Leslie Jordan Returns to Old Stomping Grounds to Host CTC Fundraising 'Un-Gala,' 5/15

Comedian, author and Emmy Award-winning actor Leslie Jordan will have a homecoming of sorts tonight, May 15 when he returns to Chattanooga to headline Tuesday Night Live!, Chattanooga Theatre Centre's annual fundraising gala, with proceeds going to the Annual Fund.

"Having Leslie Jordan join us for this event is a huge gift to the Chattanooga Theatre Centre," says Paula Henderson, president of the CTC Board of Directors. "Tuesday Night Live! has always been a fun, irreverent party, but Leslie brings TNL to a whole new level."

Jordan, the 2006 Emmy Award Winner for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his portrayal of "Beverley Leslie" on Will and Grace, is familiar to television audiences who will also remember him from his recurring roles on Privileged, Ugly Betty, Boston Legal  and Reba, as well as a particularly memorable guest starring role on Murphy Brown.

Jordan is featured as the Mississippi newspaper editor "Mr. Blackly" in the Oscar-nominate film, The Help, and he starred as "Brother Boy" in both the stage and film productions of Sordid Lives. His best-selling autobiography, My Trip Down the Pink Carpet, is now available in paperback.

His one-man-show, Like a Dog on Linoleum, has played to sold-out, enthusiastic audiences across the country and includes many stories of growing up in Chattanooga and attending Dalewood Junior High and Brainerd High School. He headed to Los Angeles in 1984, raising money for the move with a series of now-legendary performances at the Vine Street Market in downtown Chattanooga.

Tuesday Night Live! is touted as Chattanooga's liveliest "un-gala"-a fundraising event like no other in the city: "The food is scrumptious and plentiful. The wine flows freely, and the atmosphere is laid back and casual," according to Henderson. "It's an unstuffy gathering where you can arrive directly from work, dress casually, have a great time, and still get home at a comfortable hour. Tuesday Night Live! begins at 5:30 p.m. in the CTC MainStage lobby overlooking the Tennessee River."

As the host of TNL, Leslie Jordan will open the show with a monologue and participate in some of the fun. 

Tickets to Tuesday Night Live! are $100 per person with beer, wine, heavy hors d'oeuvres and entertainment included. A limited number of tickets are available for $175 for the entire evening plus a pre-show "meet-and-greet" cocktail party and photo opportunity with Leslie Jordan.

For tickets and more information, please call the box office at (423) 267-8534 or go to www.TheatreCentre.com for further details.

Jeffrey Ellis is a Nashville-based writer, editor and critic, who's been covering the performing arts in Tennessee for more than 25 years. He is the recipient of the Tennessee Theatre Association's Distinguished Service Award for his coverage of theatre in the Volunteer State and was the founding editor/publisher of Stages, the Tennessee Onstage Monthly. He is a past fellow of the National Critics Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center and is the founder/executive producer of The First Night Honors, held during Labor Day Weekend, which honor oustanding theater artists in Tennessee in recognition of their lifetime achievements and includes The First Night Star Awards and the Most Promising Actors. Midwinter's First Night, held the first Sunday in January after New Year's Day, honors outstanding productions and performances throughout the state. Further, Ellis directed the Nashville premiere of La Cage Aux Folles, The Last Night of Ballyhoo and An American Daughter, as well as award-winning productions of Damn Yankees, Company, Gypsy and The Rocky Horror Show, with Ellis honored by The Tennessean as best director of a musical for both Company and Rocky Horror.

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