The Musical Of Musicals (The Musical!) Returns To NYC 7/8 For One Night Only Benefit For York Theatre

The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!), the acclaimed off Broadway hit by Eric Rockwell and Joanne Bogart that has played to sold-out houses across the United Stages, in Canada and on London's West End, will return to New York for a one-night-only performance, on Wednesday, July 8 at 7:30pm. The evening will benefit the York Theatre Company, the award-winning off-Broadway company that first produced the show, in 2004, in honor of the theatre's 40th Anniversary.

It will be presented at The York Theatre Company in Saint Peter's Church, (54th Street and Lexington Avenue).

Melanie Herman, the show's New York producer, has reunited the show's original artistic team (Pamela Hunt, director; Jim Morgan, sets; John Carver Sullivan, costumes and Mary Jo Dondlinger, lights), along with actors who have performed the show in New York and around the country: Joanne Bogart, Matt Castle, Brent Schindele and Kristin Maloney. Musical of Musicals (the Musical) has music by Eric Rockwell, lyrics by Joanne Bogart, and book by Rockwell and Bogart.

The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!) first opened at the York on December 16, 2003, garnering rave reviews and was nominated for five Drama Desk Awards, including Best Musical and the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Musical. It moved to the Dodgers Stages, playing for a total of 583 performances in New York. The New York Times wrote, "The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!) has real wit, real charm. It's great fun!" The musical has since played all across the United States, Canada and London. The latest production will play at the Cape Playhouse on Cape Cod, June 22 - July 4; it is this cast that is coming to New York for the one-night-only benefit.
"I am thrilled to bring this incredibly witty show back to the York, where it all began." said producer Melanie Herman. "Fans have been asking for a chance to see the show again (many of whom returned time-after-time during the original run). Now, thanks to the generosity of the Cape Playhouse, the actors and the artistic team, who are donating their talents to this evening's success, the stars have aligned for this one night."
The Musical of Musicals(The Musical!) is a musical about ... musicals! In a comic satire of musical theatre genres, one story becomes five musicals, each in the distinctive style of a different master of the form, from Rodgers and Hammerstein to Stephen Sondheim.

The plot is simple: June, an ingénue who can't pay the rent, is threatened by her evil landlord. Will the handsome leading man come to her rescue? In an evening of variations on a theme, this basic plot is musicalized the way Rodgers and Hammerstein might have envisioned it, taking place in Kansas in August, complete with a Dream Ballet. The story is then done in the style of Stephen Sondheim, featuring the landlord as a tortured, artistic genius who slashes the throats of his tenants in revenge because they don't appreciate his art. When presented in the style of Jerry Herman, the story becomes a splashy star vehicle, while the Andrew Lloyd Webber version is a rock musical, with borrowed themes from Puccini. The story is re-told one last time in the style of Kander and Ebb, set in a speakeasy in Chicago. The tone of this evening of satire is loving/irreverent "in a sorry/grateful" kind of way.

The York Theatre Company, James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director, was recently nominated for five 2009 Drama Desk Awards, four 2009 Lucille Lortel Awards, two Outer Critics Circle Awards, and two Drama League Awards for its productions of Enter Laughing, The Musical and My Vaudeville Man! last season. The York is the only theater in New York City-and one of very few in the world-dedicated to developing and fully producing new musicals, as well as preserving gems from the past. Winner of a special Drama Desk Award for developing and producing new musical theatre, York's intimate, imaginative style of producing both original and classic musicals has resulted in critical acclaim and recognition from artists and audiences alike for almost four decades. Under the guidance of 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. The York's Developmental Reading Series, which presents nearly 40 free readings of new musicals every year, was the incubator for the Tony Award-winning Broadway hit Avenue Q, among many other significant shows.
The Original Cast Album of The York Theatre Company production is available on Jay Records.

The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!). For information visit www.musicalofmusicals.com.

The July 8 benefit begins at 7:30 pm at The York Theatre Company in Saint Peter's Church, (54th and Lexington Avenues). Tickets are $40 (show only; limited availability) and $100 (includes post-show reception) and are available online at www.yorktheatre.org or by phone at 212-935-5820.

Photo: Photo by Kathleen A. Fahle