VOICES OF BROADWAY Songs of Conscience and Hope Join the Fight against AIDS VOICES OF BROADWAY Songs of Conscience and Hope is a collection of 13 original pop songs writen by veteran Broadway performer Dodie Pettit and performed by over 80 Broadway artists. Ms Pettit originally wrote the songs as reflections of life while on the road for three years with the PHANTOM OF THE OPERA U.S. National Touring Company. Written in traditional pop style, the songs lyrics come from personal, intriguing and compelling experiences of everyday life. Ms. Pettit was inspired to produce an album using these songs, which offer powerful messages both challenging and uplifting. All of the album's profits will be donated to Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS. All the songs were recorded in different cities throught North America each with lead vocals from different artists. Kevin Gray who won a Dora Award in Toronto and opened the Los Angeles Co. as the Engineer in MISS SAIGON, fittingly sings It's My Time to Shine, followed by more than 15 members of the Toronto MISS SAIGON company who perform Let's Build a Bridge. Brent Carver, who won a Tony Award for KISS OF THE SPIDERWOMAN, sings the haunting Michael's Song, a tribute to Michael Scott Gregory, a former cast member of CATS who died of AIDS in 1993. Says Ms. Pettit of her colleague, "Like an angel, Brent appeared and sang this song with pure integrity." The original Toronto chorus of SHOWBOAT, now a smash on Broadway, sings the straight-ahead Gospel song, Youre My Saving Grace. Patti Cohenour, a veteran of BIG RIVER, PHANTOM OT THE OPERA and who now plays Magnolia in Toront'o SHOWBOAT sings thee poignant Sarah. Rufus Bonds Jr. from ONCE ON THIS ISLAND and MISS SAIGON sings the uplifting and soulful Let Your Candle Shine along with Laurie Williamson of PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. Other featured performers include Rebecca Luker, Loni Ackerman, Clent Bowers, Milton Craig Nealy, Katherine Buffaloe, Linda Hopkins, Lillias White and Mary Bentley LaMar. Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is dedicated to mobilizing the unique talents and resources of the entertainment community to create a united and powerful force in the fight against AIDS. Since 1987, Broadway Cares has raised and distributed millions of dollars. Dodie Pettit is an actress, singer, songwriter and dancer and musician who has also just released 2 CD’s of original songs entitled SONGS FROM THE JOURNEY, and PLAYIN WITH THE BOYS. During her twelve year career in two Broadway musicals with nearly 4,000 shows to her credit, she has suffered the loss of many fellow performers. VOICES OF BROADWAY is a selfless effort from almost 100 singers who have donated their time and talent for the fight against AIDS. Voices of Broadway Reviews "The Unsung Heroes of 1994-95" By Peter Filichia Let's cite Dodie Pettit, who's toured extensively in CATS and Phantom of the Opera the past decade. She's put together a disc called "Voices of Broadway: Songs of Conscience and Hope", in which over 80 friends from those shows and others have recorded her pop songs for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Patti Cohenour, Rebecca Luker, Loni Ackerman, Linda Hopkins, Lillias White helped out. Both Spider Woman's Molina, Brent Carver and original production Valentin Kevin Gray - Pettit's husband – appear. The former does "Michael's Song", a moving piece, and the latter heads the opening number, "It's My Time to Shine". Now it's Pettit's time to shine. Have a listen. -Theater Week Magazine "Stagestruck", May 22 1995 "A beautifully executed project with a powerful messagethat should indeed twig the conscience of those not only in the entertainment business, but music lovers in general…The very magnitude of this production is awesome, considering that all the songs were recorded in a different city