THEATER BITS: Norm Lewis in "Made for NY' benefit; Stew to release 'Midsummer Night's Dream' CD.

      *Highly acclaimed Broadway veteran Norm Lewis (Les Miserables, Chicago) has been added as a special guest performer for the one night only Broadway benefit, "Made in New York," at Broadway's Minskoff Theater on June 29.  Norm Lewis is currently starring as "King Triton" on Broadway version in Disney's The Little Mermaid. "Made in New York" is a revue-style show that will celebrate pioneers in African-American theater, honoring: Tony winner LaChanze, Grammy-winning composer Henry Krieger and legendary director-actor-writer-composer Melvin Van Peebles. The evening will benefit cancer research at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

       *Shakespeare on the Sound will release an album of songs from its current production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, which features music by Tony winning Passing Strange creator Stew. The outdoor production, which plays through July 28 at Pinkney Park in Rowayton, CT, and later runs July 4-12 at Baldwin Park in Greenwich, CT, is directed by Joanna Settle (9 Parts of Desire, Public Theater's In Darfur). The studio recording of Stew's music, which is anticipated to have 15 tracks, will feature incidental passages from the production as well as five new stand-alone songs. Midsummer will be released July 21 with presale orders available at performances of the summer engagement. For further information, visit www.ShakespeareontheSound.com.