Chuck Cooper, Taylor Iman Jones, André De Shields To Lead TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA Benefit

RED BULL THEATER has announced details of a special highlight of the season: the one-night-only, all-star benefit performance of the award-winning musical Two Gentlemen of Verona.

This one-night-only performance will take place Monday December 16th (7:30 PM) at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Symphony Space (2537 Broadway at 95th Street).  This groundbreaking rock musical has a book by John Guare (The House of Blue Leaves, Six Degrees of Separation) and Mel Shapiro, lyrics by Mr. Guare, and music by Galt MacDermot (Hair).

This concert event is a celebratory fundraiser for Red Bull Theater, the not-for-profit classical theater, supporting Off-Broadway productions, the award-winning Revelation Reading series, and education and accessibility programs including Shakespeare in Schools. Proceeds help to make all of its programs possible. Join special guests John Guare, Michael Cerveris, Manoel Felciano, Mary Testa, Sarin Monae West, and more for a fun-filled celebration!

Tickets for this benefit event are now on sale, from $77 (service fees apply).   To purchase tickets for this one-night-only event, visit redbulltheater.com/two-gentlemen-of-verona or call 212/864-5400.

Featured in the cast, under the direction of Zi Alikhan, will be Chuck Cooper (Tony Award: The Life, Tony Award nomination: Trouble in Mind, Drama Desk Award nominations: Trouble in Mind, Choir Boy, The Piano Lesson;  Outer Critics Circle Award nomination: Trouble in Mind; Lortel Award: Choir Boy); André De Shields (Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award: Hadestown;  Drama Desk, Lortel, Drama League Award nominations: Black Nativity; Tony, Drama Desk nominations, Outer Critics Circle Award: The Full Monty;  Tony nomination: Play On!; Audelco Lifetime Achievement Award), Coby Getzug (Broadway: Merrily We Roll Along, The Shark Is Broken, The Book of Mormon; The Band's Visit North American Tour), Jin Ha (Broadway: Hamilton, M. Butterfly; Here We Are - world premiere at The Shed; Road Show - City Center Encores!; A Little Night Music in Concert at Geffen Hall); Taylor Iman Jones (Broadway: Six, Groundhog Day, Head Over Heels; Hamilton national tour; Andy Sachs in the world-premiere of The Devil Wears Prada musical); Kelvin Moon Loh (Broadway: Beetlejuice, SpongeBob Squarepants, Side Show; The King and I - LCT; tick, tick...BOOM! – Kennedy Center; Here Lies Love - world premiere at Public Theater); John-Michael Lyles (Broadway: A Strange Loop, The Heart of Rock and Roll;  Safety Not Guaranteed - Brooklyn Academy of Music; Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - Barrow Street Theatre); Alisa Melendez (upcoming: Sophie in the Mamma Mia! 25th Anniversary Tour; Broadway: Almost Famous); Sam Simahk (Broadway: Into the Woods; See What I Wanna See - Out of the Box Theatrics; Gatsby: An American Myth - world premiere at American Repertory Theater); Alysha Umphress (Broadway: On the Town, Bring It On, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, American Idiot; Scotland, PA - Roundabout; Smokey Joe's Café - Lortel Award nomination, Stage 42); and more to be announced shortly.

Two Gentlemen of Verona will have choreography by Karla Puno Garcia. The design team will include Lux Haac (costumes), Paul Hudson (lighting), Peter Brucker (sound), Nicholas Hussong (projections), and Lauren Russell (props). Greg Pliska will serve as Music Director.

Based on William Shakespeare's comedy of the same name, Two Gentlemen of Verona tells the story of lifelong friends Proteus and Valentine, who leave their rural hometown to experience life in urban Milan. Valentine falls in love with Sylvia, whose father has betrothed her against her will to the wealthy but undesirable Thurio, and plots to win her hand. Disregarding his loyalty to Valentine and his hometown sweetheart, Julia, Proteus also sets his sights on Sylvia. He plans to expose his friend's intentions to her father, have Valentine banished from Milan, and claim her for himself.

The original Broadway production won the 1972 Tony Awards for Best Musical and Best Book of a Musical, beating out Follies, Grease, and Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death. It was nominated for eight Tony Awards, including Best Original Score. It also won seven Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Book, Lyrics and Music. "What I really love about Two Gentlemen is its simplicity. Beneath all the multicolored gimmicks and extravagances, there are real people living and loving, and this I find very moving,” wrote Clive Barnes in The New York Times.

"In 1971, in a spirit of love and jubilation, Mel Shapiro, Galt MacDermot and I wrote a musical version of Two Gentlemen of Verona to be performed in Central Park and on the gritty streets of New York.  It moved indoors to the glitter of Broadway where it won the Tony for Best Musical.  It's as much a love letter to Shakespeare as it is to New York,” said Mr. Guare.

"Our holiday concert event is going to lift the roof off Symphony Space with youthful exuberance and joy this December 16th!” added Mr. Berger. “With an incredible cast of Broadway veterans and thrilling young talent, we couldn't be more excited to share this revolutionary and joyful show from 1971 with a delightful contemporary spin under the exciting direction of Zi Alikahn. Full of love, laughter and joy, this will be a breath of fresh spring air as we head into winter!" said Jesse Berger, RBT Founder & Artistic Director.

"This celebratory event explores the intersection of classical theater and the modern musical, and the enduring versatility of the stories at the heart of our mission. And it's a lot of fun! Join me and many other special guests Michael Cerveris, Manoel Felciano, Mary Testa, Sarin Monae West, and more for a fun-filled celebration!,” said Martin Giannini, RBT Executive Director.

For more information about the Two Gentlemen of Verona, or any of Red Bull Theater's programs, visit www.redbulltheater.com.

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