Cabaret Gourmet Features Ferguson, Craig, Felciano, Morton and More, March 6

The third annual Cabaret Gourmet gala benefit, presented by The Play Company, will be held Monday, March 6 at The Public Theater (425 Lafayette St.).

Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Deborah S. Craig (both of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), Manoel Felciano (Sweeney Todd) and Euan Morton (Brundibar, Taboo) will be among the stars taking part in the event, with more to be announced.

"Cabaret Gourmet returns bigger and better than ever in celebration of the shared spirit of the culinary and theater arts. Both offer delightful food for the soul -- but dinner theater, this is not. The evening will feature samplings from New York City's top chefs and restaurants while surprise guests from stage and screen serve up some savory selections of their own," according to press notes. This year's Cabaret Gourmet is co-chaired by Kenneth Branagh, Margo Lion and Saveur magazine Editor-In-Chief Colman Andrews. The benefit committee includes Blair Brown, Madhur Jaffrey and Carson Kressley.

Act I will feature delicacies prepared by top New York chefs paired with specialty cocktails and classic wines to complement the dishes. In act II, cabaret will meet gourmet with songs, skits, readings and surprises from stars of the New York stage. "A distinguished cast of actors, writers and chefs serve up an eclectic array of food-inspired acts directed by Trip Cullman." The event will last from 7 PM through 9:30 PM.

The evening will feature silent and live auctions with exciting prizes such as prime seats to hot shows, travel and dining packages, autographed theater memorabilia, celebrity dinners and more. Proceeds will benefit The Play Company's artistic programs.

Participating Chefs / Restaurants include: Chef Gray Kunz of Cafe Gray, Chefs Cedric Tovar & Nancy Olson of Peacock Alley, Chefs Patricia Yeo & Jehangir Mehta of Sapa, Chef Kerry Heffernan of Hudson Yards, Chef Alex Guarnaschelli of Butter, Chef Josh DeChellis of Jovia, Chef Michael Cressotti of Barbounia and Angus McIndoe of Angus McIndoe.

The Play Company (Kate Loewald--Founding Producer / Lauren Weigel--Managing Producer), a not-for-profit Off-Broadway company, is an international theater for new writing developing and producing adventurous new plays from the U.S. and around the world. Recent productions include the New York premiere of Leslie Ayvazian's Lovely Day (US), directed by Blair Brown, and the American premieres of The Presnyakov Brothers' Terrorism (Russia), directed by Will Frears (co-production, The New Group) and Vijay Tendulkar's Sakharam Binder (India), directed by Maria Mileaf. Later this season, The Play Company will present the New York premiere of Arabian Night by Roland Schimmelpfennig (Germany), directed by Trip Cullman. The company was launched in 1999 by Kate Loewald, Jack Temchin and Mike Ockrent.

Tickets are $200, and $2,500 - $5,000 for VIP tables. For reservations, call The Play Company at (212) 398-2977 or email Gala Coordinator Phillip Guttmann at phillip@playco.org. For more information, visit www.PlayCo.org.