RIALTO CHATTER: LYSISTRATA JONES Broadway-Bound Next Season with Off-Broadway Cast, Opening Nov. 10 ?

As first reported by Michael Riedel in the New York Post, the Off-Broadway hit musical LYSISTRATA JONES, which closed on Friday, June 24 at the Judson Memorial Church, is hoping to move to Broadway (with a search led by General Manager Alan Wasser) in the fall with a budget between $6-7 million at a small house, ideally the Broadhurst or the Walter Kerr.

Confirming this buzz is an Equity EPA notIce Today for roles under a Broadway minimum contract. Auditions for all roles and understudies will be taking place on July 22 and July 25 at Pearl Studios.

The notice also indicates that the entire off-Broadway cast could be making the Broadway transfer, stating: "LYSISTRATA JONES was produced in spring 2011 on the Transition Contract. All onstage roles in the Broadway production have been offered, but have not yet been accepted; they are therefore considered available. The casting-status of these offered roles may change before the EPA; check notice again for updates. The offstage understudy positions listed above have been added for Broadway; they did not exist in the Transition Contract production, and have not been offered yet. All are available." 

Rehearsal dates appear to be set for September 12, 2011 (basketball training) and September 19, 2011 (non basketball training). Previews are to begin October 15, 2011 with an opening night set for November 10, 2011.

The off-Broadway production starred Alexander Aguilar (Uardo), Katie Boren (Lampito Kanagawa), Lindsay Chambers (Robin/Shelley), Max Kumangai (Tyllus), Liz Mikel (Heterai), Patti Murin (Lysistrata Jones), Kat Nejat (Cleonice), Josh Segarra (Mick), LaQuet Sharnell (Mhyrinne), Jason Tam (Xander), Teddy Toye (Harold), and Alex Wyse (Cinesius).

A Broadway transfer of the production has not yet been announced officially.

Transport Group Theatre Company, the winner of a special Drama Desk Award and two OBIE Awards, presented the New York premiere of LYSISTRATA JONES, a new musical with a book by Douglas Carter Beane; music and lyrics by Lewis Flinn; directed and choreographed by Dan Knechtges. Previews began Sunday May 15 on the basketball court of the Judson Memorial Church Gymnasium, 243 Thompson Street at Washington Square South and the show opened on June 5.

In the show, The Athens University basketball team hasn't won a game in 30 years. But when spunky transfer student Lysistrata Jones dares the squad's fed-up girlfriends to stop ‘giving it up' to their boyfriends until they win a game, their legendary losing streak could be coming to an end.

Adapted from Aristophanes' comedy, Lysistrata, Tony-nominated bookwriter Douglas Carter Beane (Sister Act, Xanadu,The Little Dog Laughed) and composer-lyricist Lewis Flinn (The Divine Sister) have given the classic Greek tale a riotous new twist. Directed and choreographed by Tony nominee Dan Knechtges (Xanadu, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) and staged in an actual gymnasium, Lysistrata Jones takes student activism to a whole new level and celebrates the journey of discovering and embracing who you truly are.

Set design for Lysistrata Jones is by Allen Moyer (Tony nominee for Grey Gardens; The Little Dog Laughed; Twelve Angry Men; The Man Who Had All the Luck); costume design is by David C. Woolard (Tony nominee for The Rocky Horror Show and The Who's Tommy) and Thomas LeGalley (The 39 Steps at Hartford Stage); lighting design is by Michael Gottlieb (The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged); Election Day; The Last Session), sound design is by Tony Meola (Drama Desk winner for The Lion King; Wicked; The Wild Party; Les Miserables). The music director is Brad Simmons; production stage manager is Wendy Patten.

For more information about Transport Group and Lysistrata Jones, visit www.transportgroup.org.