ADULT EDUCATION: CLICK TO JOIN! Mondays | 10:30 am

Monday, August 5 10:30 a.m./ DANNY KAYE w/ SUSAN BENJAMIN

From the borscht belt in the Catskills of New York to London’s Palladium Theatre, Danny Kaye amazed his audiences with the sheer versatility of how he could entertain.  Although much of his material was created by his wife, Sylvia Fine, Danny transcended her material and could do it all: sing, dance, act, perform comedic acts… and the list goes on. He was also a chef, pilot, orchestra conductor, amateur surgeon and a humanitarian. This program profiles his full life along with examples of some of his most memorable work.

When she was 17, Susan Benjamin performed in a professional theater company in the musical Bye Bye Birdie with Orson Bean, Jane Withers, Sandy Duncan and Jay and the Americans.  She became a secondary school English teacher, with a specialty in public speaking and television broadcasting.  Most of her previous career she spent in school administration: English Department Chair at Highland Park High School in Illinois and Assistant Superintendent of Schools in Highland Park and Deerfield, IL. The author of two books on public speaking, Susan served on the governing board of the leadership branch of the National Council of Teachers of English, where she earned the Lifetime Writer Award.  Currently, Susan presents musical biographies at over 40 locations in the Chicago area and in Longboat Key, FL.