throughout North America, with lead vocalists from different artists. During her ten years on the Broadway stage, Pettit has seen the musical theater community decimated by AIDS, which prompted this exceptionally well-preduced and poignantly beautiful release… the haunting "Michael’s Song is a tribute to Michael Scott Gregory, former castmember of CATS who died of AIDS is 1993… all proceeds will be donated to BC/EFA. There are more than 100 of Pettit’s musical theater friends here. Give it a listen. -RPM Charts Weekly April 10 1995 "Broadway performer Dodie Pettit is the composer of Voices of Broadway ;Songs of Consciene and Hope, a collection of 13 songs performed by over 80 Broadway artists.Written over three years while Pettit toured the States in Phantom of the Opera, the pop songs are statements of hope and memory inspired by experiences and people Pettit has known. Each song was recorded in a different city with lead vocals by various artists, several with a Toronto connection. Brent Carver (Kiss of the SpiderWoman), Kevin Grayand Rufus Bonds Jr. Miss Saigon and Patti Cohenaour (Show Boat) are among the nearly 100 performers." -NOW Magazine, Toronto "Almost 100 showbiz artists, at least 30 of them Canadian, have contributed to a CD project designed to raise funds to fight AIDS. The release, Voices of Broadway: Songs of Conscience and Hope, on the Landfill label, comprises 13 original songs written by Broadway veteran Dodie Pettit, who has put in 10 years in CATS and Phantom of the Opera. All the proceeds go to Broadway Cares/Equity fights AIDS, which mobilizes the entertainment community to battle the disease. The disc’s available at major record stores. Married to Kevin Gray, who first played the Engineer in the Toronto production of Miss Saigon, Pettit wrote the material while touring with "Phantom" in the US over a three year period. Each tune was recorded in a different North American city, including Toronto. The songs, with their generally uplifting message, allude in various degrees to AIDS, love and suffering, and some of the lyrics easily bear comparison with what can be heard on current Toronto mega-musical stages. Pettit, who has just released a first album of pop-country songs titled "Songs From the Journey", does more than provide words and music for the album. She also plays guitar, keyboards, and piano, does choral arrangements, is lead vocalist on "The Right to Choose", background vocalist on others, and does a solo turn with piano and voice on "Forgotten But Not Gone". Gray sings the disc opener, "It’s My Time to Shine", which is followed by more than 15 members of the Toronto Miss Saigon company, including original lead Ma-Anne Dionisio, performing "Let’s Build a Bridge". Brent Carver, star of Kiss Of the Spider Woman, delivers "Michael’s Song", the most obvious anti-AIDS elegy, written for a CATS cast member who died in 1993. The original Toronto chorus of Show Boat fuels "You’re My Savin’ Grace" with some gospel heat while Katherine Buffaloe and Patti Cohenour (of Phantom and Showboat) are moving in their renditions of "I am" and "Sarah" respectively. Other major names heard here are Rufus Bonds Jr. from Miss Saigon, Clent Bowers from CATS and now Mo’ Magic, Rebecca Luker from Phantom and Milton Craig Nealy from Five Guys Named Mo. Other Canadians in noble action, Dorothy Andres, Charles Azulay, Romeo Candido, Johann Camat, Janet Chong, Michael Clarke, Lawrence cotton, Carmen de Jesus, SamGerongco, Ron Gibbs, Al Goeku, Karen Holness, tim Howar, Karla Jang, Luzviiminda Labindao, Jinky Llamanzares, Cornilla Luna, Rachel Luttrell, Estelle Mays, Kevin McIntyre, Kimberly Michaels, Renee Murphy, Michael Mulrooney, Frank Proctor, Kim Scarcella, Paul Sportelli, Lousie St Cyr, Melissa thimson, Risa Waldman, Jay woo and Emilio Joe Zarris. Plus Frank Proctor of Lindsay’s CKLY Radio who had some son-singing words." -The