The York Theatre Company to Present the Return of the MUSICALS IN MUFTI Series

The York Theatre Company, “Where Musicals Come to Life”, will present the return of its esteemed Musicals in Mufti series for the first time in four years. The Fall 2023 Musicals in Mufti series will feature five offerings: How to Steal an Election: A Dirty Politics Musical (August 26-September 3), followed by The Lieutenant (September 9-17) and Golden Rainbow (September 23-October 1), concluding with a New2NY presentation of the new musical When We Get There (October 7-15). A special two-show run of the new musical 18 Minutes of Fame is scheduled for August 28 at 7:30pm and August 29 at 1pm. All performances will take place at The Theater at St. Jean’s (entrance on 150 East 76th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue. For elevator, enter on Lexington between 76th and 75th, just south of St. Jean’s.)

These musical theatre gems, performed in a simply-staged concert format with scripts, are part of the Muftis’ twenty-seven year history of presenting shows from the past that deserve a second look. Mufti means “in street clothes, without the trappings of a full production.”

York’s Producing Artistic Director Jim Morgan had this to say: “This is for all the people in the past 4 years who’ve said to me, ‘Are you not doing the Muftis anymore? You just gotta…they’re my absolute favorite!’”

Opening the Fall 2023 Series is the first New York revival of the 1968 musical How to Steal an Election: A Dirty Politics Musical, with music and lyrics by Oscar Brand (the “Dean of American Folk Music”) and book by William F. Brown (The Wiz). Brown and Brand had the notion of Jazz Age President Calvin Coolidge materializing in the present day (that is, 1968). There he meets a couple of fervent young protesters, just back from the skull-cracking Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Disillusioned, these two protesters have no taste for the political machine. But what’s wrong with pragmatism, Coolidge wonders? What about learning to work within a corrupt system? Thus, Coolidge begins his history lesson, with vignettes and songs depicting cynical power grabs of yore. How to Steal an Election opened to rave reviews at Off-Broadway’s Pocket Theatre in 1968 and after 50 performances, the show was set to move to Broadway. But there was a glitch. According to Oscar Brand, the $80,000 lined up for the move was Mob money, and it would only be delivered after someone on the production helped with some securities laundering. Brand refused to cooperate; end of deal, end of production. How to Steal an Electionwill be directed by The York’s Associate Producing Director Joseph Hayward with choreography by Victoria Casillo and music direction by Miles Plant. Performances begin Saturday afternoon, August 26, 2023 and continue for 11 performances only through September 3, 2023. Opening Night will be Sunday evening, August 27, 2023, at 7:00 p.m.

The second show in the series is a special event presented for two performances only: 18 Minutes of Fame by Susan Morgenstern and Barbara Minkus, starring Ms. Minkus. Making her York Theatre debut, Broadway, film, and television singer/actress Barbara Minkus shares an intimate performance of personal moments, funny and poignant songs, and remarkable stories of working with such luminaries as Danny Kaye, Merv Griffin, Jerry Lewis, and Charlotte Rae. While searching for fame throughout her life, Barbara found a lot more than she bargained for. In her delightfully engaging story, she shares an exceptional journey of love, life, difficult decisions, family dynamics and more. In concert with the presentation of How to Steal an Election, Barbara is adding special songs and stories to her show recounting her time working with composer/lyricist Oscar Brand and director George Abbott on The Education of H*YM*AN K*AP*LA*N, in which she starred on Broadway in 1968. 18 Minutes of Fame is directed by Susan Morgenstern, with musical direction by Ron Barnett. Performances are Monday, August 28 at 7:30pm and Tuesday, August 29 at 1pm.

The next offering in the series is the 1975 Broadway musical The Lieutenant, with book, music and lyrics by Chuck Strand, Gene Curty, and Nitra McAuliffe. The Lieutenant is a brilliant rock opera which opened in 1975 and received four Tony nominations and five Drama Desk nominations, including ones for Best Musical and Best Score, despite an abbreviated run of only one week. Clive Barnes of the New York Times said it was a “rare musical with something worth saying,” calling it “unusual entertainment, sharp in its aspiration.” The show follows the passage of Lieutenant William Calley from raw recruit in the US Army through his 1971 court-martial for the infamous My Lai massacre of innocent civilians in 1968. The authors question the guilty verdict of a man who was tried first in the national media and later by a military tribunal, when militarism itself should perhaps shoulder the brunt of the blame. “Bertolt Brecht would have cheered this bold new look at the American sickness that was My Lai,” chimed in the Long Island Press, and ABC Newssaid, “the rock score is one of the most dynamic and soaring since Jesus Christ Superstar.” Performances are set to begin Saturday afternoon, September 9, 2023, and continue for 11 performances only through September 17, 2023. Opening Night will be Sunday evening, September 10, 2023, at 7:00 p.m.

