Jay Records to Record Busker Alley Concert with Close & Dale

JAY Records will record the cast album of the York Theatre Company's one-night-only benefit performance of Busker Alley.  The concert will be performed at Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College (68th Street between Park and Lexington Avenue) on Monday, November 13 at 8 PM.

The performance will be presented by The York Theatre as a benefit concert, and it will star: Tony-winners Glenn Close and Jim Dale (who previously starred in Barnum together), as well as Noah Racey, Anne Rogers, Michael Hall, Simon Jones, George S. Irving, John Bolton, Cristy Candler, Bob Fitch, Jessic Grove, Michael Lane Trautman, Diane Wasnak, and Patrick Wetzel.

Busker Alley is "about a busker (one who entertains in public on Londons' famous streets) who falls in love with a much younger woman who longs to be a big star in the theatre and leaves him to follow her dreams," state York notes. The show is based on the 1938 British motion picture, St. Martin's Lane, which was released in America under the title The Sidewalks of London.  The film starred Charles Laughton as Charlie Staggers, Vivien Leigh as Libby and Rex Harrison as Harley Prentiss.

"The Sherman Brothers and A J Carothers wrote the musical in 1969 under the title Piccadilly.  Nothing happened with the show until 1982, when some interest grew and the project was rewritten and renamed Blow Us A Kiss.  Yet, it was not until 1994, when Tommy Tune became attached to the show, that it was finally launched under the new name Busker Alley. The show played in 16 cities with a planned Broadway debut scheduled for 1995 at the St. James Theatre. However, six weeks prior to its scheduled opening night Tommy Tune broke his foot during one of the performances in Tampa.  The show never reached New York."

With music and lyrics by Richard M.Sherman and Robert B.Sherman (Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) and a book by A.J. Carothers, Busker Alley will be directed by multi-Tony Award-winning Tony Walton (Well, Chicago, Pippin).

A limited number of remaining seats from $100-$250 ($250 includes admission to post-show reception with cast) and are now available through The Kaye Playhouse Box Office.   To order, call (212) 772-4448 or visit the The Kaye Box Office, East 68th Street (between Park & Lexington Avenues) Mon. – Sat., 12 PM - 6 PM.  Visit www.yorktheatre.org or www.jayrecords.com for more information.