a scandalous affair

If you are in the New York City area, please join us on the evening of February 18 for a production of “A Scandalous Affair.” This is the musical based on the book “Sweethearts” and stars Hallie Neill and Theodore Lambrinos. The show is a fundraiser for the famous Players Club. There will be a celebrity reception afterwards with some “name” actors and also Sharon Rich will be featured in a “Meet and Greet” and book signing at this reception.

For this performance, the pianist is William Lewis, the accompanist for famous Irish tenor Ronan Tynan.

The Players Club is a very famous NYC landmark. It was founded by actor Edwin Booth – older brother of the infamous John Wilkes Booth. Mark Twain and other luminaries were members, as was John Barrymore and current stars like Al Pacino and Angela Lansbury. This is going to be a fabulous evening of entertainment and nostalgia. If you can get to NYC, please join us!

Ticket info and more details here at this link.

Admission is tax deductible however the reception fee afterwards is not.

Please email us if you are planning to attend. If we can get a good-sized Mac/Eddy group together, we’ll try to plan a before-or-after event.

Hi again! As I promised you yesterday – there is more exciting news. There was a NY connection made on the cruise that has resulted in Hallie and Ted now setting up a New York debut for their show about Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy‘s off-screen love story: “A Scandalous Affair.” There will be one performance, Sunday, April 19, 8:00 pm. How does it benefit Jeanette and Nelson? Let’s put it this way – the positive publicity for them and their story will be priceless. Already certain press events are being set up as I write this that will be amazing. And there will be celebrities there. (Don’t worry, I’ll keep you posted.) How does this event benefit me personally? Well, I’ll be doing a book signing at the end of the show. How does it benefit the Mac/Eddy Club? Again – more positive publicity about our group and also – an opportunity to set up an entire Mac/Eddy weekend on April 18-19. We’ve already heard from people on the west coast that are going to fly in for the weekend. I’m working to set up an affordable hotel so that those of you that want to stay overnight can all book in the same hotel. And if you need a roommate to help with costs, we can work to arrange that as well. News on this front will follow in a day or so, as quickly as I can get the logistics set up. Just put aside the weekend if you would like to attend. I think we will hold a special club event in conjunction with the performance, either on Saturday or Sunday day – or both, since the show is Sunday evening. Later on, I’ll get your input on what kind of activities you would like for the two days, so we can plan accordingly and make this a really super weekend!

Because this all came up so quickly and unexpectedly, Hallie is scrambling to handle the costs for the hall that have to be paid in the next 48 hours. This will be a major club event to introduce the Jeanette and Nelson story to the opera-loving and theater-loving audiences in the New York region. Due to the positive effect it will have for us as a group, I am asking you to directly help Hallie. Do what you can, no donation is too small. If you can manage $50 or $100 or even more, that would be great. Donors will be acknowledged in the show’s program (space permitting) and/or on our website. If you want to remain anonymous, please let Hallie know when making your donation. If you want your donation in honor or memory of someone, also let her know.

Please read Hallie’s email below. Then contact her immediately, either by email, phone or use the handy Paypal donation button.

Dear Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy Fans,

We have the possibility of making the New York debut of A SCANDALOUS AFFAIR April 19th, at Merkin Concert Hall near Lincoln Center. Ted and Raymond and I went to the theatre yesterday to test the acoustics and they are superb. It’s 458 seats and perfect for our show– also half the price of the Weil Hall at Carnegie Hall.

If we can raise the backing to present it we will invite the New York opera and music lovers, entertainment industry people, producers and agents that have expressed an interest in seeing the show live.

I just spoke with Sharon about it and she is thrilled. I have an idea to close the show with Jeanette (that would be me!) inviting Sharon up on stage and thanking her personally for keeping her promise to Jeanette’s sister Blossom, to tell the world about her secret love story with Nelson! If we can secure the film rights we would close with the final scene from Maytime with Jeanette and Nelson singing “Sweethearts” under the falling blossoms.

We wanted to reach out to all the fans to see if you might have interest in helping us raise the funds. We need $5,000 to cover the theatre, staff, advertising and production costs. I must get our deposit in immediately to keep the date before someone else grabs it.

The next question: can you come to New York in April? I know the audience will be shocked by the story — it’s still a great secret to most. But it would be wonderful if some of the fans could be there. Thanks for letting me share this new project with you — just wanted you all to know about it!

Very best wishes,

Hallie Neill and Ted Lambrinos

Check donations can be sent to:

Hallie Neill
160 West 73 Street, #4D
New York, NY 10023

212-874-1670

hallie@jeanetteandnelson.com

www.jeanetteandnelson.com

Thank you for your help in supporting this event honoring the lives and music of Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy.