Born in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York, she is a stage actress best known for originating the role of The Girl in the Off-Broadway production of THE FANTASTICKS (1960), the longest running musical of all time. Her other Off-Broadway credits include: THE CRADLE WILL ROCK (1964), JACQUES BREL IS ALIVE AND WELL AND LIVING IN PARIS (1968), TO BE YOUNG, GIFTED AND BLACK (1969), STEEL MAGNOLIAS (1987), WINGS (1993), and a revival of THE FOREIGNER (2004). She most recently appeared in I REMEMBER MAMA (2014) at The Gym at Judson. In 2002, she debuted her one-woman show, TRY TO REMEMBER: A LOOK BACK AT OFF-BROADWAY, in which she shared anecdotes from her Off-Broadway career. In December 2016, she premiered a new one-woman show, MUCH MORE: A TOM JONES AND HARVEY SCHMIDT SONG BOOK.

Rita Gardner was born in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, and began her career at five years old singing on the radio. On Broadway, she has appeared in: A Family Affair (1962), Pal Joey (1963), Ben Franklin in Paris (1964), On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1965), Last of the Red Hot Lovers (1969), Ari (1971), Morning’s at Seven (2002), and The Wedding Singer (2006). Her television credits include “Guiding Light” and “Law and Order,” and her film credits include Mr. Gibb, Super Heroes, and P.S. I Love You. She taught classes at Juilliard, Princeton, and New York University and the HB Studio.