Mario Cantone, Judy McLane, Bobby Conte Thornton To Head Cast Of Amas Musical Theatre's ROMEO AND BERNADETTE

Amas Musical Theatre (Donna Trinkoff, Artistic Producer) in celebration of its 50th season, will present Romeo and Bernadette- A Musical Tale of Verona and Brooklyn, with book & lyrics by Mark Saltzman and music adapted from classic Italian melodies, the second of four new musicals in development included in this year's "Dare to Be Different" series. Performances are Monday, November 19 at 3pm & 7pm and Tuesday, November 20 at 3pm at A.R.T./New York Theatres (502 West 53rd Street - 10th Avenue & 53rd Street.

Romeo - yes, THAT Romeo - awakens and finds himself in 1960 Brooklyn, chasing a girl he believes is his beloved Juliet. But no, it's Bernadette, the beautiful, foul-mouthed daughter of a crime family in this wild spoof of Shakespeare's timeless tale.

Directed by Justin Ross, the cast will feature Broadway performers Mario Cantone (Laugh Whore, Love! Valour! Compassion!), Judy McLane (Mamma Mia!), and Bobby Conte Thornton (A Bronx Tale), as well as Antonio Cipriano, Taylor Crousore (NEWSical The Musical!), Angela Gómez, MinJi Kim, Michael Marotta, Frank Viveros, and Viet Vo.

"Shakespeare has always been ripe for adaptations and new interpretations," says Amas Artistic Producer Donna Trinkoff, "and adding the poetry of Brooklynese to the mix makes for a perfect marriage and could not be more timely for this age of #MeToo. Our playwright, Mark Saltzman, a multiple Emmy Award-winner has been in the news lately at the center of the recent Bert and Ernie are-they-aren't-they uproar. He's done a bang-up job bringing this comic romp to the stage."

"For 50 years, Amas has been a pioneer in multi-ethnic casting and has been devoted to the creation, development and professional production of new American musicals through the celebration of diversity and minority perspectives, and the emergence of new artistic talent. We want to continue to present this series featuring new musicals and special one-night events that explore the stories of people who dare to be different and to give our audiences the chance to get in at the ground floor in the development process of our talented artists in an intimate and up-close and personal setting."

Tickets for Romeo and Bernadette are FREE, but reservations are required and may be made by emailing boxoffice@amasmusical.org or by calling (212) 563-2565. Seating is limited.

For information about upcoming events part of the Amas 50th Anniversary Celebration, please visit amasmusical.org.