Six New Composers and Lyricists Lined Up for the 'Musical Theater Olympics,' TUNE IN TIME, at the York Theatre on April 6

Artistic Director James Morgan (left in photo), The York Theatre Company, and producers Amy Engelhardt and Heather Shields, will be presenting another edition of the quirky and popular musical theater game show Tune in Time, on Monday, April 6 at 7:30 pm with a new cast of contestants and celebrity judges. Joining the songwriting fray for this round will be composers Lisa DeSpain, Mark Sonnenblick, and Rick Bassett, while the lyricists they will team up with could come from a group consisting of Sarah Ziegler, Gordon Leary and cabaret performer, Broadway actress, and musical theater composer/book writer Rosemary Loar. Among the celebrity judges for the next show will be Matt Britten, Executive Producer for Blank! The Musical and marketing director for the New York Musical Theatre Festival; Remy Zaken, from the original Broadway company of Spring Awakening; and Thomas Honeck, the general manager for the Duplex and recent MAC Award winner for his cabaret show, Dancing With Dealth.

The April 6 edition of Tune In Time is hosted by the hilarious Emily McNamara (right in photo above) with music direction by Zak Sandler (substituting for regular MD, Nate Buccieri), and Peter Michael Marino (subbing for Sheila Head) as the annoyingly insistent timekeeper. The York Theatre Company is at Saint Peter's (Citicorp Building, entrance on East 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue). Additional show dates will be on May 5 and June 8. All performances will begin at 7:30 pm.

In this "Musical Theater Olympics," three teams of composers and lyricists who have never worked together are forced to collaborate--and to beat the clock! Their task? They must write a song from a new Broadway musical, the title of which is picked from a hatful of audience suggestions--in the style determined by a spin of the dreaded "Genre Wheel"--all within 20 minutes. Tune in Time is an evening of edge-of-your-seat suspense, brain-frying bravery, and Broadway trivia. Each edition of Tune in Time features a different roster of musical theater composers and lyricists as well as a panel of celebrity judges.

Award-winning composer and BroadwayWorld Cabaret Award winner Joe Iconis has been a past judge and explaines Tune In Time's appeal perfectly: "The notion of the show sounds fun," says Iconis, who knows all about putting on "fun" shows through his Joe Iconis & Family concerts at 54 Below and the Laurie Beechman Theatre. "I like the idea of pitting songwriters against each other in a fight to the death. I don't think that Tune In Time goes that far, but it's a step in the right direction. There is incredible songwriting talent here in New York and it's very inspiring to be part of a community that is as active and vocal as the songwriting community is in New York. It feels like a scene. I'm as inspired by the writers I love as I am by the ones I hate. That mixture of jealousy, admiration, and disgust motivates me hugely."

Previous songwriting winners have included David Gomez and Zach Redler, who at the most recent March show took the prize $10 gift certificate from Duane Reade for their faux Jason Robert Brown song "Too Soon," from the musical, The Gassy Breakthrough; Kellen Blair and Dave Christensen, who wrote "The High Octane Chola" from the fictional 50s/60s throwback musical of the same name; David Sisco and Kate Anderson who were paired together and awarded for their stunning duet from the mock operetta, The Moist Aardvark; Dan McKenzie and Ben Wexler who wrote a love duet from the Disney-style musical, The Sticky Snake; Erik Jareth Ransom (two-time champ) and Clay Zambo for their song from the imagined historical epic, The Hairy Ebola; and Avi Amon and Robbie Torres for their original song written for the homage to Disney musical, The Lovely Piano.

"A triumph! A rollicking celebration of words and music that skips briskly along the path that wends from the hilarious to the sublime." - Big Yellow Taxi

"Head down to Tune in Time. It is a joyous, hilarious romp that has the added benefit of being an exceptional night of creative genius." - Stage Buddy

General Admission tickets for Tune in Time are priced at $20 and can be purchased online atwww.yorktheatre.com, or by visiting the York Theatre Company Box Office (Citicorp Building, entrance on East 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue), 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.).

For additional information, please visit the website at www.yorktheatre.org.

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