Andrea McArdle Hosts NYMF 'Broadway Idol' with Celeb Judges

"Broadway Idol," a talent competition seeking to find the newest musical theatre star presented by the New York Musical Theatre Festival, returns this summer for its second season.   Broadway veteran Andra McArdle will serve as the host of this year's competition.

The competition is part of the NYMF @ Nite party series and takes place over three consecutive Friday evenings at 10PM at Stitch Bar and Lounge, where nine aspiring stars will battle for the coveted crown and their very own concert venued at and produced by Ars Nova.   Beginning with the opening round on Friday, September 21, eliminations will occur weekly, as the contestants are critiqued by panels of celebrity musical theatre judges, including Anthony Rapp, Marc Shaiman, Denis O'Hare, Lonny Price, Manoel Felciano and Stephanie D'Abruzzo.  Contestants are then chosen to advance in the competition by audience member voting through Verizon wireless text messaging immediately at the conclusion of each performance round. 

This year's "Broadway Idol" contestants are: Laura Daniel, Nick Dothèe, Henry Gainza, Gabrielle Maes, Auri Marcus, DeMond B. Nason, Stephanie Pitsiladis, George Psomas, Isabel Santiago, and Alysha Umphress.  These 10 contestants were chosen from open auditions held earlier this month in New York. 

Christopher D. Littlefield will serve as the event's Musical Director, and Jess McLeod will direct.

The theme for each of the three competition rounds is as follows:

Round One: September 21
"My Favorite Things" – Contestants sing their favorite tunes from any Broadway show.

Round Two: September 28
"Broadway Rocks!" – Contestants sing a rock song from a Broadway show.

Final Round: October 5
"Star to Be" – Contestants sing one song from Broadway show pre-Oklahoma and one song from a Broadway show post-Hair.

Stitch Bar and Lounge is located at 247 West 37th Street, between 7th & 8th Avenues.  Admission is $10 at the door, which includes one drink token. For more information, visit www.nymf.org or www.stitchnyc.com.