Stage and screen stars Bebe Neuwirth and Malcolm Gets perform Oct. 13 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS at Bucks County Cabaret, a one-night-only benefit concert at the newly renovated, historic Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope.
Neuwirth is a two-time Emmy Award winner for her role as Lilith on “Cheers” and a two-time Tony Award winner for her acclaimed performances in Broadway classics “Sweet Charity” and “Chicago.”
Gets, who is openly gay, is a Tony nominee for “Amour” and known for his roles in HBO’s “Grey Gardens” and NBC’s “Caroline in the City.”
Gets said he has seen the Bucks County Playhouse in passing and is excited to perform in the theater, now that it has been spruced up.
“The last time I was [in Bucks County] about six or seven years ago, I went to look at the theater from the outside,” he said. “So I was so delighted to hear that it’s been restored and refurbished.”
The evening performances will feature Neuwirth and Gets performing favorite Broadway standards and popular songs. Just don’t count on seeing too many collaborations between the two.
“We are sharing the evening,” Gets said about the show. “I don’t think we are actually going to be singing together but that is more of a question of time constraints, because I know that she and I have been busy working on projects. But we’ve definitely had lunches and met and talked about what each one is doing.”
Gets said that even though the two are both known for their work on stage and television, they have never worked together. But he said he was surprised early in his career to find out that Neuwirth was aware of his stage work.
“I haven’t worked with Bebe but I’ve always loved her as a performer and an actress,” he said. “Then, when I really fell in love with her was in 1992. I had just come out of school and was doing a show at Lincoln Center called ‘Hello Again,’ and I had a meeting with a casting director for a lot of television shows. I was waiting in his office and just starting my career. He opened the door for my appointment and he just had lunch with Bebe. She looked at me and she goes, ‘Oh yeah, I saw you in a show last night.’ She looks at him and goes, ‘He’s talented.’ So I love Bebe. She’s quite a woman and quite a performer.”
When asked about his contribution to the night’s performance, Gets said it will be mindful of the historical background of Bucks County.
“I’m a history buff so I have been reading up on the history of the theater itself and the area,” he said. “Definitely some of my music selections have to do with that, with the area and the famous persons from the area. I just know how much it means to people who live in a certain place.”
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS presents an evening with Bebe Neuwirth and Malcolm Gets, 6 p.m. Oct. 13 at Bucks County Playhouse, 70 S. Main St. in New Hope. For more information, call 212-840-0770, ext. 268.