SHINE! Receives NYMF Awards for Excellence

SHINE! The Horatio Alger Musical  with a Book by Richard Seff; Music by Roger Dean Anderson and Lyrics by Lee Goldsmith has been honored with 2010 NYMY Awards For Excellence:  EXCELLENCE IN OVERALL DESIGN - Shine! Michael Bottari & Ron Case; OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE - Andy Mientus, Shine!; and Honorable Mention: Peter Flynn, Shine! For Direction.  The production was a Critics Pick from BackStage. SHINE! was presented by Other Side Productions (Peter Mercurio, Chuck Blasius - Co-Artistic Directors) as part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival at The Theater at St. Clements. Directed by Peter Flynn with choreography Devanand Janki; set and costume design by Michael Bottari & Ronald Case and the lighting design by Jeff Croiter. Greg Anthony served as the music supervisor, arranger, orchestrator; Annbritt duChateau was the music director and the associate musical directors were Danny Percefull and Sue Anschultz.  A multi-talented cast of 19 made this one of the largest of the festival productions. The principals were: Andy Mientus (Richard Hunter); Michael Halling (Luke Gerrish); Meggie Cansler (Stacia Jane Hauser); Jimmy Ray Bennett (Gideon Chapin); William Ryall (Silas Snobden); Stanton Nash (Higgins); Philip Chaffin (Allen Carlisle); Tyler Merna (Rob Carlisle); Dan Lawler (Foswell); Evan Jay Newman (Mickey Maguire) and Katherine McGrath (Mrs. Mooney).  The Ensemble included: Jason Mills, Cheo Bourne, Todd Horman, Robert Mintz, Rachell Coloff, Jessica Vosk, Joy Hermalyn and Melissa Rain Anderson.

With a highly melodic, hummable and bouncy score with bright lyrics, "SHINE the Horatio Alger Musical", has tons of period atmosphere, nostalgic charm, comedy and entertainment. It follows the tale of Ragged Dick (Horatio Alger's first best-selling hero) in lower Manhattan (1876) as he rises from penniless bootblack to budding Wall Street entrepreneur. Dick's adventures with a little bit of luck, some charm and a whole lot of hard work bring him face to face with scheming ex-convicts, vicious comic villains, kind benefactors, and a world of colorful street characters in this charming rags-to-riches romp for everyone. NYMF Version Now Available! Published/licensed by Samuel French.  Winner of the Broadway USA Award.      www.shinethemusical.com

Richard Seff (Book) has spent a lifetime in the theatre as actor, playwright, columnist, critic, agent, librettist, investor and now memoirist. He first acted professionally in 1946 and took a 22 year leave of absence from the stage to become an agent representing artists in the musical theatre on Broadway.  Roger Dean Anderson (Composer) has been fortunate to collaborate with such legendary talents, Michael Smuin, Joe Layton, Wally Harper, Tony Walton, Vivian Matalon and Hal Prince. In 1979 he was paired with lyricist Lee Goldsmith, more than 30 years his senior; later composing the award-winning "Chaplin", followed by "Quality Street". Recent projects include "Ladykiller"; "Flying Tigers" and "Abe".  Lee Goldsmith (Lyricist) enjoyed an early career with National Comics scripting stories for The Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and The Flash. He adapted several projects for the stage, writing book and lyrics: "Come Back Little Sheba", "Golddiggers of 1633" and his ground-breaking Broadway musical "Sextet". 

Peter Flynn (Director) is Artistic Director of The Hangar Theatre and staged the star-studded Broadway concerts of "On the Twentieth Century" (Douglas Sills, Marin Mazzie, & Joanne Worley); "Chess" (Josh Groban); and "Funny Girl" (Whoopi Goldberg, Bebe Neuwirth, & Peter Gallagher, among others). Devanand Janki (Choreographer): directed & choreographed the award-winning hit "Zanna, Don't"! and "Junie B. Jones", "Cupid & Psyche", "Henry & Mudge" and John Patrick Shanley's "Romantic Poetry" (MTC). Broadway concerts: director of "Hair" (all-star cast, featuring Jennifer Hudson), choreographer of "Funny Girl" (16 Fanny Brices, including Whoopi Goldberg, Bebe Neuwirth, & Jane Krakowski). Michael Bottari & Ronald Case (Set and Costume Design) won: Lucille Lortel Award (Drama Desk nomination) for "Shanghai Moon" costumes and again for "Die Mommie Die" (Drama Desk, Outer Critics, & American Theatre Wing nominations). On Broadway: "State Fair", "Prince Of Central Park", and Marc Shaiman's "Prop 8, The Musical".