Chita Rivera & David Hyde Pierce Lead B'way Holiday Tree Festivities

Chita Rivera soon to return to Broadway with Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life and David Hyde Pierce Spamalot will flip the switch to light the 2005 Broadway Holiday Tree on December 7 at 5pm in Father Duffy Square. The event will feature the cast of Altar Boyz singing "What Christmas Is…" by show composer Gary Adler.

The 2005 Broadway Holiday Tree is a 25-foot Douglas Fir, which will be decorated with white lights, accented with multi-colored holiday lights and ornaments representing every show currently playing on and off-Broadway. Broadway stars who have flipped the switch to light the Broadway Holiday Tree in the past several years have included in alphabetical order: Carol Channing, Stockard Channing, Roger Daltrey, Patty Duke, Sandy Duncan, Dame Edna Everage, George Hamilton, Valerie Harper, David Hasselhoff, Eartha Kitt, Nathan Lane, John Lithgow, Rue McClanahan, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Bebe Neuwirth, Tony Randall, Brooke Shields and Tommy Tune.

During the tree-lighting ceremony, Theatre Development Fund and The League of American Theatres and Producers will continue their tradition of presenting a $5,000 gift to a not-for-profit organization in the Theatre District. The ceremony will close with a performance by sixth grade students from The Professional Performing Arts School.