LA CAGE AUX FOLLES
MAKES HISTORY!

FIRST SHOW TO WIN THE TONY AWARD THREE TIMES FOR
BEST MUSICAL PRODUCTION

WINNER! BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
TONY, DRAMA DESK, DRAMA LEAGUE,
OUTER CRITICS CIRCLE, OLIVIER AWARDS

WINNER! BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL – DOUGLAS HODGE
TONY, DRAMA DESK, OUTER CRITICS CIRCLE, OLIVIER AWARDS 

WINNER! BEST DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL – TERRY JOHNSON
TONY, OUTER CRITICS CIRCLE AWARDS

LA CAGE AUX FOLLES made Tony Awards history last night.   The classic musical comedy by Jerry Herman and Harvey Fierstein originally won six Tony Awards in 1984, including Best Musical.  A Broadway revival won two 2005 Tony Awards including the Best Revival of a Musical prize.  Last night, LA CAGE won the 2010 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical, as well as Tony Awards for Best Actor in a Musical (Douglas Hodge) and Best Director of a Musical (Terry Johnson), making it the first show to ever win the Tony Award three times for best production. 

The freshly reconceived LA CAGE is also the winner of three Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Revival of a Musical, Outstanding Actor in a Musical (Douglas Hodge) and Outstanding Costume Design (Matthew Wright), four Outer Critics Circle Awards, including Outstanding Revival of a Musical, Outstanding Actor in a Musical (Douglas Hodge), Outstanding Director of a Musical (Terry Johnson) and Outstanding Costume Design (Matthew Wright) and the Drama League Award for Distinguished Revival of a Musical. 

LA CAGE AUX FOLLES opened on Broadway to rave reviews on April 18 at the Longacre Theatre (220 West 48th Street).   The production stars Kelsey Grammer as Georges; Douglas Hodge as Albin; Fred Applegate as M. Dindon/M. Renaud; Veanne Cox as Mme. Dindon/Mme. Renaud; Chris Hoch as Francis; Elena Shaddow as Anne; A.J. Shively as Jean-Michel; Christine Andreas as Jacqueline; Robin De Jesús as Jacob; Heather Lindell as Colette; Bill Nolte as Tabarro and David Nathan Perlow as Etienne.  

Also starring as the notorious and dangerous Cagelles are Nick Adams as Angelique, Sean A. Carmon as Phaedra, Nicholas Cunningham as Hanna, Sean Patrick Doyle as Chantal, Logan Keslar as Bitelle and Terry Lavell as Mercedes.   The production also features Christophe Caballero, Todd Lattimore, Dale Hensley, Caitlin Mundth and Cheryl Stern.  

Douglas Hodge and Nicholas Cunningham are appearing with the permission of Actors’ Equity Association. The producers gratefully acknowledge Actors’ Equity Association for its assistance to this production.

LA CAGE AUX FOLLES features music and lyrics by Jerry Herman and book by Harvey Fierstein, based on the play by Jean Poiret.  This production is choreographed by Lynne Page and directed by Terry Johnson. 

Georges (Kelsey Grammer) is the suave owner of a glitzy drag club on the French Riviera. Partnered romantically with his high-strung star performer, Albin (Douglas Hodge), the pair live a charmed life—until Georges’ son announces his engagement to the daughter of a conservative right-wing politician who’s coming to dinner.

The original production of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES was one of Broadway’s biggest hits of the 1980s.  It opened August 21, 1983 at the Palace Theatre, where it played for over four years and 1,761 performances.  The show won six Tony Awards in 1984, including Best Musical, Best Score (Jerry Herman) and Best Book (Harvey Fierstein).       

The new production of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES played from November 23, 2007 to March 8, 2008 at the Menier Chocolate Factory, earning across the board raves and moving to the West End’s Playhouse Theatre on October 30, 2008, where it was nominated for seven 2009 Olivier Awards, winning for Best Musical Revival and Best Actor in a Musical for Douglas Hodge and won the 2009 Critics’ Circle Theatre Award for Best Musical. 

The production features set design by Tim Shortall, costume design by Matthew Wright, lighting design by Nick Richings, sound design by Jonathan Deans and wig and makeup design by Richard Mawbey.   Musical supervision, orchestrations and dance arrangements are by Jason Carr.  Musical director is Todd Ellison. 