Toronto Star "CD of Broadway voices joins the fight against AIDS" Geoff Chapman (Drama Critic) March 13 1995 "Dodie Pettit wrote 13 songs, rounded up some of the best musical theatre talent in the country, and produced a compact disc to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Voices of Broadway :songs of conscience and Hope features moe than 100 singers who donated their time, including Brent Carver, Rebecca, Rufus Bonds Jr. and Patti Cohenour. -American Theater Magazine "Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA) has raised millions of dollars for people with AIDS in the entertainment industry in the US. Now, US theatre producer and BC/EFA founder Martin Bell, currently working for Livent in toronto, is trying to organize a Canadian faction. Their latest project, Voices of Broadway:songsof Conscience and Hope, is a collection of 13 original pop sons written by veteran Broadway performer dodie Pettit. The 80 artists who donated their time and talent include Toronto’s own Brent Carver, 1Show Boat, now a smash hit on Broadway. Pettit is speaking with the Cnadian Actor’s Equity Association to arrange for them to receive pare of the proceeds. XTRA Toronto’s Lesbian & Gay BiWeekly ArtXTRA Feb 17, 1995 Thirteen songs comprise this no-holds-barred, honest, straightforward, aimed at your heart album, sung by over 80 performers, recorded in different cities across North America, and written and produced by Dodie Pettit. I can’t think of a more perfect beginning to this special album.than Kevin Gray’s solo "It’s My Time to shine". Kevin also joins in on "We Love Our Children" and the unique "Earth’s Hymn".There are four former Christines on this album- Dodie plays piano and sings the poignant "Forgotten But Not Gone"; Rebecca Luker is on "The Right to Choose"; Katharine Buffaloe solos the unusual and sweet "I Am", and Patti Cohenaour solos with the touching "Sarah". I love hearing the stars of shows I’ve been seeing the past few years singing songs that are so different than those I’m used to hearing them sing. For instance, the cast of Toront’s Miss Saigon really lets loose on "Let’s build Bridge" and Brent Carver sounds very different and wonderful on "Michael’s". All proceeds from this album go to Broadway Care/Equity Fights Aids. -Frances Pierro, Phantom Fan Club Broadway Presents, Spring 1995 listed Voices of Broadway as one of its "Inside Tracks" along with five new releases, calling it "another recording worthy of attention". VOICES OF BROADWAY ALPHABETICAL ARTIST LISTING Loni Ackerman, Diane Anastasio, Dorothy Andres, Charles Azulay, Elaina Jean Batman, Mary Bentley LaMar, Rufus Bonds Jr., Sherry D. Boone, Clent Bowers, Katharine Buffaloe, Dorothy Byrne, Romeo Candido, Johann Camat, Jennifer Carney, Brent Carver, Nicole Chelini, Janet Chong, Michael Clarke, Patti Cohenour, Lawrence Cotton, Jason Danieley, Marlene Danielle, Carmen De Jesus, Karen Dickenson, Ma-Anne Dionisio, William Lynn Dixon, Rebecca Eichenberger, Lisa Faletto, Jack Gaughan, Sam Gerongco, Ron Gibbs, Ai Goeku, Patti Davidson-Gorbea, Kevin Gray, Danielle Greaves, Jeff Hairston, Bob Hildreth, Rick Hilsabeck, Kitty Skillman-Hilsabeck, Karen Holness, Linda Hopkins, Tim Howar, David Huneryager, Patricia Hurd, Karla Jang, Brad Keating, Randall Keith, Luzviminda Labindao, Norm Lewis, Jinky Llamanzares, Paula LoVerne, Rebecca Luker, Cornillia Luna, Rachel Luttrell, Estelle Mays, Richie McCall, Mark McLaren, Anna Mc Neely, Kevin Mc Intyre, Kimberly Michaels, Renee Murphy, Michael Mulrooney, Milton Craig Neely, Gale Oxley, Candice Peterson, Dodie Pettit, Sarah Pfisterer, Amy Jo Phillips, Frank Proctor, Tait Runnfeldt, Lawson Scala, Kim Scarcella, Paul Sportelli, Heidi Stallings, Louise St.Cyr, Melissa Thomson, Rebecca Timms, Joan Tsao, Risa Waldman, Roie Ward, Lillias White, Laurie Williamson, Pippa Winslow, Jay Yoo, Darlene B. Young, Emilio Jose Zarris