Phantom for two years and over 1,000 performances, both on Broadway and in Toronto, where he replaced Colm Wilkinson.

Reviewing Sheehan’s performance in The Irish and How They Got That Way at the Irish Repertory Theatre, Ben Brantley of The New York Times wrote, Sheehan “has a crisp, polished voice and a presence to match.”

Sheehan has performed sold-out concerts at Carnegie Hall and The National Concert Hall in Dublin, as well as several televised specials for PBS including Ciarán —An Evening with Friends. Most recently, Sheehan performed off-Broadway in Fifty Words at the Gene Frankel Theatre, a production which Eagleton assistant directed. Sheehan resides in Ridgewood, New Jersey with his family.

Eagleton is also a classically trained actor and veteran of The Phantom of the Opera, both on Broadway and on national tour. As a soloist, she has performed across the country and in New York City at The Metropolitan Room and 54 Below. Today, Eagleton continues to perform as well as direct and teach. Eagleton lives in Cliffside, New Jersey with her family.

Multi-instrumentalist Gabriel Donohue will join Sheehan and Eagleton on stage. Donohue toured with The Chieftains, Michael Flatley, and Cherish The Ladies. Sue Anderson will serve as music director and instrumentalist; her numerous credits include the Broadway productions and national tours of Pirates of Penzance with Kevin Kline, Me and My Girl, and Cats as well as the revival of My Fair Lady with Rex Harrison.

About the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey
One of the leading Shakespeare theatres in the nation, serving 100,000 adults and children annually, The Shakespeare Theatre is New Jersey’s largest professional theatre company dedicated solely to Shakespeare’s canon and other world classics. Through its distinguished productions and education programs, the company strives to illuminate the universal and lasting relevance of the classics for contemporary audiences.

The acclaimed Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey is an independent, professional theatre company located on the Drew University campus. The Outdoor Stage is located on the campus of the College of St. Elizabeth and the Theatre’s support and education facility is in Florham Park.

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey’s programs are made possible, in part, by funding from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as funds from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Additional major support is received from The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, F.M. Kirby Foundation, The Edward T. Cone Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, and CTW Foundation, as well as contributions from numerous corporations, foundations, government agencies and individuals. The 2014 Outdoor Stage production of The Learned Ladies is sponsored by Bank of America.

Information courtesy of Rich Engler, The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey