NYTW To Present 'What's It All About? Bacharach Reimagined' Beginning November 19; Cast Announced

New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) Artistic Director James C. Nicola has announced thatWhat's It All About? Bacharach Reimagined, music by Burt Bacharach; lyrics by Hal David and others; musical arrangements by Kyle Riabko; conceived by Kyle Riabko and David Lane Seltzer; directed by Steven Hoggett, will begin performances Tuesday, November 19 at 7pmat NYTW, 79 East 4 Street, between Bowery and Second Avenue. Opening night is set forThursday, December 5 at pm. What's It All About? is scheduled to run through Sunday, January 5, 2014; tickets are on sale now.

The enduring music of Burt Bacharach is given new life as musician and actor Kyle Riabko (Spring Awakening, Hair) performs his unique, soulful arrangements of the Bacharach songbook with an eclectic group of young musicians and performers. Steven Hoggett, whose choreography has been featured in such diverse works as Once, Peter and the Starcatcher, andBlack Watch, returns to NYTW, this time as director. What's It All About? is a re-introduction to the timeless music of Bacharach through the eyes and ears of a new generation.

"I'm very supportive of this project," says Burt Bacharach. "I think Kyle has done something truly unique with my music. I like it very much, and I think you will too."

The cast of What's It All About? is Daniel Bailen, Laura Dreyfuss, James Nathan Hopkins, Nathaly Lopez, Kyle Riabko, James Williams, and Daniel Woods.

The scenic design for What's It All About? is by Tony Award winner Christine Jones (Spring Awakening, American Idiot) and Brett Banakis; costume design is by Andrea Lauer (American Idiot); lighting design is by Tony Award nominee Japhy Weideman (The Nance); sound design is by Tony Award winner Clive Goodwin (Once); casting is by Jim Carnahan. The production stage manager is Lindsey Turteltaub; music direction is by Kyle Riabko.

Kyle Riabko's credits include Spring Awakening (Broadway, National Tour) and Hair(Broadway). At the age of 17, he released full-length album of original material on Columbia/Aware Records. He has been an opening act for John Mayer, Maroon 5, Jason Mraz, BB King, Buddy Guy, and JAmes Brown, among others. He has appeared in numerous film and television roles. Kyle grew up in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Steven Hoggett's Broadway credits include the current production of The Glass Menagerie,Once (Obie, Lortel, Callaway awards, Tony nomination; also NYTW, West End), American Idiot,Peter and the Starcatcher (Lortel Award; also at NYTW). West End credits include The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. International credits include Rocky the Musical (Stage Entertainments, Hamburg), Rigoletto (Met Opera), The Full Monty (Sheffield), Let the Right One In, Black Watch (Olivier Award, Best Choreographer), The Bacchae (National Theatre of Scotland), The Light Princess (Royal National Theatre). As director/choreographer, credits include Lovesong, Beautiful Burnout, Othello (TMA Award, Best Director). He is a founding member of Frantic Assembly.

Burt Bacharach has been one of the most-honored and successful composers for six decades. His music is as diverse as his audiences, spanning generations and continents, as he is celebrated both as a pop culture icon and one of the world's greatest contemporary composers. Bacharach's song credits include "Alfie," "Arthur's Theme," "Close To You," "Do You Know The Way To San Jose," "I Say A Little Prayer," "I'll Never Fall In Love Again," "On My Own," "That's What Friends Are For," "This Guy's In Love With You," "Walk On By," "What The World Needs Now Is Love," and "Wishin' And Hopin'." He has written nine #1 songs, 48 Top 10 hits, and over 70 Top 40 hits. Bacharach and Hal David were the recipients of the 2012 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. Bacharach is also the recipient of three Academy Awards, and eight Grammys, including the 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award and 1997 Trustees Award. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and is the recipient of other tributes received from top music industry institutions to governments, universities and charitable and philanthropic groups. Bacharach's memoir, Anyone Who Had a Heart, was published in May 2013.

Daniel Bailen began with the Metropolitan Opera children's chorus, appearing in over ten operas and as a featured soloist. A recent NYU graduate, Daniel performs with the New York Pops. With his twin brother he co-founded Bailen Brothers Band, which has toured Europe and the U.S.; was hailed by Grammy-U and SESAC as the "best college band in the northeast;" and was featured on NPR, MTVU, Nickelodeon, Huffington Post, and in Entertainment Weekly, who described them as having "two part vocal harmonies to rival Simon & Garfunkel." Their music can be heard on FX's "Sons of Anarchy" and they are recipients of the 2013 Elfenworks Songwriting Award for Social Justice.

