Grammy Nominee Nelson Gonzalez Joins Second Stage Theatre's THE HAPPIEST SONG PLAYS LAST Creative Team

Grammy Award-nominated musician Nelson González has joined the creative team of the upcoming Second Stage Theatre production of THE HAPPIEST SONG PLAYS LAST, written by 2012 Pulitzer Prize winner Quiara Alegría Hudes and directed by Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson. Mr. González, who is widely considered the master of the Cuban Tres guitar, will oversee the production's musical elements and will lead a live band during performances.

THE HAPPIEST SONG PLAYS LAST will begin previews on Tuesday, February 11th, 2014 and officially open on Monday, March 3 at 6:30pm at Second Stage's Tony Kiser Theatre (305 West 43rd street). For more information, visit www.2ST.com.

González is a Grammy Award-nominated musician. Mr. González was born in Puerto Rico, and is distinguished for his mastery of the Cuban Tres guitar. Since the 1970s he has recorded and toured with all the major top Latin bands and artists, including Típica 73, Israel "Cachao" López, Los Kimbos, Fania All-Stars, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz and Eddie Palmieri, among others. He has been featured prominently on numerous Grammy Award-winning albums, and has performed on national television with Gloria Estefan, Paul Simon, Marc Anthony and many more. He has published a book on the Tres guitar method, been featured in Latin Beat magazine, and has been recognized by numerous institutions, including the Smithsonian Institution, for his educational workshops.

Cousins Elliot and Yaz, having long searched for their place in the community, discover the joy in coming home again and the comfort of family, both by blood and by love. While Elliot gets a lucky break in the film business, Yaz takes on the role of familial and neighborhood matriarch, nourishing those who pass through her door. Beating to the sounds of traditional Puerto Rican folk music, THE HAPPIEST SONG PLAYS LAST invites you to spend a year with Elliot and Yaz on their journey to peace and purpose in an ever-changing world.

THE HAPPIEST SONG PLAYS LAST features characters that have appeared in Hudes' Elliot, A Soldier's Fugue, a play about a young Marine coming to terms with his time in Iraq and his father's and grandfather's service in Vietnam and Korea, as well as her 2012 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Water by the Spoonful, which received its New York premiere at Second Stage Theatre in 2013.

The production will feature Anthony Chisholm (Radio Golf, Jitney), Dariush Kashani (Homebody/Kabul), Tony Plana (Ugly Betty), Armando Riesco (2ST's Water by the Spoonful), Elizabeth Rodriguez (Motherf***er with the Hat, Orange is the New Black), and ANNAPURNA SRIRAM (Pericles at Berkeley Rep).

THE HAPPIEST SONG PLAYS LAST will have scenic design by Michael Carnahan, costume design by Karen Perry, lighting design by Rui Rita, and sound design by Leon Rothenberg.

THE HAPPIEST SONG PLAYS LAST will be performed from Tuesday, February 11, 2014 through Sunday, March 23, 2014 on the following schedule: Tuesday at 7:00pm, Wednesday - Saturday at 8:00pm, Wednesday and Saturday at 2:00pm and Sunday at 3:00pm.

The following exceptions will be made to the regular performance schedule:

There will be no 2:00pm performance on Wednesday, February 12.

There will be no 2:00pm performance on Sunday, February 16.

The performance on Sunday, February 16 will be at 7:00pm

There will be no 2:00pm performance on Wednesday, February 19.

The performances on Sunday, February 23 will be at 2:00pm and 7:00pm.

The performance on Monday, March 3 (opening night) will be at 6:30pm.

There will be no performance on Tuesday, March 4.

All weeknight performances the week beginning March 10 will be at 7:00pm.

Tickets are $75 and may be purchased by phoning 212-246-4422 or online at www.2ST.com. $30 UNDER 30 YOUTH ADVANCE TICKETS AVAILABLE - patrons age 30 and under may purchase a limited number of specially-priced $30 tickets in advance. Proof of age must be shown at the box office. Group tickets are available at a discount by phoning 212-246-4422. Box-office hours are Monday, 10:00am - 6:00pm, Tuesday 10:00am - 7:00pm, Wednesday through Saturday, 10:00am to 8:00pm, and Sunday, 10:00am to 3:00pm.

Founded in 1979 under the leadership of Artistic Director Carole Rothman, Second Stage Theatre produces a diverse range of premieres and new interpretations of America's best Contemporary Theatre, including Tiny Alice and Peter and Jerry by Edward Albee; The Good Times Are Killing Me by Lynda Barry; The Little Dog Laughed by Douglas Carter Beane; Little Murders by Jules Feiffer; The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee by William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin; A Soldier's Play by Charles Fuller; Afterbirth: Kathy & Mo's Greatest Hits by Mo Gaffney and Kathy Najimy; Becky Shaw by Gina Gionfriddo; Painting Churches and Coastal Disturbances by Tina Howe; Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants and On the Stem by Ricky Jay; Next to Normal by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey; Living Out by Lisa Loomer; This Is Our Youth and The Waverly Gallery by Kenneth Lonergan; Some Men by Terrence McNally; By the Way, Meet Vera Stark by Lynn Nottage; eurydice by Sarah Ruhl; Everyday Rapture by Dick Scanlan and Sherie Rene Scott; Let Me Down Easy by Anna Deavere Smith; Saturday Night by Stephen Sondheim; Crowns by ReGina Taylor; Uncommon Women and Others by Wendy Wasserstein; Spoils of War by Michael Weller; Before It Hits Home, Jar the Floor and Birdie Blue by Cheryl L. West; Jitney by August Wilson; Lemon Sky, Serenading Louie and Sympathetic Magic by Lanford Wilson; and Metamorphoses and The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci by Mary Zimmerman.

The company's more than 130 citations include the 2010 Pulitzer prize for Next to Normal, the 2009 Tony Awards for Best Score, Best Orchestrations, and Best Actress in a Musical (Alice Ripley) for Next to Normal, the 2007 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play (Julie White, The Little Dog Laughed), 2005 Tony Awards for Best Book of a Musical (Rachel Sheinkin, ...Spelling Bee) and Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Dan Fogler, ...Spelling Bee), 2002 Tony Award for Best Director of a Play (Mary Zimmerman for Metamorphoses), the 2002 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Body of Work, 27 Obie Awards, six Outer Critics Circle Awards, two Clarence Derwent Awards, 12 Drama Desk Awards, nine Theatre World Awards, 14 Lucille Lortel Awards, the NY Drama Critics Circle Award and 15 AUDELCO Awards.

In 1999, Second Stage Theatre opened The Tony Kiser Theatre, its state-of-the-art, 296-seat theatre, designed by renowned Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas. In 2002, Second Stage launched "Second Stage Theatre Uptown" series to showcase the work of up and coming artists at the McGinn/Cazale Theatre. The Theatre supports artists through several programs that include residencies, fellowships and commissions, and engages students and community members through education and outreach programs.

Second Stage Theatre has acquired the right to purchase the historic Helen Hayes Theatre, located at 240 W. 44th Street. With this new home, Second Stage will be the only theatre company on Broadway dedicated exclusively to the development and presentation of contemporary American theatrical productions. Second Stage will also become one of only four non-profit theatre companies that own and operate theatres on Broadway. The company will continue to lease and operate their original theatres on the city's Upper West Side and in Midtown Manhattan.

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