LA CAGE AUX FOLLES is produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, David Babani, Fran and Barry Weissler and Edwin W. Schloss, Bartner/Tulchin, Broadway Across America, Matthew Mitchell, Raise the Roof 4 Richard Winkler/Bensinger Taylor/Laudenslager Bergère, Arlene Scanlan/John O’Boyle, Independent Presenters Network, Olympus Theatricals, Allen Spivak, Jerry Frankel/Bat-Barry Productions, Nederlander Presentations, Inc/Harvey Weinstein. 

Tickets ($132.50 - $36.50; Premium $251.50; Table Seating $251.50) are on sale through Telecharge.com at 212-239-6200, online at www.telecharge.com/lacage and at the Longacre Theatre box office (220 West 48th Street).  Performances are Tuesday through Saturday at 8:00 PM, Sunday at 7:00 PM, with matinees Wednesday and Saturday at 2:30 PM.  Beginning June 20, Sunday matinees at 3:00 PM. 

# # # #

www.LaCage.com

{sharethis}

Tony Awards Winners Breakdown

Who in the theatre industry won last night – number of Tony Awards

Telecharge                                          25

Spotco                                                  19

Shubert Organization (landlord)18

Boneau/Bryan-Brown                    16

Britains                                                   9

Hartman Group                                  7

CAA                                                         6*

Donmar Warehouse                         6

Jujamcyn                                               6

Red (play)                                             6

Gersh Agency                                      5*

Memphis (musical)                            4

Menier Chocolate Factory              4

Art and Commerce                            3

Fela! (musical)                                     3

Fences (play)                                       3

Richard Kornberg Associates         3

La Cage (musical)                                3

Serino Coyne                                        3

WME agency                                        3*

*   may be a low number because of incomplete information or shared representation.

{sharethis}

TONY AWARD-WINNING
FENCES
BREAKS BOX OFFICE RECORD AGAIN
FOR THE CORT THEATRE
WEEK ENDING JUNE 13

The first Broadway revival of August Wilson’s 1987 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play FENCES, which won the Tony Award last night for Best Revival of a Play, broke the box office record for the third time at the Cort Theatre (138 West 48th Street, NYC) for the week ending June 13, 2010, grossing $1,057,268.50.

Starring two-time Academy Award winner and Tony Award winner Denzel Washington and Academy Award nominee and Tony Award winner Viola Davis, FENCES is playing a strictly limited 13-week engagement at the Cort Theatre (138 West 48th Street) through July 11. The production is directed by Tony nominee Kenny Leon.

FENCES has won the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Play Revival, as well as Tony Awards for Best Actor Denzel Washington and Best Actress Viola Davis.  Drama Desk Awards were presented to Viola Davis and Branford Marsalis (for his score), and Outer Critics Circle Awards went to Denzel Washington for Best Actor and Viola Davis for Best Actress. Ms. Davis has won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Sustained Excellence and director Kenny Leon has received a Drama League Award for Excellence in Directing.

In addition to Denzel Washington as Troy Maxson and Viola Davis as Rose Maxson, the cast features Chris Chalk as Cory, Tony Award-nominee Stephen McKinley Henderson as Jim Bono, Russell Hornsby as Lyons, Mykelti Williamson as Gabriel, and with Eden Duncan-Smith and SaCha Stewart-Coleman alternating in the role of Raynell.

FENCES is produced by Carole Shorenstein Hays (who produced the original Broadway production) and Scott Rudin. 

The original Broadway production of FENCES opened on March 26, 1987 at the 46th Street Theatre (now the Richard Rodgers Theatre). FENCES was one of the most critically acclaimed and successful plays of the 1980s, winning four Tony Awards including Best Play, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, three Drama Desk Awards, including Best Play and the NY Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play.   

Two-time Academy Award® winner Denzel Washington returns to Broadway, alongside Academy Award nominee and Tony Award® winner Viola Davis, in August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play. Both a monumental drama and an intimate family portrait, FENCES tells the story of Troy Maxson, a man torn between the glory of his past and the uncertainty of his future. Emboldened by pride and embittered by sacrifice, Troy is determined to make life better for future generations, even as he struggles to embrace the dreams of his own son.

