Fascinating Aida Rertuns to New York April 6-May 15

After love letters from the critics and intense audience acclaim, the splendidly savage and delightfully bitter British musical comedy trio FASCINATING AIDA have announced the triumphant Off Broadway return of their show Absolutely Fascinating. By popular demand, an exclusive limited engagement will run at the Kirk Theatre on Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street) from April 6 to May 15. Founding members and seasoned veterans Adele Anderson and Dillie Keane are again joined by dazzling new diva Liza Pulman, with musical director Russell Churney on piano. The official opening night is set for April 11.

Billed as TV's "Absolutely Fabulous" meets Noël Coward, sung by the Andrews Sisters, FASCINATING AIDA recently received a 2004 Olivier Award nomination for Best Entertainment; last season they performed a successful run Off Broadway.

Fascinating Aida's 2003 engagement in London's West End celebrated 20 years of having audiences in tears and laughter. Always painfully humorous and bitingly satirical, FASCINATING AIDA has established itself as the UK's top musical theatre act, garnering a host of awards and three Olivier Award nominations, the highest honor in British theater. Singing hilarious original songs of love and sex, things the girls claim to have much experience with, each number reflects the age we're in and the age we are at.

Fascinating Aida has played five West End seasons: One Last Flutter at the Comedy Theatre (2003), Barefaced Chic at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket (1999); It, Wit, Don't Give a Shit Girls at the Vaudeville (1997); Fascinating Aida at the Garrick and subsequently Apollo Theatres (1984/5) and Fascinating Aida at the Piccadilly (1987). They have also played six seasons at the Lyric, Hammersmith and two at the Donmar Warehouse. The group has also performed in eleven countries on five continents – the Museum of Art in Tel Aviv, the Raffles in Singapore; the Bar Jeder Vernunft in Berlin; Antibes on the French Riviera; Hemingway's in Kenya; an engagement at the FireBird Cafe in New York, three tours of Australia, including a month at the Sydney Opera House; the Arts Festival in Wellington, New Zealand and a season at the Mason Street Theatre in San Francisco, in addition to touring extensively throughout the UK. Fascinating Aida has released five albums, published two books, two videos and has been nominated for the Perrier Award.

Presented by Edward Snape for Fiery Angel, the show is directed by Simon Green and features musical direction by Russell Churney and his twelve magical fingers. General management is by Seth Goldstein for The Splinter Group.

Performances are Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8:00 PM, Saturday matinees at 2:00 PM and special Sunday times at 3:00 PM and 7:00 PM. All shows are at the Kirk Theatre on Theatre Row, located at 410 West 42nd Street. Tickets are $51.25. Please call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or visit their website www.ticketcentral.org.

BIOGRAPHIES

Adele Anderson has played the Edinburgh and Hong Kong Fringe Festivals as a solo artist in addition to being a member of Fascinating Aida since 1984. Other theatre credits include Let's Kick Arts (Bridewell Theatre); Ken Hill's Phantom of the Opera (national tour); Mother Goose (Salisbury Playhouse); Wasp (Edinburgh Fringe Festival); Salad Days (national tour); Into the Woods (Forum Theatre, Manchester); Sunset Boulevard (Sydmonton Festival); Nine (Royal Festival Hall); and Tales My Lover Told Me (King's Head). She has also directed Mother Goose and Aladdin at the Theatre, Chipping Norton. Writing credits include many Fascinating Aida lyrics; a song (with Dillie Keane) for The Shakespeare Revue (Vaudeville Theatre & tours) and sections of the collaborative musical The Challenge (Shaw Theatre) and The Ten Commandments (The Place) – both as a co-writer. Adele and Warren Wills perform cabaret/jazz together at Pizza on the Park, and she has been in two of his Babel Theatre productions. Television work includes playing Gemma Masters in the BBC drama.

Dillie Keane studied music at Trinity College, Dublin, and acting at LAMDA. A burgeoning acting career was hijacked by the success of Fascinating Aida, which started in 1983 with Marilyn Cutts and Lizzie Richardson. When Adele Anderson joined in 1984, she found her great writing partner. When Fascinating Aida hung up their sequins, ostensibly forever, in 1989, Dillie returned to solo performing in Single Again (1991 – nominated for a Perrier Award) and Citizen Keane (1992), both directed by Nica Burns. Her most recent one woman show, Back With You toured the UK, played Pizza on the Park and the Edinburgh Festival, a West End season at the Arts Theatre and also played at Berlin's premier cabaret venue, the Bar Jeder Vernunft. Acting parts include The Plough and the Stars (West Yorkshire Playhouse); Juno and the Paycock (Leicester Haymarket); Present Laughter (Birmingham Rep); the Dublin premiere of The Vagina Monologues and Charley's Aunt with Eric Sykes. Recent songwriting credits include Big Night Out at the Little Palace Theatre by Sandi Toksvig, which she starred in at the Palace Theatre, Watford alongside Sandi and Bonnie Langford. Dillie has recently been touring the UK starring in Tomfoolery, the revue of Tom Lehrer's songs. Television work includes Pie in the Sky and The Truth About Women. Dillie also has had a regular column in The Stage for over ten years and has written extensively for newspapers and radio. She has had her own column in the prestigious Mail on Sunday for over two years and has appeared regularly in the Sony Award nominated BBC Radio show Booked!

More Articles by This Author...