NYMF and Gold 18 Present Ari Gold's BASHERT, Now thru 7/15

The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) and Gold 18 Records, Inc. present Ari Gold's BASHERT An Autobiographical Homotheatrical Multi-Media Musical. Performances of this staged reading will take place from tonight, July 11th through July 15th (3 performances) at the 45th Street Theatre (354 W. 45th St.). Official Opening is set tonight, July 11th at 8pm.

Growing up in the Bronx, circa the 1980's, religious, closeted, and thrust into show-biz at age five after singing at his brother's bar mitzvah, the real life Ari Gold comes out and comes of age - becoming America's first openly gay pop star. With an eclectic, stellar group of mentors including Diana Ross, Jem and the Holograms, and his principle guide, his Jewish grandmother "Fairygodbubbe," Ari searches for his "bashert" - what's "meant to be" - in this electro-pop behind-the-musical adventure of identity, sex, religion, family, and show business.

Ari Gold's BASHERT is written by and stars America's first openly gay pop star, Sir Ari Gold and is directed by Joey Murray (Artist Director for Broadway Dolls) with projection design by Robert Figueira.

Sir Ari Gold is a groundbreaking, award-winning, Billboard Top 10 Recording Artist who's been featured on VH-1, MTV, NPR, IFC, BBC, WOR, Fox News, Top of the

Pops, Perez Hilton, Daily Beast, Sirius/XM, HBO, Here!TV with seven #1 LOGO videos (more than any artist on the network).

People Magazine says his latest dance-pop album Between the Spirit & the "packs born- this-way swagger," Clive Davis says, "he writes from the heart," and RuPaul calls it simply "brilliant." Sir Ari's songs have been featured on hit TV shows "Scrubs" and "Cougar Town" and he's headlined shows with Cyndi Lauper, Deborah Harry & Chaka Khan in Europe, Canada and over 50 cities in the U.S including his native NYC at Summerstage Central Park, Joe's Pub and Lincoln Center.

Sir Ari made his national television debut on the legendary Joe Frank lin Show at the tender age of six eventually singing for Diana Ross and Jem and the Holograms. He is an Independent Music Award Winner, 2x Outmusic Award Winner, Grand Prize Winner of the USA Songwriting Competition, an OUT100 and was knighted for his art and activism by The Imperial Court Of New York, one of the longest standing human rights organizations working today. www.SirAriGold.com

Joey Murray (Director) is a New York City-based Stage Director and Entertainer. He currently serves as the Artistic Director in residence for The Broadway Dolls, a "Best of Manhattan" award-winning entertainment company featuring a roster of the most dynamic triple-threat women of the Broadway community. He will direct the upcoming touring production and Chinese engagement of THE BROADWAY DOLLS LIVE for their 2012-2013 season. He made his New York Musical Theatre Festival directing debut last year, with TOUR DE FIERCE. Off Broadway/NYC credits include: THE HOLE (Theatre at St. Clements) with collaborators Rob Baumgartner and Heidi Hellig; THE GALLERY (New York Theatre Barn); LOVE LETTER (Zipper Theatre); THE PRIDE CONCERT (Joe's Pub/Public); FORGIVEN (fifty7prod), and numerous concerts/readings/workshops.

Now in its ninth year, the New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) is the largest annual musical theatre event in America and is widely regarded as the essential source for new material and talent discovery. NYMF provides a launching pad for the next generation of musicals and their creators to ensure the continued vitality of one of America's greatest art forms. Hailed as the "Sundance of Musical Theatre," NYMF discovers, nurtures, and promotes promising musical theatre artists and producers at all stages of development, and inspires a diverse audience through vibrant, accessible, powerful new work.

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