The production team includes Branford Marsalis (Original Music), Santo Loquasto (Set Design), Constanza Romero (Costume Design), Brian MacDevitt (Lighting Design), ACME Sound Partners (Sound Design).

Follow FENCES on Twitter: @FencesBroadway
Find FENCES on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/FencesBroadway

 #         #         #

For more information on FENCES, please visit:
www.FencesOnBroadway.com

{sharethis}

LAST TWO WEEKS TO SEE

Banana Shpeel AT THE BEACON THEATRE

FINAL NY PERFORMANCE SUNDAY, JUNE 27

(New York, June 14, 2010)  Producers announced today that Banana Shpeel will give its final New York performance Sunday, June 27 at the Beacon Theatre (2124 Broadway).  Banana Shpeel began performances in New York on April 29, with an official premiere on May 19. Prior to New York, Banana Shpeel played an engagement at the Chicago Theatre in Chicago from November 19, 2009 through January 2, 2010. Banana Shpeel will begin a North American tour this fall.       

Banana Shpeel is the latest show from producer extraordinaire “Marty Schmelky” and features a colorful array of slapstick comedy, eclectic dance and unique acrobatic acts. The larger-than-life personality presents the diverse talent he has gathered from around the world, as zany characters spread chaos throughout the theatre.

Ticket Information

• For all performances through June 27, tickets are available for $39 and $49.
• All ticket holders for cancelled performances (after June 27) will receive full refunds at the original point of purchase.

To purchase tickets, go to www.schmelkyproductions.com or www.ticketmaster.co or call 1-866-858-0008.

Show Schedule (through June 27, 2010)

• Wednesday at 2 pm & 8pm
• Thursday & Friday at 8pm
• Saturday at 2pm & 8pm
• Sunday at 2pm & 6pm

BROADWAY BARES XX
“STRIP-OPOLY”
ANNOUNCES SPECIAL GUESTS

OVER 200 OF BROADWAY’S HOTTEST DANCERS TO BE JOINED BY…
CHARLES BUSCH, KEVIN CHAMBERLIN, KRISTIN CHENOWETH,
ALAN CUMMING, DIANA DEGARMO, LEA DELARIA,
KATIE FINNERAN, BARRETT FOA, DEBBIE GRAVITTE,
JULIE HALSTON, JACKIE HOFFMAN, JANE KRAKOWSKI,
REICHEN LEHMKUHL, NORM LEWIS, LUCY LIU,
EUAN MORTON, JULIA MURNEY, CHRISTOPHER SIEBER,
BRUCE VILANCH, LILLIAS WHITE, VANESSA WILLIAMS,
AND MANY MORE

 PRODUCED BY BROADWAY CARES/EQUITY FIGHTS AIDS
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER JERRY MITCHELL
BENEFITING BC/EFA 

PRESENTED BY M·A·C VIVA GLAM 

ROSELAND BALLROOM

(239 West 52nd Street)

BROADWAY BARES XX: “STRIP-OPOLY”  is pleased to announce a few of the special guest stars who will join over 200 of New York’s sexiest dancers at Broadway’s hottest night in an event produced by and benefitting Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS. BROADWAY BARES will be held Sunday, June 20 with two performances only (9:30 PM & Midnight) at Roseland Ballroom (239 West 52nd Street). BROADWAY BARES XX: “STRIP-OPOLY” is produced by and benefits Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS.

