Jeff Blumenktrantz & Brett Ryback to Star in Second Stage Uptown's MURDER FOR TWO, Begin. 7/10

Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director) concludes its 2013 Uptown Series with the New York premiere musical comedy Murder For Two, with book and music by Joe Kinosian, book and lyrics by Kellen Blair and directed by Scott Schwartz. Murder for Two will feature Jeff Blumenkrantz (How to Succeed...) and Brett Ryback (The History Boys at Ahmanson). Previews begin on July 10 and opening night is Thursday, July 25.

Murder For Two is presented at Second Stage Theatre's uptown home, the McGinn/Cazale Theatre on Broadway at 76th Street. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased by calling the Second Stage Theatre Box Office at 212-246-4422 or online at www.2ST.com.

Mixing classic musical comedy with a dash of Agatha Christie, everyone is a suspect in this house of eccentric characters unfazed by the dead body on the floor. But this whodunit comes with a killer twist: one actor investigates the crime (Brett Ryback), the other plays all thirteen suspects (Jeff Blumenkrantz), and they both play the piano! This madcap mystery will tickle the ivories and your funny bone.

Murder For Two features scenic design by Beowulf Boritt, costume design by Andrea Lauer, lighting design by Jason Lyons, sound design by Jill BC DuBoff.

Created as a program to help develop and provide exposure for the voices of a new generation of theatre artists, the Second Stage Theatre Uptown Series(Christopher Burney, Curator & Associate Artistic Director), seeks to develop the skills of emerging playwrights, to provide early-career artists with the support of a major artistic institution, and to create new plays for the American Theatre. Each show has a limited rehearsal period, as well as a streamlined budget. Lead funding for Second Stage Uptown Series is provided by the Time Warner Foundation.

The series was among the first established by a prominent Off-Broadway institution to help nurture and advance the careers of young up and coming playwrights. Since its founding in 2002 the Uptown Series has showcased the works of several established playwrights including Rajiv Joseph (Gruesome Playground Injuries andBengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, "Nurse Jackie"), Leslye Headland (Bachelorette), Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Good Boys and True, HBO's "Big Love," "Glee"),Adam Bock (A Small Fire, The Drunken City), and Brooke Berman (Hunting and Gathering); actors Gavin Creel, Ari Graynor, Marin Hinkle, Halley Feiffer, Rosemarie DeWitt, Lorenzo Pisoni, Tracie Thoms and Tracee Chimo among many others; and directors Davis McCallum, Trip Cullman, Carolyn Cantor, Evan Cabnet and Jackson Gay.

Joe Kinosian (Book and Music) and Kellen Blair (Book and Lyrics) are the recipients of the 2011 Joseph Jefferson Award recognizing Murder For Two as the Best New Musical Work in Chicago following its record-breaking seven month run at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Prior to Chicago, developmental productions took place at the Adirondack Theater Festival, the Hangar Theater, and 42nd Street Moon. Their work has been showcased recently at the York Theater's 2012 NEO Concert, The Kennedy Center's Broadway Today and Tomorrow series, The Kauffman Center's Bound for Broadway Concert, and a November 2012 New York Theatre Barn Concert. Past work includes Pirates Don't Change Diapers for TheatreWorks USA. Kellen and Joe are advanced member of the BMI Musical Theatre Writing Workshop, alums of the Johnny Mercer Songwriting Project, and members of ASCAP. They're currently developing several new original musicals. www.kinosianandblair.com

Scott Schwartz (Director) directed the Broadway productions of Golda's Balcony and Jane Eyre (co-directed with John Caird). His off-Broadway work includesBat Boy: The Musical (Lucille Lortel and Outer Critics Circle Awards, Outstanding off-Broadway Musical; Drama Desk Award nomination, Outstanding Director of a Musical), tick, tick...BOOM! (Outer Critics Circle, Outstanding off-Broadway Musical; Drama Desk nomination, Outstanding Director of a Musical), Rooms: A Rock Romance, The Foreigner starring Matthew Broderick (Roundabout Theatre Company), Kafka's The Castle (Outer Critics Circle nomination, Outstanding Director of a Play), and No Way to Treat a Lady. He also directed Golda's Balcony on tour, in London, in Los Angeles at the Wadsworth Theatre and in San Francisco at American Conservatory Theater. He directed the World Premiere of Séance on a Wet Afternoon at Opera Santa Barbara and subsequently at New York City Opera. Schwartz's other recent credits include Somewhere in Time (Portland Center Stage), the world premiere of Theresa Rebeck's What We're Up Against (Alley Theatre), Arsenic and Old Lace starring Tovah Feldshuh and Betty Buckley (Dallas Theater Center), Othello and Much Ado About Nothing (Alley Theatre), A Room With A View (Old Globe), and a re-envisioning of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Paper Mill Playhouse, Theatre Under The Stars, Theatre on the Square and North Shore Music Theatre; 2008 IRNE Award, Outstanding Director of a Musical). Upcoming projects include the new musical Secondhand Lions at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre. Schwartz is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, an Associate Artist at the Alley Theatre and a graduate of Harvard University.

Jeff Blumenkrantz performed on Broadway in Into the Woods (1987), Threepenny Opera (with Sting), Damn Yankees, How to Succeed..., and A Class Act. Other theatre credits include: Anyone Can Whistle (Encores), Forever Plaid (off-Broadway). Film and TV: Joseph ... Dreamcoat, The Good Wife, 30 Rock, Will and Grace, Ugly Betty, Law and Order and Candide in Concert for Great Performances (PBS). He is also a composer/lyricist, and has received the Fred Ebb Award and a Tony nomination (Urban Cowboy) for his songs. www.jeffblumenkrantz.com

Brett Ryback is an actor, composer, and playwright making his Second Stage debut. Regional: The History Boys (Ahmanson); The Lieutenant of Inishmore(Mark Taper Forum); The world premieres of The Prince of Atlantis, Dr. Cerberus, and Imagine (South Coast Rep); Upright Grand (world premiere, Theatreworks, Palo Alto); The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Ovation nomination, La Mirada); Henry V (Milwaukee Shakes); On Your Toes! (Reprise!); Over the Tavern, Inspecting Carol (Milwaukee Rep). Television credits include: "Cupid," House, "How I Met Your Mother." His plays and musicals include: Liberty Inn: The Musical(Ovation nominations Best Book, Best Music/Lyrics); Darling (Weston Playhouse New Musical Award); Weïrd (Winner, Tennessee Williams One-Act Competition);Death Valley DQ (Honorable Mention, American Globe Theatre 15-Minute Play Fest), and The Tavern Keeper's Daughter. He has written songs for the web series The Battery's Down, and he is the music director and arranger for Lesli Margherita's acclaimed nightclub act All Hail the Queen, which continues to play to sold-out crowds in NY/LA. www.brettryback.com

Murder For Two will be performed at the McGinn/Cazale Theater (Broadway & 76th Street, 3rd floor) from Thursday, July 10 - Saturday, August 10 on the following schedule: Monday-Saturday at 7:30pm, and Saturday at 2:00pm.

Tickets can be purchased at the Second Stage Theatre Box Office (305 West 43rd Street) or by calling (212) 246-4422. Advance tickets are not available at the McGinn/Cazale Theater. Single tickets are $30. Student rush tickets are $10 (available 30 minutes prior to curtain). 3 and 4-Play subscriptions consisting of The Tutors, Nobody Loves you, Murder for Two and Little Miss Sunshine are available for $95-150.

To post a comment, you must register and login.