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Gillette, DeLaria & Jones Headline NYMF Bingo City Concerts, Sept. 23

By: Sep. 18, 2005
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Anita Gillette, Lea Delaria, The Village People's Randy Jones, Michael Paternostro, Marie-France Arcilla and Harrison Chad have been cast in the September 23rd concert presentations of Bingo City as part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival.   The concerts will be presented at 2 PM and 4 PM at Theatre Row's Studio Theatre (410 West 42nd Street).

This will be the premiere showing of Bingo City, which "follows one Bingo-crazed Grandma's cross-country road trip as she tries to save St. Francis Retirement Center," according to production notes.  "If a nun, several Elvises, a group of Hell's Angels, and others can help Grandma Bingo get to Bingo City, Texas in time, she just might win the $2M prize to save the home." Based on a story by Lance Sticksel, Bingo City features music by Alan Cancelino and book and lyrics by Jenne Wason. The concert will be directed by Leigh Silverman.

Catherine "Grandma Bingo" Baladucci will be played Anita Gillette (Carnival, All American, Jimmy, Tony-nominee for Chapter Two) .  Her crotchety sidekick Sister E will be genre-hopping comedic performer DeLaria (On the Town, The Rocky Horror Show).  Jones, the original cowboy from the Village People, will be taking on the role of Wink Wonders—a washed-up one-hit pop country star from the 70s, who is exploiting his former fame and popularity with the blue-hairs as host of a Bingo TV game show.

Michael Paternostro (currently in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels on Broadway) has been cast as Catherine's no-good son "Dynamite" Donnie Baladucci.   Marie-France Arcilla, soon to be seen in The Ark Off-Broadway, is Rita Sanchez, the conniving Reigning Bingo City Bingo Queen.  Rounding out the cast is 12-year-old Broadway regular Harrison Chad (Caroline or Change, Les Miserables, Beauty and the Beast, Peter Pan) who plays Catherine's grandson Junior Baladucci.  In addition to their primary roles, all actors except for Gillette double as various road trip characters including a country singer, a Texas sheriff, some showgirls, and, of course, Elvis impersonators.

The NYMF concert of Bingo City will be presented in abbreviated concert form, which will run under an hour.  A majority of the show's songs will be performed, and the story will be told through narration and snippets of dialogue.

To make reservations to the show, email info@bingocitymusical.com or call 646-373-4779.  For more information visit www.bingocitymusical.com or www.nymf.org.



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