Laura Dreyfuss has appeared in the Broadway production of Once, and Broadway and national touring company of Hair. She was also a part of the previous workshops of What's It All About?Other NYC workshops include: The Last Goodbye.

Nate Hopkins makes his off-Broadway debut. He has been a musician for 19 years, actively gigging and recording since first taking up music. From his initial piano lessons at the age of four to his time at Berklee College of Music, he has gained acclaim as a singer, writer, and multi-instrumentalist in both his native Michigan as well as his current home of Boston. Prior engagements include as a house performer for Main Street Dueling Pianos and Howl at the Moon, and as music director for local ensemble Freestyle.

Nathaly Lopez's credits include national tour of In the Heights; The Groove Factory (NYMF); It Ain't Nothin' But The Blues (New Haarlem Arts Theatre); Ain't Misbehavin' (Harlem Repertory Theatre); Crazy Head Space (Choice Theatricals); the film Hypebeasts. Nathaly received her BA in Theatre from The City College of New York.

James Williams is a freelance drummer who studied at the Berklee College of Music. Williams has traveled the globe performing music with artists spanning several genres. James has backed many Grammy award winners and nominees including Gary Burton, Melanie Fiona, Christian Scott and others both onstage and in the recording studio. James currently plays for Grammy nominee Emily King and lives in Brooklyn.

Daniel Woods began to sing and play piano at age 14, and soon after became musical director of his local church. He attended Berklee College of Music for voice where he performed with Terri Lynn Carrington, Lalah Hathaway, Nona Hendrix, Vernon Reid, and Bilal Oliver. As a guitarist, Daniel has opened and toured with The Tedeschi Trucks Band, Emily King, and Justin Nozuka. He lives in Brooklyn and is currently in the midst of producing his debut studio album.

New York Theatre Workshop, now celebrating its 31st season, is a leading voice in the world of Off-Broadway and within the theatre community in New York and around the world. NYTW has emerged as a premiere incubator of important new theatre, honoring its mission to explore perspectives on our collective history and respond to the events and institutions that shape our lives. In addition, NYTW is known for its innovative adaptations of classic repertory. Each season, from its home in New York's East Village neighborhood, NYTW presents three to five new productions, over 80 readings, and numerous workshop productions, for over 45,000 audience members. Over the past 28 years, NYTW has developed and produced over 100 new, fully staged works, including Jonathan Larson's Rent, Tony Kushner's Slavs! andHomebody/Kabul, Doug Wright's Quills, Claudia Shear's Blown Sideways Through Life andDirty Blonde, Paul Rudnick's The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told and Valhalla, Caryl Churchill's Mad Forest, Far Away, and A Number, Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen's Aftermath, and Rick Elice's Peter and the Starcatcher. The 2002 remounting of Martha Clarke's seminal work, Vienna: Lusthaus and subsequent American tour was one of the longest-running productions in NYTW's history. NYTW's acclaimed production of Once is currently enjoying a Broadway run, and Peter and the Starcatcher, which made its New York Premiere at NYTW, has returned to Off-Broadway following a successful Broadway run. NYTW supports artists in all stages of their careers by maintaining a series of workshop programs including work-in-progress readings, summer residencies, and minority artist fellowships. NYTW's productions have received a Pulitzer Prize, seventeen Tony Awards and assorted Obie, Drama Desk, and Lucille Lortel Awards.

What's It All About? plays at New York Theatre Workshop, 79 East 4th Street, between Second Avenue and Bowery. The regular performance schedule is Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:00pm;Thursday and Friday at 8:00pm; Saturday at 3pm and 8pm; Sunday at 2pm and 7pm. There will be a special student matinee on Wednesday, December 18. What's It All About? runs throughJanuary 5, 2014. Tickets are $85 and may be purchased online at www.ticketcentral.com, 24 hours a day, seven days a week or by phoning Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200, noon - 8pmdaily. For exact dates and times of performance, visit www.nytw.org.

NYTW is pleased to make theatre accessible to everyone with its $20 CheapTix Sundays program. A dedicated number of tickets for Sunday evening performances at 7:00pm can be purchased in person at the NYTW Box Office for only $20. Tickets may be purchased in advance, payable in cash only and are available to all audience members.

NYTW also has $25 student tickets available for all performances. Student tickets may be purchased in advance from the NYTW Box Office with valid student identification, one ticket per id.

In addition, NYTW offers discount ticket prices for adult and student groups of 10 or more. Please contact group sales at stephaniew@nytw.org.

The NYTW Box office is open 1:00pm to 6:00pm, Tuesday through Saturday.