This year’s BARES will feature stars spanning BARES’ 19 previous editions and some new faces to the Roseland stage. Notable names scheduled to appear include: Nick Adams (La Cage Aux Folles), Kevin Burrows (Spamalot on Tour), Charles Busch (The Divine Sister), Kevin Chamberlin (The Addams Family), Tony and Emmy Award winner Kristin Chenoweth (Promises, Promises), Jennifer Cody (Shrek The Musical), Tony Award winner Alan Cumming (“The Good Wife”), Diana DeGarmo (Hair), Lea DeLaria (The Rock Horror Show), Felicia Finley (The Wedding Singer), Tony Award winner Katie Finneran (Promises, Promises), Barrett Foa (Avenue Q), Tony Award winner Debbie Gravitte (Jerome Robbins’ Broadway), Julie Halston (The Divine Sister), Jackie Hoffman (The Addams Family), Denis Jones (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), Tony Award winner Jane Krakowski (“30 Rock”), Sebastian LaCause (The Rocky Horror Show), reality television star Reichen Lehmkuhl (“The Amazing Race”), Norm Lewis (Sondheim on Sondheim), Lucy Liu (God of Carnage), Julia Murney (Wicked), Christopher Sieber (Shrek The Musical), Rachelle Rak (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), Andrew Rannells (Jersey Boys) Bruce Vilanch (Hairspray), Tony Award winner Lillias White (Fela), Vanessa Williams (Sondheim on Sondheim), and more.

This year’s opening number is entitled “The Best Game in Town,” and is written by David Nehls (The Great American Trailer Park Musical). The number will be performed by Euan Morton (Sondheim on Sondheim).

Grab your favorite piece (Dog? Ship? Boot? Thimble?), roll the dice, and get ready to put money into the community chest to help BROADWAY BARES XX: “STRIP-OPOLY” reach their $1 million fundraising goal to benefit BC/EFA. This year’s BROADWAY BARES will bring a whole new definition to the phrase “game night” when over 200 of Broadway’s sexiest dancers come together for the hottest burlesque show this side of Park Place.

BROADWAY BARES XX: “STRIP-OPOLY” is produced by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Executive Produced by Tony Award-winner Jerry Mitchell (Love Never Dies, Catch Me If You Can, Legally Blonde), and will be directed by Josh Rhodes (The Drowsy Chaperone, Fosse).

The first Broadway Bares in 1992 featured seven dancers stripping on a bar and raised over $8,000. Since then, the 19 subsequent editions of BROADWAY BARES have collectively raised over $6 million to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and grown to a full-fledged production featuring over 200 of Broadway’s sexiest dancers.

TICKETING INFORMATION FOR BROADWAY BARES XX: “STRIP-OPOLY”:

Tickets can be purchased online at www.BroadwayCares.org or by calling (212) 840-0770 x 268. 

9:30 PM SHOW: $650 Benefactor - includes reserved seat at a cocktail table and open bar before the show; $250 VIP - includes non-reserved standing ticket in VIP area closest to stage or VIP Mezzanine with open bar before the show; $100 Priority - includes non-reserved standing ticket in Priority Viewing area close to the stage; $55 General Admission -non-reserved standing ticket.

MIDNIGHT SHOW: $650 Benefactor - includes reserved seat at a cocktail table and open bar before the show; $250 VIP - includes non-reserved standing ticket in VIP mezzanine with open bar before the show; $55 General Admission - non-reserved standing ticket.

BC/EFA is pleased to announce the return of the “VIP BACKSTAGE PASS” PACKAGE ($10,000). You and a guest will be escorted into Roseland for a sneak peek of the dress rehearsal, and meet Jerry Mitchell and a guest celebrity. Enjoy dinner and drinks at a private cocktail party with Jerry and Broadway stars.   Come back to Roseland and join the entire company backstage for a short visit before you are escorted to your table in the VIP lounge and stay for both shows. After the Midnight show, you will join the cast as VIP guests at the post-show cast-party. This package is extremely limited in availability.

BROADWAY BARES is the hotly anticipated annual event combining the naughtiness of burlesque and the razzle-dazzle of Broadway and has been a smashing success since its inception in 1992. The event features the hottest male and female dancers on Broadway and has become one of Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS' signature events.  The 2010 edition, BROADWAY BARES XX: “STRIP-OPOLY” will be held at Roseland Ballroom (239 West 52nd Street) on Sunday, June 20 with performances at 9:30 PM and midnight. For tickets, information, and merchandise, visit www.BroadwayBares.com.

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is one of the nation’s leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations.  By drawing upon the talents, resources and generosity of the American theatre community, since 1988 BC/EFA has raised over $175 million for essential services for people with AIDS and other critical illnesses across the United States. 

BC/EFA is the major supporter of seven programs at The Actors’ Fund - including The AIDS Initiative, The Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative, The Al Hirschfeld Free Health Clinic, The Dancers’ Resource and three supportive housing residences.  BC/EFA also awards annual grants to over 400 AIDS and family service organizations nationwide.  

