Irving Berlin's LOUISIANA PURCHASE Begins This Evening at Musicals Tonight!

Louisiana Purchase has music and lyrics by Irving Berlin and book by Pulitzer Prize winner Morrie Ryskind. The show opened in 1940 and ran for over a year.

The story: Jimmy Taylor (Morgan McCann) and his business partners, Colonel Davis (Tony Triano), his son Junior (Michael Fasano), Captain Whitfield (Jay Paranada) and Dean Manning (Charles Rubey) are being investigated by Senator Oliver P. Loganberry (Michael J. Farina). Jimmy hopes to distract the Senator with the help of Madame Bordelaise (Bethe B. Austin) worldly restaurant owner and Beatrice (Kristin Wetherington) her sexy entertainer. He even recruits Marina (Elisabeth Evans) a beautiful emigrant. Jimmy's niece Emmy Lou (Lilly Tobin) and her fiancé, Lee (Corey Desjardins), also try to help. The Senator gets drunk, is photographed with Marina who then claims they are engaged. But Madame Bordelaise comes to the Senator's rescue by marrying him herself. That leaves Marina for Jimmy - something we've been rooting for all along.

Helping sort all this out is the ensemble of Sam Beasley, Thom Brown III, Colleen Grate, Staci Jo Johnston.

Songs include "Sex Marches On," "You're Lonely and I'm Lonely," "Latins Know How," "Outside of That I Love You," and "Fools Fall in Love."

On the creative team are Donald Brenner (Director/Choreographer) and James Stenborg (Music Director/Vocal Arranger).

Performances: Evenings @ 7:30: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday; Four Matinees @ 2:00; Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $30 at The Lion Theatre Box Office (410 West 42nd Street) OR from Telecharge 212-239-6200. Musicals Tonight! Inc. is a not-for profit (501c3) company. Visit www.musicalstonight.org for more information.