BUTLER TWP - There wasn't an empty seat Saturday night when Tony Award-winning actress and county native Michele Pawk performed "An Evening with Michele Pawk" at the Succop Theater on the Butler County Community College campus.

Accompanied by her old friend Vince Tavolario on piano and Roger Hines of Columbus, Ohio, on string bass, Pawk sang songs she performed on the Broadway stage, as well as some she wished she had sung. She told stories from her life in theater, and she was joined by her husband, John Dossett, a Tony Award-nominated stage actor, on some numbers.

The two-hour event, which benefited the Butler Arts Council, began with a brief slide show of Pawk's life. Then William Lehnerd of Butler, the show's producer and another of Pawk's longtime friends, introduced her."Here she is, Butler County's Broadway star, my friend, Michele Pawk," he said.Pawk came on stage to a standing ovation and began her show with a jazzy, up-tempo version of, "Hit Me with a Hot Note," from the Broadway musical, "Swing."This was not the first time Pawk has performed with Tavolario. When she was young, she took piano lessons from him and performed with him at his restaurant, Natili's on Main Street.She admitted she never practiced her piano, so Tavolario had her sing while he played. She credited him with teaching her to sing to accompaniment. She acknowledged how highly she thinks of him and how happy she was to be working with him again.

"We had the time of our lives playing together again," she said. "He's like an orchestra with 10 fingers."Among the songs Pawk, Tavolario and Hines performed were the title song, "Cabaret," and from Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella," "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful," and "In My Own Little Corner."She sang "Downtown," and for the sexy song, "Naughty Baby," she played against Dossett but had to stop because she forgot the words.Pawk also accompanied herself to "Red Red Robin," on the ukulele, an instrument she had to learn for her award-winning role in "Hollywood Arms."Between songs and sometimes verses of songs, Pawk talked about her life on stage and in New York City.She remembered a time when she, her husband and their son, Jack, were on the subway to see Jack's first musical. Across the car, a young woman was talking to her father, giving him instructions on where to meet her and how to act in the big city.According to Pawk, when he got off the train, his daughter said to him, "Don't forget, you're in New York City. You're not in Butler anymore.""And that girl is Julie Hogan, and her father now lives in Grove City," Pawk said.She talked about how painful reviews can be. Her first review came when she was an understudy in the show, "Mail," which opened at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. It said, "Antonia Ellis (the reviewer had gotten her name wrong) had legs for days, talent for minutes."She said she often forgets the good notices written about her, but the bad ones stick forever.Halfway through the show, Dossett joined his wife for the song, "You'll Never Get Away From Me," from the show, "Gypsy." He sang the part of Herbie, a role he played on Broadway that gained him a Tony nomination.Pawk also showed off her Tony Award. She said she truly never expected to win, especially since she was competing with Lynn Redgrave and Chita Rivera, among others."I'm not nervous because I'm not going to win," she said.When her name was announced, she said she first had to recover from the shock of actually winning.Producers of the televised award show gave her 90 seconds to get on stage and give her thank you speech. She said it took her 90 seconds just to get to the podium. She gave her speech over the music that signaled her time was up.Saturday night's show closed with a duet of Pawk and Tavolario singing, "Won't You Come Home Bill Bailey," a song they used to sing together when she performed at Natili's.A second standing ovation brought Pawk back on stage, where she brought out her son and sang to him. She was then joined by Dossett, and they both sang backup as Tavolario belted out Neil Diamond's, "Brother Loves Traveling Salvation Show."In the theater lobby after the show, Mayor Leonard Pintell presented Pawk with a key to the city and proclaimed Saturday Michele Pawk Day. Then, surrounded by fans, Pawk signed autographs for more than an hour.Those who attended felt they got their $50 worth."I enjoyed it," said Judy Wadding of Butler. "She's a one-woman show, that's what she is.""She is so genuine and real on stage," said Lorraine Kollar of Harrisville. "She has a fantastic voice on stage but she's just like your next door neighbor. You can see why she got on Broadway and why she won a Tony."Lehnerd was satisfied with the show: "I'm delighted for the people of Butler to enjoy a great evening with a wonderful personality. And we can't forget the wonderful work of Vince Tavolario. I really don't think we could have pulled this off without him."According to Dan Cox, president of the arts council, "An Evening with Michele Pawk" raised more than $20,000."I was thinking, at this point I don't even know how to thank her," he said. "It was an amazing evening."The proceeds will go toward completing Phase I of the council's Cultural Village project. The funds have been earmarked for the development of the Cultural Heritage Museum at 421 N. Main St.Cox said the museum will house the archives of Butler's arts organizations, giving "the history of Butler in terms of the arts."There are also plans for a hands-on toy exhibit.