Andréa Burns to Lead the York's CARMELINA; Full Cast

Celebrating the centennial of Alan Jay Lerner! The York Theatre Company enters the new year with the 25th Anniversary of its acclaimed Musicals in Mufti series celebrating the work of the legendary librettist and lyricist Alan Jay Lerner, whose hundredth birthday was August 31, 2018. The series honors one of the creators behind such classics as Brigadoon, Camelot, Love Life, and My Fair Lady.

Opening the 2019 winter series is Carmelina, with music by Burton Lane, lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, additional lyrics by Barry Harman, and book by Joseph Stein and Alan Jay Lerner. Performances begin Saturday afternoon, January 26, 2019 and continue for 11 performances only through February 3, 2019. Opening Night will be Sunday evening, January 27, 2019 at 7:00 p.m.

Directed by Michael Leeds (Bette and Barry: From Bathhouse to Broadway), and with music direction by David Hancock Turner (Desperate Measures), the eight-member cast will feature Andréa Burns (In the Heights) in the eponymous title role, with Antonio Cipriano (Jagged Little Pill) as Roberto/Guitarist, MaryJoanna Grisso (West Side Story) as Gia Campbell/Hostess, Evan Harrington (Chicago) as Walter Braddock/Waiter, Anne L. Nathan (Once) as Rosa/Cook, Timothy John Smith (Candide) as Steve Karzinski/Waiter, Joey Sorge (A Bronx Tale) as Vittorio Dela Marta/Eduard, and additional casting to be announced for the role of Carlton Smith.

The production team includes Lighting Designer Stephen O'Shea, Production Manager Kevin Maloof, Production Stage Manager Shanna Allison and Assistant Stage Manager Julianne Menassian. Casting for Carmelina is by Geoff Josselson, CSA.

After previous sold-out Mufti runs in 1996 and 2006, the delightful Carmelina makes its return to The York. In a picturesque Italian village, Carmelina has raised her teenaged daughter to believe her father was an American who died heroically in World War II-all the while collecting child support checks from three American soldiers, each of whom thinks he is the girl's father. Complications arise when all three soldiers show up at the same time for a reunion. Even though the original Broadway production only ran for 17 performances, the lush Lerner and Lane score received a 1979 Tony Award nomination for Best Score. The version of Carmelina presented here is the revised version created by Joseph Stein, Burton Lane, and Lerner protégé Barry Harman for The York in 1996, then further revised for a second Mufti presentation ten years later.

The York Theatre Company's acclaimed Musicals in Mufti series of musical theatre gems, performed in a simply-staged, book-in-hand concert format, are part of the Muftis' twenty-fifth historic year of presenting shows from the past that deserve a second look. Mufti means "in street clothes, without the trappings of a full production."

Carmelina 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.

Single tickets for the Winter 2019 Musicals in Mufti series are priced at $45 (Weekdays and Saturday nights) and $50 (Weekend matinees). York Member single tickets are priced at $31.50 (all performances). Single tickets for the Charles Troy multimedia presentations are priced at $20 for each event. Single tickets for Almost Like Being in Love are priced at $30.

"Musicals in Mufti" Package and see all three Muftis for $120 (any performance package) - up to a $30 savings.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos