A GRAND NIGHT FOR SINGING Opens Bucks County Playhouse Season Tonight

Rodgers & Hammerstein's A Grand Night for Singing, the first production of the Bucks County Playhouse (BCP) 2012 summer season, begins performances tonight, Monday, July 2nd at 8:00 p.m. and will run through Sunday, July 29th.

A ribbon cutting ceremony will precede the performance at 7:00 p.m., in celebration of the re-opening of the legendary and beloved landmark. This momentous occasion takes place 73 years and a day after The Playhouse first opened in 1939. Special guests will include Mayor Laurence Keller (New Hope), Chris Hart (son of Moss Hart), Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor Cawley, Congressman Michael Fitzpatrick (U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania's 8th congressional district), and Will Hammerstein (Grandson of Oscar Hammerstein II).

Directed by Tony® Award nominee and Emmy Award® winner Lonny Price, Rodgers & Hammerstein's A Grand Night for Singing features over 30 of Rodgers and Hammerstein's greatest hits, from "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" to "Some Enchanted Evening." This 1994 Tony® Award-nominated musical revue is "something wonderful" for all lovers of classic musical theater.

The cast features a line-up of some of Broadway's most seasoned performers including Courtney Balan (Broadway: [title of show], Cry-Baby), Ron Bohmer (Broadway: Phantom of the Opera, Ragtime), Greg Bosworth (Atlanta: Xanadu, Clyde and Bonnie: A Folktale), Erin Davie (Broadway: A Little Night Music, Grey Gardens), and Kenita R. Miller (Broadway: Xanadu, The Color Purple). These top Broadway performers have appeared in critically acclaimed New York productions and have collectively played over 4,000 Broadway performances, underlining The Playhouse's commitment to featuring the best performers available.

A Grand Night for Singing will celebrate with a special gala performance on Thursday, July 5 at 8:30pm. Proceeds from this evening will support the continued restoration of The Playhouse and the effort to bring it back as a centerpiece of the New Hope and Bucks County community. A pre-show cocktail party will be held at Martine's RiverHouse Restaurant (14 East Ferry Street) and a post-show reception at Marsha Brown (15 South Main Street). Tickets for the pre-show cocktail party, the show, and post show reception range from $275 – $350, with the show and post-reception from $200 – $275. Tickets for the performance only are $150, $75.00 for the pre-show cocktail party only and $175 for the post-show reception only. Tickets are available at bcptheater.org or by calling 215-862-2121.

A little over one week after what would have been Oscar Hammerstein II's 117th birthday, on Sunday, July 22nd , The Playhouse will present "Sing-a-Long-a Sound of Music", a full-screen Technicolor showing of the classic Julie Andrews film, based on the beloved Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, that comes complete with subtitles so that the whole audience can sing along. After more than 10,000 performances in 9 countries, the fun-filled show finally comes to Bucks County. "Bucks County was such an important place in the life of Oscar Hammerstein II, and at Highland Farm he had a retreat where he did much of his creative work," commented Ted Chapin, President and Executive Director of The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization.