Welcome Tommy
Tommy Tune dances into his hometown of Houston and gets a Texas-sized welcome
Broadway star Tommy Tune recently returned to his home town andHouston oil exec Anthony Petrello and his wife Cynthia invited50 of his and their friends, along with Miller Outdoor Theatre advisory board members, to their Shadyside mansion to give the award-winning performer/director/choreographer a special Texas welcome.
Tune, a Lamar High graduate who studied dance with Patsy Swayze in Houston before launching a career filled with acclaim, was in town to perform Tommy Tune Tonight at Miller Outdoor Theatre, which attracted a crowd of 5,000 fans.
Guests at the cocktail reception mingled with the tall Tune (he towers 6-feet-6-inches) and took in the nice fall weather by strolling the home's well-manicured grounds, catching glimpses of the family’s outdoor bunnies. The evening also featured cocktails and appetizers by City Kitchen and music by Divisi Strings Amp’d and pianist Scott Graham.
Tune has received Tony Awards for his work in several Broadway shows, including The Will Rogers Follies, Grand Hotel, My One and Only, Nine, A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine, and Seesaw. In 2002, Houston's Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) created the the annual Tommy Tune Awards to recognize and reward excellence in the production of musical theater by Houston-area high school students and their teachers.
Toasting Tune were Carena Petrello, David Mincberg, Lainie Gordon, Karin Marshall, St John Flynn,Marjana and Hal Roach, Colin Brokaw, June Deadrick, Miriam Meyers, Rodney Nathan, Cathy Brock, Sandy Godfrey, Francie Mendenhall, and Maureen Patton.