American Idol's Jennifer Hudson Added to Hair
American Idol 3 finalist Jennifer Hudson has been added to the all-star Actors' Fund of America benefit concert of Hair. She joins a cast that already includes Shoshana Bean, Laura Benanti, Wayne Brady, Kathy Brier, Gavin Creel, Darius de Haas, Lea DeLaria, Harris Doran, Raul Esparza, Harvey Fierstein, Hunter Foster, Ana Gasteyer, Annie Golden, Ann Harada, Jackie Hoffman, Ledisi, Norm Lewis, Brandi Chavonne Massey, Michael McKean, Idina Menzel, Euan Morton, Julia Murney, Nancy Opel, Orfeh, Adam Pascal, Billy Porter, Jai Rodriguez, RuPaul, Christopher Sieber, Shayna Steele, John Tartaglia, Toxic Audio and Lillias White.
Hudson was considered one of the reigning divas of American Idol 3 and many were shocked by her April 21, 2004 ouster from the show. A native of Chicago, Illinois, she auditioned for American Idol in Atlanta. While she does not have professional voice training, Hudson was previously employed as a cruise ship singer.
Proceeds from Hair benefit The Actor's Fund, which is the only national nonprofit organization that provides for the social welfare of all entertainment professionals. Programs include nursing home and assisted living care facilities, senior and disabled programs, mental health services, chemical dependency services, services to employable professionals, the Phyllis Newman Women's Health Initiative, AIDS Initiative and supportive housing.
Hair will take place on Monday September 20 at 7:30pm at the New Amsterdam Theatre. Visit the Actors' Fund website or call 212-221-7300 for tickets to the event, which range in price from $75 to $2,500.