Next on the bill is the buoyant 1968 Broadway musical Golden Rainbow, with music and lyrics by Walter Marks and a book by Ernest Kinoy, based on Arnold Schulman’s play A Hole in the Head. Golden Rainbow is the jazzy, heartfelt story of a single dad trying to achieve success in Las Vegas while raising his extremely bright and savvy son. His late wife's sister arrives and tries to bring stability to the boy's life, but unintentionally falls in love with her brother-in-law. The musical originally opened on Broadway on February 4, 1968 and ran nearly a year. It starred the married couple of Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gormé, major stars from their extensive work in the recording, television, and concert industries. The musical introduced the enduring standard "I've Gotta Be Me," recorded by Sammy Davis, Tony Bennett, Michael Jackson, Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder, and many others. Stuart Ross (Enter Laughing) directs. Performances are set to begin Saturday afternoon, September 23, 2023, and continue for 11 performances only through October 1, 2023. Opening Night will be Wednesday evening, September 27, 2023 at 7:00 p.m.

Closing the series will be a New2NY presentation of When We Get There, a new musical with book by Robert P. Young III and Richard Lasser and music and lyrics by Charlie Barnett. Black teenager Dawn inspires her mother Mary, Mary’s employer Rose, and Rose’s handyman Terrance to pile in Rose’s 1963 Buick Electra and drive to Selma to join Dr. Martin Luther King’s march. Green Book at the ready and hearts full of hope, the foursome heads south even as America remains hostile to its Black and Jewish citizens. Trouble will be encountered, secrets will be revealed, and a new understanding of what a family (and maybe a country) can be will be discovered. Performances are set to begin Saturday afternoon, October 2, 2023, and continue for 11 performances only through October 15, 2023. Opening Night will be Sunday evening, October 3, 2023 at 7:00 p.m.

Musicals in Mufti will play the following 11-performance schedule—First Week: Saturday at 2:30 p.m. & 8:00 p.m., Sunday at 2:30 & 7:00 p.m.; Second Week: Wednesday at 7:00 p.m., Thursday at 2:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., Friday at 8:00 p.m., Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

18 Minutes of Fame will play on Monday, August 28 at 7:30pm and Tuesday, August 29 at 1pm.

NOW ON SALE: Single tickets for the Fall 2023 Musicals in Mufti series are priced at $59 premium and $49 standard price (for all performances) and can be purchased here

SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE: Subscribe and see all five (5) Muftis for $225 premium and $185standard OR see three (3) Muftis for $145 premium and $120 standard.

BEST SAVINGS! Become a York Member (details below): Buy all five (5) Muftis starting at $165 - savings of over 30% off our standard ticket price!

The York Theatre Company offers the York! Membership Program, an exclusive membership package for as low as $75.00—with benefits that include up to 35% off tickets to York Theatre Productions, in addition to special Member-only receptions. The York also offers a York Plus! Membership Program with additional perks, including complimentary tickets to Mainstage productions and invitations to several VIP-only presentations throughout the season.

Musicals in Mufti packages and York Memberships can be purchased online here or by calling the Box Office at (212) 935-5820 during regular business hours (Monday through Friday, 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.).

York Theatre Company Gift Cards are available for any production during the 2023-2024 season by visiting the box office or calling (212) 935-5820, or online at www.yorktheatre.org

For additional information, please visit www.yorktheatre.org

The York Theatre Company

“Where Musicals Come to Life,” is the only theatre in New York City—and one of very few in the world—dedicated to developing and fully producing new musicals and preserving notable shows from the past. For over five decades, York’s intimate, imaginative style of producing both original and classic musicals has resulted in critical acclaim and recognition from artists and audiences alike. Under the guidance of Producing Artistic Director James Morgan since 1997, The York has focused 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. Well over 40 cast recordings from York Theatre Company productions are now available on CD, including its acclaimed revival of Closer Than Ever (2013 Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best Revival); commercial transfers of such York premieres as The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!), Souvenir (Tony Award Nomination for actress Judy Kaye), and Jolson & Company, and revivals of Pacific Overtures and Sweeney Todd (four Tony Nominations including Best Revival) have all showcased the importance of The York and its programs.

Recent New York and world premieres have included Hoagy Carmichael’s Stardust Road, Penelope: or How the Odyssey Was Really Written, Cheek to Cheek: Irving Berlin in Hollywood, A Taste of Things to Come, Marry Harry, and Rothschild & Sons. The critically acclaimed musical Yank! received its Off-Broadway debut at The York in 2010, and subsequently to rave reviews in London—as did York’s Rothschild & Sons. The hit musical Cagney received its York premiere in 2015, transferring to The Westside Theatre for over 15 months. In 2017, Desperate Measuresreceived a total of 15 award nominations (and three wins) that included Best Musical from the Lucille Lortel, Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk, and Off-Broadway Alliance and subsequently transferred across town to New World Stages. The York is the recipient of a special Drama Desk Award for “Developing and Producing New Musicals,” a special Outer Critics Circle Award for “50 Years of Producing New and Classic Musicals.” Due to a flood in their home of 30 years at Saint Peter’s Church in January 2021, The York is currently producing at The Theatre at St. Jean’s at 76th Street and Lexington Avenue.

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