For more information, please visit the BC/EFA website at www.broadwaycares.org.

#  #  #  #

Follow BC/EFA on Twitter: @BCEFA
Find BC/EFA on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BCEFA

For more information on BROADWAY BARES, please visit:
www.BroadwayBares.com or www.BroadwayCares.org

{sharethis}

Performance Space 122 announces
the following updated schedule and credits for

 THE OCTOROON:
 AN ADAPTATION OF THE OCTOROON
BASED ON THE OCTOROON 

June 11, 2010 – Performance Space 122 has announced the following changes to the final presentation of the Spring 2010 season; please update listings accordingly:

THE OCTOROON:

AN ADAPTATION OF THE OCTOROON BASED ON THE OCTOROON

Written and directed by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins

Saturday, June 19- Saturday, July 3

Wednesdays – Saturdays at 8PM, Sundays at 6PM

Special Event: Thursday Night Social on June 24 following the performance

Press Performances begin Thursday, June 24 @ 8pm

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, LLC and Pan Pan theatre company have reached the decision to discontinue their collaboration on The Octoroon: An Adaptation of The Octoroon Based on The Octoroon, originally slated to begin performances June 16.  PS122 is disappointed with the outcome but supports the mutual decision of all parties not to continue as originally envisaged, and remains committed to working with both parties on future projects.   A production of a new version of the play will now run from Saturday, June 19 at 8PM through Saturday, July 3.

More about THE OCTOROON: AN ADAPTATION OF THE OCTOROON BASED ON THE OCTOROON

Performance Space 122 is proud to present Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, one of NYC’s most incendiary new playwrights, for what is sure to be a Molotov cocktail of contemporary theatre performance: THE OCTOROON: AN ADAPTATION OF THE OCTOROON BASED ON THE OCTOROON is an adaptation of 19th century Irish playwright Dion Boucicault's infamous melodrama.

After immigrating to the United States, Boucicault’s The Octoroon premiered at one of New York City’s premier theaters in 1859, while the country was on the brink of the Civil War. The Octoroon became immensely popular and created one of the earliest occurrences in American popular theatre where the use of a popular entertainment such as the melodrama, created dialogue and controversy about contemporary societal issues; abolition, African Americans, and slavery in America.

THE OCTOROON: AN ADAPTATION OF THE OCTOROON BASED ON THE OCTOROON is a bombastic, super-theatrical, full-scale investigation of that classic intersection of theatre and identity politics.  This 21st century adaptation seeks to understand why New York audiences can't seem to get enough of plays about racism and America. 

PS122’s presentation of THE OCTOROON: AN ADAPTATION OF THE OCTOROON BASED ON THE OCTOROON marks the first full production of one of Mr. Jacobs-Jenkins’ plays. 

Artistic Director Vallejo Gantner says, “We're thrilled to have Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ latest exploration of race and theatre in America. It continues PS122's venerable history of working with polemic, deeply experimental new writing that challenges our ways of thinking, disturbing and have divided critics and audiences. I have loved, hated, been horrified, perplexed and compelled by everything of his I have seen - frequently all at the same moment. Beneath the face paint there is a riveting intelligence that, like Young Jean Lee, Thomas Bradshaw and many others, that gazes unafraid upon its own biases, absurdities and contradictions.”

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins is a former playwriting fellow at the New York Theatre Workshop, an alum of the Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab and the Public Theater’s Emerging Writing Group, and a member of the ArsNova Playgroup. He is the recipient of the 2009 Princess Grace Award for Playwriting and the 2009 Dorothy Strelsin Playwriting Fellowship. His full-length plays include Appropriate, The Change, and Neighbors, was presented in February 2010 as part of the Public Theater’s PublicLab.

Performance Space 122 is one of New York's ultimate destinations for cutting-edge theatre, dance, music, live art and multi-media. PS122 is dedicated to supporting and presenting artists who explore innovative form and provocative content and who rigorously challenge the boundaries of contemporary performance; PS122 is committed to a steadfast search for pioneering artists from a diversity of cultures, nations and beliefs. www.ps122.org  

Support for THE OCTOROON: AN ADAPTATION OF THE OCTOROON BASED ON THE OCTOROON has been provided by a Commission Grant from the Jerome Foundation, and the Axe-Houghton Foundation.

