Community Corner
Ilene Graff
ILENE GRAFF is a Grammy nominated recording artist (for her CDBABY’S BROADWAY LULLABIES) who is best known as the mom on the TV comedy, Mr. Belvedere. Broadway work includes runs inPromises, Promises (pit singer; Fran Kubelik), and Grease (Sandy). The highlight of her Broadway career was creating the role of Cleo in the Cy Coleman-Michael Stewart musical, I Love My Wife. Other theatre credits include Rose in Gypsy, Charley’s Aunt with Charles Grodin, and an award winning performance in You and Me, an original musical composed by her husband, Ben Lanzarone. She co-starred with Glenn Close in the Disney film version of South Pacific, and also has appeared in concerts for The Actors’ Fund honoring Harold Arlen, Kander and Ebb, Jule Styne and the late great Cy Coleman. Ilene has had sold out engagements at Sterling’s Upstairs at the Federal in Los Angeles, the world famous Magic Castle in Hollywood as part of their Cabaret at the Castle series and The Crest Theatre in Delray Beach, Florida. She’s also had very successful concerts at Birdland and the Metropolitan Room in Manhattan, and recently performed with her family The Graffs, at New York’s newest night spot, 54 Below. Ilene and Ben are the proud parents of Nikka Graff Lanzarone, a Broadway musical theatre performer and graduate of the Boston Conservatory.