National Lampoon Will Debut LEMMINGS: 21ST CENTURY at Joe's Pub

For the past five decades, National Lampoon has pushed boundaries in the comedy universe. In honor of its 50th anniversary, National Lampoon, in keeping with its half-century-old legacy, today announces the creation of a reboot to its legendary off-Broadway musical sketch hit Lemmings, which helped launched the careers of John Belushi, Christopher Guest, Harold Ramis, Anne Beatts, and more. Lemmings: 21st Century is written by Larson Grant Winner, Andrew Farmer, with a score written by downtown music-comedy guru Henry Koperski, and directed by red-hot theater artist Annie Tippe.

Whereas the original Lemmings satirized the seminal Boomer rock festival Woodstock by creating a fictional counterpart "Woodshuck," Lemmings: 21st Century takes on the modern Millennial corporate festival culture on display at Coachella, Burning Man, Bonnaroo, and even Fyre, with the fictional music gathering, the Downfall Festival, brought to you by humanitarian organization and pharmaceutical super-corporation, Drexcorp.

The world premiere of the all-new Lemmings: 21st Century will be a concert performance in New York City at Joe's Pub on Saturday, March 14 and Sunday, March 15, which is the official kick-off of National Lampoon's 50th Anniversary Mid-life Crisis celebration. Simultaneous to the two-performance exclusive engagement back in the stomping grounds of the 1973 original, National Lampoon continues its milestone celebration with live performances of the recently launched "National Lampoon Radio Hour: The Podcast" at SXSW Comedy Festival on March 15 and 16.

National Lampoon President Evan Shapiro announced the new Lemmings by saying: "47 years ago, National Lampoon skewered Boomers with 'Three Days of Peace, Love and Death.' Now, we're working [with] the smartest artists around to create a twisted musical comedy that mock's today's culture, where people can seemingly only watch rock concerts through Instagram filters."

Raj Singh and Kevin Frakes, National Lampoon Co-CEOs, added "Lemmings is a cornerstone of National Lampoon - and American comedy - history. Re-animating this show, with today's music, for today's audiences, is at the heart of reinvigorating the National Lampoon brand."

Additional credits for Lemmings include Consulting Producer Patrick Catullo (Oh, Hello On Broadway, David Byrne's American Utopia) and Line Producers/General Managers Mike Lavoie and Carlee Briglia (Jacqueline Novak's Get On Your Knees, Oh, Hello On (Off) Broadway). Cast for the concert performances will be announced soon.

The golden anniversary festivities continue in Austin, Texas at SXSW Comedy Festival 2020 with the iconic comedy brand presenting "National Lampoon Radio Hour: The Live Show" on Sunday, March 15 and Monday, March 16 at Esther's Follies in Austin in front of live audiences. The events will showcase original, twisted sketch performances by the writers and stars of the all-new "National Lampoon Radio Hour: The Podcast," including Meg Stalter (Vulture's Up and Coming Comics in 2019; The Meg Stalter Show), Brett Davis (Andy Kaufman Comedy winner, Podcast For Laundry), Alex English (The Rundown, Night Train), Aaron Jackson (UCB, The Opposition), Rachel Pegram (The Week Of, Don't Think Twice), Lorelei Ramirez (Comedy Central: Up Next, Pervert Everything) and Martin Urbano (Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central).

About National Lampoon

Led by Co-CEOs Raj Singh and Kevin Frakes and President Evan Shapiro, National Lampoon expands the boundaries of the comedy universe with projects that span film, audio, live performance, television, and beyond. Like its origins, its storytelling pushes the envelope of defining comedy and presents "twisted mainstream" humor conveyed through voices that represent the next generation of leading artists. "National Lampoon Radio Hour: The Podcast," which premiered on December 19, stars next generation comic savants Cole Escola, Jo Firestone, Brett Davis, Alex English, Maeve Higgins, Aaron Jackson, Rachel Pegram, Lorelei Ramirez, Meg Stalter and Martin Urbano, and is a reinvention of modern scripted sketch, in audio.

TICKETS FOR LEMMINGS PERFORMANCES AT Joe's Pub (AVAILABLE STARTING TODAY, TUESDAY, JANUARY 28):

ONLINE at joespub.com / PHONE, 10AM-7:00PM, DAILY 212-967-7555
IN PERSON The Public Theater Box Office, 425 Lafayette Street, NYC (Opens daily at 2PM)

NOTE There is a $12 food / two (2) drink minimum per person per show, unless otherwise noted.

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