What’s black and white and red all over?  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fM7GQxLtU-k

Trailer by Hannah Carpenter

THE OCTOROON: AN ADAPTATION OF THE OCTOROON BASED ON THE OCTOROON  runs Saturday, June 19 - Saturday, July 3 on the following schedule:

Wednesdays – Saturdays at 8PM, Sundays at 6PM.

SPECIAL EVENT: Thursday Night Social on June 24 following the performance

Tickets $18, $15 (students/seniors), $11 (with the PS122 Passport)

Available at www.ps122.org , 212-352-3101 and at the Box Office.

Performance Space 122 is located at 150 First Avenue at E. 9th St., NYC, NY 10009.

# # #

{sharethis}

ROUNDABOUT THEATRE COMPANY

Announces a Broadway fan lip-synch contest
for
EVERYDAY RAPTURE

Lip-synch your way to Semi-Semi Stardom!

“A smashing show that reminds us why so many of us keep going back to Broadway.
Sherie Rene Scott has never shined brighter or more illuminatingly.”
- Ben Brantley, The New York Times

Fans of Everyday Rapture now have their shot at semi-semi stardom! 

Log on to www.facebook.com/RoundaboutTheatreCompany to submit a video of yourself lip synching a song from the musical before June 27th.  One lucky winner will be chosen to receive two complimentary tickets to Everyday Rapture, a meet and greet with Sherie Rene Scott and the cast of Everyday Rapture, a cast album and a gift pack.  Song clips and the cast album are available for download on the submission site.

On Tuesday, June 15 the cast album will be wherever music is sold.  That same night, Sherie Rene Scott, Dick Scanlan and the cast of Everyday Rapture will be signing CDs at the American Airlines Theatre beginning at 8:30PM.

Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director) presents Sherie Rene Scott starring in Everyday Rapture, the critically acclaimed new Broadway musical by Dick Scanlan & Sherie Rene Scott and directed by Michael Mayer.

Everyday Rapture is playing at the American Airlines Theatre on Broadway (227 West 42nd Street). This is a limited engagement through July 11th, 2010.

Everyday Rapture is the story of a young woman’s psycho-sexual-spiritual journey on the rocky path that separates her mostly Mennonite past from her mostly Manhattan future. Her life takes her from the cornfields of Kansas to the clover fields of New York (with a disturbing detour through YouTube). Everyday Rapture also features songs made famous by David Byrne, Roberta Flack, Mister Rogers, The Supremes, Elton John, Tom Waits, U2 and Judy Garland.

Everyday Rapture has been nominated for two Tony awards including Best Actress in a Musical (Sherie Rene Scott) and Best Book of a Musical (Dick Scanlan & Sherie Rene Scott).

The Everyday Rapture cast album is available from Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records www.sh-k-boom.com and wherever music is sold.

TICKET INFORMATION:

Tickets are available by calling Roundabout Ticket Services at (212)719-1300, online at www.roundabouttheatre.org or at the American Airlines Box Office (227 West 42nd Street).  To become a Roundabout subscriber visit www.roundabouttheatre.org or call Roundabout Ticket Services (212)719-1300.  Ticket prices range from $66.50 to $116.50. 

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:

Everyday Rapture plays Tuesday through Saturday evening at 8:00PM with Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:00PM. 

www.roundabouttheatre.org

# # #

{sharethis}

BROADWAY’S TONY NOMINATED BEST MUSICAL

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET

TO WELCOME

OSCAR® & GRAMMY® AWARD WINNER MELISSA ETHERIDGE

TO NEDERLANDER THEATRE WEDNESDAY EVENING, JUNE 23

FOR ONE TIME ONLY ROCK JAM SESSION

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, Broadway’s new hit musical, is pleased to announce that Academy Award winner and two-time Grammy Award winner Melissa Etheridge will join the cast of the Tony nominated Best Musical for a special performance during the finale of the Wednesday evening, June 23 performance.

