GILDING THE LILY Set for United Solo Festival

New York actress Susannah Melone re-imagines the world of Gilded Age celebrity Lillie Langtry in The United Solo Festival this fall. In "Gilding the Lily," the notorious beauty takes the stage as Shakespeare's Rosalind, but the American critics are unimpressed. Join Lillie as she explores her life, loves, and career and discovers the difficult art of letting our hearts be our craft.

In 1895, as her friend Oscar Wilde dominates the British theatre and faces trial for "Gross Indecencies," Lillie Langtry reflects on her own scandalous rise to fame, while navigating the criticism of her interpretation of Rosalind in As You Like It. "I think the joy I take in my Lillie Langtry," Melone says of her imaginary version, "is that she loves being the crafty heroine, she loves being the woman who creates her own fate, but I think she gets lost in herself and maybe can't see the forest for the trees." Melone promises both comedy and melancholy imbue Lillie's quest for artistic integrity.

Performer and playwright Susannah Melone pays homage to her own Shakespearean training to bring to life her second solo venture into the 19th century. For nearly 10 years Melone portrayed Annie Haggerty Shaw, wife of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, commander of the first black regiment in the Civil War, in Mary Guzzy's play The Color of War. Other previous work ranges from Sarah Kane and Mac Wellman to the murderous queens Lady Macbeth and Phaedra. Gilding the Lily is the streamlined debut of her first play.

Tickets for the October 16th performance at 9pm are currently available. The first two performances are sold out.

Last-minute tickets may be available at the door for those performances, Sunday, October 5th at 4pm and Wednesday, October 8th at 3:30pm. Any further performances will be announced.

2014 United Solo, the world's largest solo theatre festival, celebrates its 5th anniversary season and its dynamic expansion in scope and popularity. Over 130 shows from six continents are staged at Theatre Row: 410 West 42nd Street, New York City. TICKETS, with a price of $19.25 (including a $1.25 theatre restoration charge) are available at Theatre Row box office, 410 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036, as well as over the phone at 212.239.6200 and online at telecharge.com. More details can be found at www.unitedsolo.org.