RUGANTINO Comes to New York City Center for 50th Anniversary of Broadway Debut, 6/12-14

Straight from engagements in Rome, Milan and Florence, MF Production presents Enrico Brignano in Rugantino, in celebration of 50th Anniversary of the show's Broadway debut, from June 12, 13 and 14, 2014 at New York City Center, 131 West 55th Street, NYC. Tickets start at $35 (premium seating also offered) and are available at nycitycenter.org, by phone at 212.581.1212, or in person at the box office. Performances are on Thursday and Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 2pm and 8pm. Rugantino will be performed in Italian with English subtitles.

Rugantino, one of Italy's most successful musicals, comes to New York City Center to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of its Broadway debut. The show stars Italy's top comedian Enrico Brignano as Rugantino, with 50 actors, dancers and singers, including Armando Silverini, who played Cardinal Severini in the original production. The tour will bring eight containers of equipment including updated costumes and hand-painted sets that were restored from the original production. Mr. Brignano is also the director of the production.

Set in 19th century Rome, Rugantino tells the story of a fun-loving rogue who has plenty of ruganza, or arrogance. When he makes a bet that he can seduce the wife of one of Rome's most prominent citizens, he gets more than he bargained for. The musical is created by Garinei and Giovannini and written in collaboration with Pasquale Festa Campanile, Massimo Franciosa and Luigi Magni with music by Armando Trovajoli. Rugantino debuted at Teatro Sistina in Rome on December 15, 1962. It later opened on Broadway at the Mark Hellinger Theater, where it played an exclusive three-week engagement in February of 1964.

Rugantino was celebrated not only for its storyline, but also for the accuracy of the scenery, the gorgeous costumes by Giulio Coltellacci, the choreography by Gino Landi, and the melodies of the maestro Armando Trovajoli that reign supreme in the picturesque set of the vanished Rome.

The show was revived in 2010 at the Teatro Sistina, where Enrico Brignano took on the title role that had been played by such famous performers as Nino Manfredi and Enrico Montesano.

The 50th Anniversary production of Rugantino stars Enrico Brignano as Rugantino, with Serena Rossi as Rosetta, Vincenzo Failla as Mastro Titta, Paola Tiziana Cruciani as Eusebia, and Armando Silverini as Banditore/Vegliante/Conte Leopoldo. The production is directed by Enrico Brignano.

Rugantino is produced by MF Productions. Music Experience is the Executive Producer.

Enrico Brignano is one of the most famous comedians in Italy. In the last years, he has been receiving unanimous praises both in theatres, his most innate environment, and in cinema and television. Born in Rome in 1966, he studied at the Academy for young comedians founded by Gigi Proietti, and took part as comedian in the first edition of the tv program La sai l'ultima?, aired by Canale 5. In 1998 and 2000 he was Giacinto in Un medico in famiglia; this television series gave him greater visibility and especially made him recognizable by the audience who also followed him in theatre with great interest. In 2000 he shot his first film as director and main actor Si fa presto a dire amore with Vittoria Belvedere. His rise in the world of entertainment started thanks to the summer theatre tours. In 2001, he was chosen by Carlo Vanzina for the role as Francesco in the film South Kensington, where he played with Rupert Everett. He interrupted his cinema career to devote himself to his real passion, theatre, and wrote and performed various shows before coming back to cinema with Vincenzo Salemme and Giorgio Panariello, with whom he will make other films in the following years. Since 2007, he has been part of the cast of comedians of Zelig, a very successful television comic program, which finalized his reputation as one of the best Italian comedians of the last years. Between 2010 and 2011, his show "Sono romano, ma non è colpa mia" was seen by more than 200,000 people in indoor stadiums all over Italy. The novel version of the stage play was published by Rizzoli and sold over 100,000 copies in bookstores. Since the end of 2011 and in 2012 he is hosting the information show Le Iene, with Ilary Blasi and Alessandro Gassman. Between November 2010 and February 2011, he played Rugantino in the 1962 play by Garinei and Giovannini. In the past, this role had been played by such great actors as Nino Manfredi, Toni Ucci, Enrico Montesano, Adriano Celentano and Valerio Mastandrea. He was also responsible for the staging of the play, which was sold out for over four months at the Teatro Sistina in Rome. From November 2013 to February 2014, he again played Rugantino at Teatro Sistina in Rome, then in Milan and Florence.

New York City Center (Arlene Shuler, President & CEO), now in its 70th year, has played a defining role in the cultural life of the city since 1943. It was Manhattan's first performing arts center, dedicated by Mayor Fiorello La Guardia with a mission to make the best in music, theater and dance accessible to all audiences. Today, City Center is home to many distinguished companies, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, City Center's Principal Dance Company, as well as Manhattan Theatre Club and New York City Opera; a roster of renowned national and international visiting artists; and its own critically acclaimed and popular programs. The Tony-honored Encores! musical theater series has been hailed as "one of the very best reasons to be alive in New York." This summer City Center launched Encores!Off-Center, a new series featuring seminal Off-Broadway musicals filtered through the lens of today's most innovative artists. Dance has been integral to the theater's mission from the start, and dance programs, including the annual Fall for Dance Festival, remain central to City Center's identity. Vital partnerships with arts organizations including Jazz at Lincoln Center and London's Sadler's Wells Theatre enhance City Center's programmatic offerings. City Center is dedicated to providing educational opportunities to New York City students and teachers with programs such as Encores! In Schools and the Young People's Dance Series. Special workshops cater to families, seniors and other groups, while events such as the Fall for Dance DanceTalk series offer learning opportunities to the general public. In October 2011, City Center completed an extensive renovation project to revitalize and modernize its historic theater.

Tickets to Rugantino start at $35 and can be purchased online at www.NYCityCenter.org, at the New York City Center Box Office West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues), or through CityTix at 212-581-1212. Premium seating is also available. For more information, visit www.rugantinointour.com/en.