Perfect Harmony, presented by The Essentials, will run as part of the 10th Annual New York International Fringe Festival from August 11th through 27th at the 350 seat Harry De Jur Playhouse, at the Henry Street Settlement (466
Grand Street, on the corner of Pitt Street and Grand).
Perfect Harmony is conceived and directed by Andrew Grosso, and written by Grosso and The Essentials. The show is "an entertaining and amusing theatrical mockumentary about a championship high school a cappella group. Examining their lives, hopes and feelings, the audience learns not just about the members of the group but also about the true nature of Harmony. The play tracks the rise and fall and rise of perennial high school a cappella powerhouse, The Acafellas and their classmates and female counterparts, The Ladies in Red, as both strive to win Acapalooza: The National High School A Cappella Championship Jam," state production notes.
The production marks the official premiere of the play, which received a workshop production last summer at NYU Graduate Acting's Studio Tisch Program.
The cast (and collaborating writers) includes: Jeffrey Binder (
The Lieutenant of Inishmore, The Lion King, Side Man),
Noah Weisberg (T
he Awesome 80's Prom. Two Gentlemen of Verona in Central Park); Autumn Dornfeld (
The Graduate); Jeanine Serralles (Drama Desk-nominee, Best Featured Actress for
Hold Please); Maria Elena Ramirez (
Living Out at Second Stage), David Barlow (
Romola, Nijinski and
Saved); Marina Squerciati (
Beauty of the Father and
Stage Door at MTC); Margie Stokley (
Little Suckers, Superpowers; playwright of
Elephant); Scott Janes; and Blake Whyte.
The set design will be by Eliza Brown, the costume design by Becky Lasky, and the lighting design by Driscoll Otto. There will be original music and musical direction provided by Alec Duffy (creator of
The Top Ten People of the Millennium Sing Their Favorite Schubert Lieder).
The show was written by Grosso--the Artistic Director of the Essentials--and developed in collaboration with the cast, many of whom created their characters, during a series of loose improvisational interview-based workshops. In 2005, the group, now called The Essentials, was given generous support from NYU Graduate Acting's Studio Tisch Program to finish developing the play.
The show will play: Tuesday, August 15 at 5:00 p.m., Wednesday, August 16 at 4:00 p.m., Wednesday, August 23 at 7:00 p.m., Saturday, August 26 at 9:15 p.m., and Sunday, August 27 at 12:00 p.m.
All tickets will be $15.00. For tickets in New York, call: 1-212-279-4488 or outside New York: 1-888-FringeNYC or visit
www.fringenyc.org. Shows start at the announced time and there is no late seating.
Perfect Harmony runs an hour and twenty-six minutes without an intermission.
For more information on The Essentials, please visit:
www.theessentials.org.
