Samuel Floyd Stars in BEN, VIRGINIA AND ME: THE LIBERACE MUSICAL at NYMF

The new musical Ben, Virginia and Me: The Liberace Musical will get its NY debut as part of The New York Musical Festival.

Ben, Virginia and Me: The Liberace Musical has a book by Roger O. Hirson (Tony Nominee for Pippin) and music and lyrics by Barbara Carole Sickmen and will be directed by Paul Stancato (National Tours: Flashdance, The Lion King, The Wedding Singer) and Music Direction by Jesse Warkentin (National Tours: Wicked, Cinderella). Ben, Virginia and Me: The Liberace Musical is produced by Ron Sickmen.

Before Liberace entered the world of glitz and glamour, the legendary showman crossed paths with history's most notorious gangster and his girlfriend, forming a unique bond. Ben, Virginia and Me: The Liberace Musical features a lavish original score, this world premiere musical explores the phantasmagorical life of the iconic performer and his nearly career-shattering struggle to maintain privacy with respect to his sexual orientation. Friendship, love, and the quest for redemption play out for one of showbiz's most unique trios in the telling of this remarkable story.

The cast includes Samuel Floyd (Regional: Avenue Q, Mary Poppins) as Liberace, Eric Briarley (NY: Dangerous Beauty, The Chocolate Tree) as Ben Siegel, Haley Hannah (Broadway: Bring It On: The Musical) as Virginia, Janet Aldrich (Broadway: Lust: Starmites), Heather Lea Bair, Darren Bunch, Mackenzie Perpich, Adriana Milbrath, Ashley Gale Munzek, Alex Nordin, Buzz Roddy, Conor Schultz.

The creative team includes: Seth Weinstein (Musical Director), Dana Iannuzzi (Associate Director), Kurt Alger (Costume Designer), Keith Truax (Lighting Designer), Kevan Loney (Projection Designer), Almeda Baynon (Sound Designer), Jesse Warkentin (Music Supervisor), Sidney Erik Wright (Co-Choreographer), Cheyanne Christopher (Production Stage Manager), Stephanie Klapper Casting (Casting), and Lisa Dozier King (General Management).

IF YOU GO:

Ben, Virginia and Me: The Liberace Musical

Book by Roger O. Hirson

Original Concept, Music, and Lyrics by Barbara Carole Sickmen

Directed and Choreographed by Paul Stancato

Music Direction by Seth Weinstein

Performance Schedule:

Wednesday, August 2, 2017 at 8:00 pm

Thursday, August 3, 2017 at 1:00 pm

Friday, August 4, 2017 at 9:00 pm

Saturday, August 5, 2017 at 5:00 pm

Sunday, August 6, 2017 at 5:00 pm

Tickets are $27.50 and can be purchased by visiting NYMF.org.

The Acorn Theatre at Theatre Row is located at 410 West 42nd Street, NYC

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Roger O. Hirson (Book) is an American dramatist who wrote the book for the Tony award winning musical, Pippin, in collaboration with Stephen Schwartz, Tony nominated Walking Happy, in collaboration with Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen, and Darling of the Day with Jule Stein. His extensive television career includes The HallMark Hall of Fame, Emmy winning mini-series, "A Woman Named Jackie". Films include "A Christmas Carol" (George C. Scott), "Demon Seed" (Julie Christie) and "The Bridge at Remagen" (George Segal).

BARBARA CAROLE SICKMEN (Music and Lyrics) is a lyricist/composer and recording artist who has performed onstage with Eddie Fisher, Jerry Vale, Alan King, Buddy Hackett, George Jessel and Jackie Mason. She was resident playwright at Kids For Kids Theater, where she developed musicals including Alice in Appleland and The Prince of Poland (Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis). She taught theater arts at Stony Brook University with John Houseman and Martin Gottfried and is a member of the Dramatists Guild, ASCAP, and Women in Theater.

Paul Stancato (Director/Choreographer) is a director/choreographer who works in theatre, film and television. Broadway-Wedding Singer (asst. chor), National Tours- Flashdance, Wedding Singer, Jekyll and Hyde. He was the Resident Director for Disney's The Lion King, and worked internationally as the Artistic Director for The House of Dancing Water. Recent credits: Collected Stories, Long Days Journey Into Night (Palm Beach Dramaworks), ICON (NYMF), Powerhouse (New Ohio Theater), Grease (Engeman Theater), Travlin' (Seven Angels Theatre) & Einstein's Dreams (Fringe). www.paulstancato.com

JESSE WARKENTIN (Music Director) has toured nationally with Wicked and Cinderella, premiered new musicals at The New York Music Festival, music directed showcases for New York songwriters as well as productions at North Shore Theater By The Sea, Music Theater Wichita as well as other regional theaters. Jesse has been featured with the Newton Mid-Kansas Symphony as piano soloist performing Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. It is truly an honor to work on this very special musical. Thank you Barbara, Roger, Ron and Paul.

RON SICKMEN (Producer) has been actively involved in all developmental aspects of Ben, Virginia, and Me: The Liberace Musical since its inception. As an attorney, he has participated in the many legal as well as creative producing aspects of the show including obtaining IP rights, collaboration agreements, budgets, finance, technical and developmental direction of the production. He is a Fellow of the Commercial Theater Institute and a member of the Broadway League.

The New York Musical Festival nurtures the creation, production, and public presentation of stylistically, thematically, and culturally diverse new musicals to ensure the future vitality of musical theater.

Now in its fourteenth year, the Festival is the premier musical theater event in the world. The preeminent site for launching new musicals and discovering new talent, the Festival provides an affordable platform for artists to mount professional productions that reach their peers, industry leaders, and musical theater fans. More than 90 Festival shows have gone on to productions on and Off-Broadway, in regional theaters in all 50 states, and in more than 24 countries worldwide. Festival alumni have received a wide array of awards including the Tony Award and the Pulitzer Prize. In 2013, NYMF received a special Drama Desk Award in recognition of its work "creating and nurturing new musical theater, ensuring the future of this essential art form."

NYMF is the flagship program of National Music Theater Network, Inc., a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization. 2017 NYMF is sponsored by The City of New York Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, PRG, TheaterMania, Clear Channel Outdoor and Village Voice, and is supported, in part, in part, by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, and by public funds from The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

The NYMF PASS is a great way to experience The New York Musical Festival. With a NYMF PASS, you can get into the theater before individual ticket holders. Passes also offer the exclusive ability to book tickets before they go on sale to the public. Individual tickets are on sale June 15!

The 2017 New York Musical Festival will take place July 10 - August 6. For more information, visit www.nymf.org.