Emelin Theatre's Concert Fest with Fuller, Boston, Hummon

The Emelin Theatre, a non-profit performing arts center in Mamaroneck, NY, today announced its new theatre program for the 2007-2008 season, including the fall "Theatre in Concert Festival" featuring Emmy Award-winner Penny Fuller, Tony Award-winner Gretha Boston and Grammy Award-winner Marcus Hummon.  The festival will be followed in the winter by Murderers, a black comedy by Jeffrey Hatcher about three different murderers living in a retirement community in Florida, and in the spring by Pure Heaven, a world premiere musical written and performed by Ruth Williamson about Hollywood legend and author of the Eloise stories, Kay Thompson.

Murderers and Pure Heaven will be the first Emelin productions directed by new artistic director Michael Bush, who was previously with the Manhattan Theatre Club.  During his twenty-five year tenure at MTC, Bush helped produce more than 150 new plays and musicals, including the Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winners Proof and Doubt, and the Tony Award-winning Love! Valour! Compassion!

The fall "Theatre in Concert Festival" will consist of eight different shows over twenty-one days, beginning Saturday, November 17 with Everyone Expects Me to Write Another Streetcar and culminating Thursday, December 6 with the Emelin's "Broadway Holiday Cabaret," a one-night gala performance featuring the stars and artists from the entire festival.

The fall "Theatre in Concert Festival" lineup is as follows:

Everyone Expects Me To Write Another Streetcar
Saturday, November 17 at 8PM; Sunday, November 18 at 2PM
Starring Jeremy Lawrence as Tennessee Williams in a performance drawn from interviews with Williams and his memoirs.

Try To Remember: A Look Back At Off-Broadway
Sunday, November 18 at 8PM; Wednesday, November 28 at 8PM
Starring Rita Gardner, who is best known for originating the role of "The Girl" in the longest running musical of all time, The Fantasticks, this acclaimed evening celebrates the musical legacy of the off-Broadway theatre.

An Evening With Penny Fuller
Friday, November 23 at 8PM; Sunday, November 25 at 2PM
Starring Broadway star and Emmy Award-winner Penny Fuller in a classic musical performance celebrating the songs of composers that she has known during her theatre career.

Politics and Poker and Familiar Love (A Double Bill with Two Acts)
Saturday, November 24 at 8PM; Sunday, November 25 at 5PM
Politics and Poker stars Joel Silberman, Steinway artist and Manhattan Association of Cabaret (MAC) Award winner, singer and pianist, in a personal performance describing his musical journey from Leonard Bernstein's protégé to his latest role as a political consultant in Washington.
Familiar Love stars Tony Award-winner Gretha Boston in a special musical performance that celebrates her love of family, music and theatre.

The Kleinbort Collection: The Songs of Barry Kleinbort
Thursday, November 29 at 8PM; Friday, November 30 at 8PM
Narrated by Composer/Director Barry Kleinbort, winner of the Edward Kleban Foundation Award, the Gilman-Gonzales Musical Theatre Commendation Award and ten Manhattan Associate of Cabaret (MAC) Awards, this musical revue of his theatre songs features a cast of eight including Penny Fuller, Rita Gardner and Mr. Kleinbort himself.

A Tribute to the Bluebird Cafe: The Sounds of Nashville
Saturday, December 1 at 8PM; Sunday, December 2 at 2PM
Starring Grammy Award-winner Marcus Hummon ("Bless the Broken Road," "Cowboy Take Me Away") and country recording star Sherrie Austin ("Streets of Heaven"), along with some of Nashville's most beloved songs and performers, in this celebration of the best new music coming out of Nashville.

Becoming Tennessee
Saturday, December 1 at 2PM; Sunday, December 2 at 5PM
Starring Tony Award-winner Gretha Boston in a concert reading presentation of a new musical by Clint Edwards and Michael Aman about a young Tennessee Williams, his search for self and his first visit to his city of muses, New Orleans.  Brian Charles Rooney stars as Tennessee.

The Emelin's Broadway Holiday Cabaret
Thursday, December 6 at 8PM
Starring the artists from the entire festival for this one night only gala performance as the "Theatre in Concert Festival" ends with a holiday celebration.

The Emelin will also offer an alternative folk series featuring Willy Porter on Friday, November 16 at 8PM, and, as part of its Holiday Children's Theatre, Babes in Toyland on Friday, November 23 and Saturday, November 24 at 11AM and 2PM both days.

The new programming schedule comes on the heels of the announcement of the theatre's gala dinner on Thursday, October 11 to celebrate the official public launch of "The Next Stage," the Emelin's $10 million renovation project that will more than double the size of the existing structure and allow the theatre to significantly expand its offerings.

The gala, which will be held at Glen Island Harbour Club in New Rochelle, will also introduce the Emelin's new Artistic Director Michael Bush and honor several stars of New York theatre, including Emmy Award-winning actress and singer Leslie Uggams and Tony Award-nominated actress Tovah Feldshuh.  For information on the gala dinner at Glen Island or to buy show or dinner tickets, please contact Marla Towbin at (914) 698-3045 x 14.

The Emelin Theatre, founded in 1972, is the oldest continuously operating professional theatre in Westchester County. For more information, please visit: www.emelin.org