Etheridge, whose latest album Fearless Love recently was released on Island Records to widespread acclaim, will be making her Broadway debut on the stage of the Nederlander Theatre (208 West 41st Street) with this performance that will feature a new song, not already in the show, that will be pulled from the canon of rock and roll’s iconic songs.

In addition to her appearance on the stage of the Nederlander Theatre, Etheridge will be performing a full length concert in New York on Wednesday, July 14 at The United Palace Theatre (4140 Broadway). Tickets for that concert can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or by CLICKING HERE.

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET has been nominated for three Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Levi Kreis) and Best Book of a Musical (Colin Escott & Floyd Mutrux). The show received an Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical (Levi Kreis), a Drama Desk Nomination for Outstanding Musical Revue and three Drama League Nominations including Distinguished Production of a Musical and Distinguished Performance (Lance Guest & Levi Kreis).      

The cast of MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET features Eddie Clendening (Elvis Presley), Lance Guest (Johnny Cash), Levi Kreis (Jerry Lee Lewis), Robert Britton Lyons (Carl Perkins), Tony Award® nominee Hunter Foster (Little Shop of Horrors, Urinetown) and Elizabeth Stanley (Cry-Baby).

On December 4, 1956, an auspicious twist of fate brought Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Elvis Presley together. The place was Sun Records’ storefront studio in Memphis. The man who made it happen was Sam Phillips, the “Father of Rock and Roll,” who discovered them all. The four young musicians united for the only time in their careers for an impromptu recording that has come to be known as one of the greatest rock jam sessions of all time.

Inspired by the actual event, MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET features a treasure trove of the greatest rock and roll, gospel, R&B and country hits from these musicians, including such iconic songs as “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Fever,” “Sixteen Tons,” “Who Do You Love?,” “Great Balls of Fire,” “Riders in the Sky,” “I Walk the Line,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On.” MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET captures the infectious spirit, freewheeling excitement and thrilling sounds of a singular moment when four of the music industry’s most extraordinary talents, all in their creative prime, came together for one of the most memorable nights in music history.

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET is directed by Eric Schaeffer and features a book by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux. The design team for Broadway includes: Derek McLane (scenic design), Howell Binkley (lighting design), Jane Greenwood (costume design), Kai Harada (sound design) and Chuck Mead (musical arrangements and supervision).

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET is produced by Relevant Theatricals, John Cossette Productions, American Pop Anthology, Broadway Across America, and James L. Nederlander.

The Chicago production of MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET opened in 2008 and is still playing to packed houses at the Apollo Theatre, for information about the Chicago production of MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, visit www.MillionDollarQuartetLive.com.

Follow MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET news on Twitter @milliondquartet and on Facebook

TICKET INFORMATION:

Tickets for MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET are available online www.TicketMaster.com, by calling 212-307-4100, or by visiting the Nederlander Box Office (208 West 41st Street).

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET’s performance schedule is Tuesday at 7PM, Thursday through Saturday at 8PM and Sunday at 7PM. Matinees on Wednesday and Saturday at 2PM and Sunday at 3PM.

BIOGRAPHY

MELISSA ETHERIDGE has been a core Island Records artist since the release of her critically-acclaimed eponymous RIAA multi-platinum debut album.  For several years, Melissa’s popularity built around such memorable songs as “Bring Me Some Water,” “Like The Way I Do,” and “Ain't It Heavy,”  for which she won her first Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal.

Melissa hit her commercial and artistic stride with her fourth album, Yes I Am, featuring the massive hits “I’m the Only One” and “Come to My Window,” a searing song of longing that brought her second Best Female Rock Grammy.  The album went six times platinum and spent more than two and a half years on the album chart.  Her highest charting album to date, Your Little Secret, included the hit single, “I Want to Come Over.”  In February 2007, she celebrated a career milestone when she won an Oscar® in the Best Original Song category at the 79th Annual Academy Awards® for "I Need To Wake Up," written for the Al Gore documentary on global warming, An Inconvenient Truth.  Etheridge released her tenth studio album, Fearless Love, on April 27th.

# # # #

www.MillionDollarQuartetLive.com

www.MelissaEtheridge.com

Follow MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET news on Twitter @milliondquartet and on Facebook

{sharethis}