Peter Land to Bring NOW OR NEVER to York Theatre Company

The award-winning York Theatre Company (James Morgan- Producing Artistic Director) announced today that West End and Broadway actor Peter Land, recently seen in their Mufti production of Oh, Coward! returns for three Sunday nights in February with his new solo show, Now or Never, an explosion of music and words. Directed by Gillian Lynne, Now or Never will play at The York Theatre at Saint Peter's on 54th St, just east of Lexington Avenue, on February 12, 19, and 26 at 7:30 p.m.

Land's career embraces many diverse and remarkable highlights, from Oh, Calcutta to The National Theatre, from the Royal Shakespeare Theatre to numerous West End musicals, taking in along the way memorable encounters with Sir Harry Secombe, Placido Domingo, Dame Peggy Ashcroft, and, of course, Gillian Lynne.

Tickets are $29.50 and are available online at www.yorktheatre.org, by calling (212) 935-5820, or in person at the box office at the York Theatre at Saint Peter's (enter on 54th Street, just East of Lexington), Monday through Friday (12-6 PM).

Ionescopade, the York's Mainstage show, begins performances this Monday, January 23 at 7:00 p.m., with an official opening night scheduled for Thursday, February 2. Ionescopade stars

Nancy Anderson (Kiss Me Kate, PBS), Paul Binotto (Enter Laughing, The Musical), Samuel Cohen (Oh, Calcutta!), David Edwards (The Fantasticks), Leo Ash Evens (West Side Story, London), Susan J. Jacks (Forbidden Broadway), and Tina Stafford (I Married Wyatt Earp). The show, taken from the works of Eugene Ionesco, features music and lyrics by Mildred Kayden and was originally conceived by Robert Allan Ackerman. Ionescopade will be directed and choreographed by Bill Castellino, with music direction by Christopher McGovern, scenic design by

James Morgan, costume design by Nicole Wee, and lighting design by Mary Jo Dondlinger. Casting is by Carol Hanzel.

The York Theatre Company is the only theater in New York City-and one of very few in the world-dedicated to developing and fully producing new musicals and preserving neglected, notable shows from the past. Over the past two seasons, York productions and artists have been nominated for a combined 19 Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, Outer Critics Circle, Drama League, Off Broadway Alliance, AUDELCO and Callaway Awards (and its productions of Yank! A WWII Love Story and Enter Laughing, The Musical have both been announced for Broadway). For over four decades, York's intimate, imaginative style of producing both original and neglected classic musicals has resulted in critical acclaim and recognition from artists and audiences alike. Under the guidance of Producing Artistic Director

James Morgan since 1997, the York has focused exclusively on new musicals in its Mainstage Series-most of them world, American, or New York premieres-by some of the field's most esteemed creators, and has also helped launch the careers of many talented new writers. Over 35 cast recordings from The York Theatre Company productions are now available on CD, and commercial transfers of such York premieres as The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!), Souvenir, Jolson & Company, and its acclaimed revivals of Sweeney Todd and Pacific Overtures have all showcased the importance of the York and its programs.

For more information, please visit www.yorktheatre.org.

Peter Land. Broadway: Royal Shakespeare Company's: All's Well That Ends Well. Off-Broadway & Recording: That's What Friends Are For! Regional: The Imaginary Invalid (Washington). NY Reading: One Touch of Venus; London West End: My Fair Lady, Cabaret, Phantom of the Opera, Pickwick. Royal National Theatre: Life of Galileo, Sung and Unsung, To Those Born Later; RSC: A Winter's Tale, Two Gentlemen Of Verona, Titus Andronicus and Butch Strong. Other: Craft of Comedy (Chichester), Partition 1948 (India) and On Such a Night (Northern Ballet). London Fringe: Six For Gold, One Touch of Venus, Noël And Gertie, Peter Pan and Now or Never. Opera: Bonze in Madam Butterfly. Recordings: Cabaret, Pickwick, and Evening with Alan Jay Lerner. TV: "The Secret Army," "Androcles and the Lion," "The Other Half" (BBC); "Royal Variety Shows" (ITV), "The Twilight Zone" (CBS).