New Musical Warrior, with May & Schaffel, Plays NYMF

The New York Musical Theatre Festival and Reggie Hill will present the New York premiere of Warrior, a musical with book, music and lyrics by Grammy Award-winning songwriter and author Marcus Hummon.  It will run September 12th through 23rd.

Directed by Michael Bush (Based on a Totally True Story), Warrior features a distinguished cast lead by Deven May (Theatre World and Ovation Award-winner for Bat Boy: The Musical) and Marla Schaffel (Tony Award-nominee for Jane Eyre).  The musical will play a strictly limited, six-performance engagement as part of the third annual New York Musical Theatre Festival.  Performances begin on Tuesday, September 12th at The Theatre at St. Clements (423 West 46th Street).

"Warrior tells the story of Olympic athlete Jacobus Franciscus "Jim" Thorpe (1887-1953).  Born in the Indian territories before the massacre at Wounded Knee, before the emasculation of the full-blown reservation system, Jim Thorpe was the last of a generation of Native Americans to know an America that is gone forever. By telling the story of one of the most versatile athletes in modern sports, Warrior confronts America's tragic inability to come to grips with the inclusion of its native population," state press notes.

Warrior had its world premiere in 2001 at the Country Music Hall of Fame's Ford Theater in Nashville, earning Mr. Hummon an Outstanding Achievement Award from the Native American Association of Tennessee.

The cast of Warrior also features Erich Bergen, Cole Burden, Aaron Capps, Duane Foster, Brian Charles Rooney, Nancy Slusser and Louis Tucci.

Warrior has choreography by Janet Watson and music direction by Dana P. Rowe.  The musical also features scenic design by Brian Sidney Bembridge, costume design by Karen Ledger and lighting design by Traci Klainer.

The show will be performed at The Theatre at St. Clements (423 W. 46th Street). The performance schedule is as follows:

Tuesday, September 12 at 8:00 p.m.
Friday, September 15 at 5:00 p.m.
Friday, September 15 at 9:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 17 at 3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, September 20 at 9:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 23 at 5:00 p.m.

Individual tickets for Warrior are $20.00 and are available online at www.NYMF.org or by calling TheaterMania.com at 212-352-3101 beginning September 1, 2006.  NYMF Memberships securing tickets to multiple NYMF productions and events - are currently available (Silver Membership - $60, including a $20 tax-deductible donation; Gold Membership - $100, including a $30 tax-deductible donation; and Platinum Membership -$250, including a $45 tax-deductible donation).  For more information, visit www.NYMF.org.