IF YOU GOWhat: Tuesday Night Live.When: 5:30 p.m. May 15.Where: Chattanooga Theatre Centre, 400 River St.Tickets: $100 and $175.Phone: 267-8534.
Live, from the North Shore ... it's Tuesday night!
And guest-hosting Chattanooga's parody of NBC's "Saturday Night Live" will be hometown son and Emmy winner Leslie Jordan.
Tuesday Night Live, set for May 15, is the Chattanooga Theatre Centre's lively fundraiser billed as "the un-gala." Guests are entertained with original sketches that poke a little fun at local and national politics as well as pop culture.
Jordan is the Brainerd High School and University of Tennessee at Chattanooga alumnus who won an Emmy Award in 2006 for his recurring role as cynical Beverley Leslie on "Will & Grace."
He has appeared on more than 50 television sitcoms, most notably in recurring roles on "Boston Legal," "Ugly Betty" and "Reba." His movie credits include Brother Boy in "Sordid Lives" and Emma Stone's newspaper editor in "The Help."
He is the author of "My Trip Down the Pink Carpet," his autobiography based on his one-man show of the same name.
Surprisingly, his role in Tuesday Night Live will be his first appearance on the Theatre Centre stage. Jordan said he performed in UTC Theater and the Dance Theater Workshop before leaving for California in the early 1980s.
He said he will open the show with a monologue then participate in some of
the comedy sketches. The actor is donating his time for the benefit.
"I'm going to start out with stories about the making of 'The Help.' People love hearing about that," Jordan said in a phone interview.
The comedian said he will share highlights of last year's trip to London, where his one-man show ran in the West End, and take excerpts from his new one-man show, "Fruit Fly."
"It was life-changing to be welcomed and embraced as I was in London. If they like you on TV, they really like you. 'Will & Grace' is very popular there. Cab drivers were hollering out their windows at me -- it was like I was Madonna," he drawled.
"Having Leslie Jordan join us for this event is a huge gift to the Chattanooga Theatre Centre," said Paula Henderson, president of the CTC board of directors. "Tuesday Night Live has always been a fun, irreverent party, but Leslie brings it to a whole new level."
Tickets for Tuesday Night Live are $100 per person, which includes beer, wine, hors d'oeuvres and entertainment. A limited number of $175 tickets are available for a preshow, meet-and-greet cocktail party and photo-op with Jordan.
This benefit is always a sell-out, and CTC spokeswoman Jan Belk said tickets are expected to move faster this year with the announcement of Jordan's participation. Tickets may be purchased online today at TheatreCentre.com. They will go on sale in the CTC box office Tuesday; call 267-8534.