Max Crumm Stars In New Off-Broadway Musical THE EVOLUTION OF MANN

Nancy Manocherian's the cell (Artistic Director, Kira Simring), who scored a hit last season with the World Premiere musical Bastard Jones, will present the New York Premiere of THE EVOLUTION OF MANN, a musical featuring music & lyrics by Drama Desk nominee Douglas J. Cohen (Children's Letters to God, The Opposite of Sex) and book & lyrics by Dan Elish (13: The Musical) based on his novel, Nine Wives. Directed by Joe Barros (Bastard Jones), the production will star Max Crumm (Grease, Disaster!) in the title role. Previews begin September 23 at the cell with opening slated for Thursday, October 4.

THE EVOLUTION OF MANN follows Henry Mann, a thirty-something single New Yorker eager to settle down...or so he thinks. After receiving an invitation to his ex-fiancée's wedding, he and his lesbian roommate embark on a quest to find Henry's soulmate, his perfect date. THE EVOLUTION OF MANN is a musical comedy that explores love in all its forms and how to build a lasting relationship in the 21st century.

Complete casting for THE EVOLUTION OF MANN will be announced shortly. The production team includes Vadim Feichtner (music supervisor), Libby Stadstad (set), Chris Steckel (lighting), Siena Zoë Allen (costumes), Nathan Scheuer (projections), Ellen Fitton (sound design), Wojcik | Seay Casting (Casting), Kayla Santos (production stage manager), Brian Reager (associate director) and Liz Flemming (associate producer).

Max Crumm appeared on Broadway as Scott in Disaster! (The Nederlander) and Danny in Grease (Brooks Atkinson). Off-Broadway, he starred in Hot Mess, The Fantasticks, Disaster! and Brooklyn Crush (aka F#%king Up Everything). Other credits include Woody Harrelson in Matthew McConaughey vs. The Devil (NYMF 2017), The Situation in Jersey Shoresical (FringeNYC), Beatsville (Asolo Rep.), Legendale (Human Race Theatre). Film/TV credits: Ray Donovan, Easy A, Killing Diaz, & Deception. @MaxCrumm

Douglas J. Cohen (Music and Lyrics) is the recipient of the 2010 Fred Ebb Award. He also received two Richard Rodgers Awards for No Way To Treat A Lady (Hudson Guild, York Theatre Company, plus 150 productions globally) and The Gig (O'Neill Music Theater Conference, MTC Stage II, Goodspeed, winner 5 NYMF Awards). With librettist/ lyricist Cheryl Davis: Bridges (Richard Rodgers Finalist; Ignite Series Concert at Times Center produced by Amas and Prospect Theater; Berkeley Playhouse production), and Barnstormer (Jonathan Larson Grant for Lark Theatre bare bones; NAMT Festival of New Musicals; Red Mountain Theatre). A Drama Desk nominee for Outstanding Lyrics (Children's Letters to God, Lamb's Theatre), Doug wrote music and lyrics for The Opposite of Sex (Williamstown Theatre Festival); The Big Time (book by Douglas Carter Beane, NYMF Festival directed by Chris Ashley); Boozy (Bleeker Street Theatre directed by Alex Timbers); and composed Glimmerglass (Goodspeed) and A Charles Dickens Christmas (Urban Stages, Theatreworks/USA). Upcoming: Mudville (with Dan Elish and Mike Mitri). Proud member of the Dramatists Guild and ASCAP; teacher at The Neighborhood Playhouse.

Dan Elish (Book and Lyrics) wrote the book to the musical 13 which played at the Mark Taper Forum and won the 2007 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Production; he was also nominated for Best Writing. 13 went on to play on Broadway at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre in 2008. Dan is also the author of ten novels including The Royal Order of Fighting Dragons and The Worldwide Dessert Contest, Nine Wives, and Born Too Short, which won a 2004 International Reading Association Students' Choice Award for young adult literature. Dan has also written music and lyrics for six musicals (upcoming: book and co-lyrics for musical Mudville) and scripts for TV (notably Cyberchase and The Wonder Pets). He is a member of the Dramatists Guild.

Joe Barros (Director). Broadway: Gigi (associate director, starring Vanessa Hudgens and Victoria Clark). Off-Broadway: Bastard Jones (winner of the Clive Barnes Award, nominated for Drama Desk, Off-Broadway Alliance, and Chita Rivera Awards), Hard Times, Cagney (associate director), A Taste of Things to Come (associate director; York Theatre Company, Bucks County Playhouse, Broadway in Chicago), Charlotte's Web (Theatreworks USA), I Married Wyatt Earp (59E59 Theatres), The Belle of Tombstone (starring Karen Mason and Heather MacRae), and Road to Heaven: The Jonathan Lee Musical (workshop, China Broadway Entertainment). Regional/Int'l: Beaches (associate director, Chicago's Drury Lane), The Mysterious Candy Factory and Mini Lover (Kaixin Mahua, Shanghai), plus DC's Signature Theatre. Artistic Director: New York Theatre Barn. Recipient: The Drama League's First Stage Residency, 2017 BroadwayWorld Regional Award (Best Choreography). Joe choreographed Ash Christian's films Mangus (with John Waters, Jennifer Coolidge and Leslie Jordan) and Petunia (with Christina Lahti, Thora Burch and Michael Urie). Artistic Director: New York Theatre Barn, dedicated to incubating and producing new musicals. Recipient: Drama League's First Stage Residency, 2017 BroadwayWorld Regional Award (Best Choreography), SDCF's Guest Artist Initiative program, and 1st Irish Festival Award (Best Choreography). Joe is writing/developing the musical Ryan White, a children's musical adaptation of Alice in Wonderland with a cast of actors with disabilities (upcoming world premiere at Weathervane Theatre, NYC premiere at Alice's Tea Cup), and is developing/directing a musical adaptation of Mommie Dearest with Christina Crawford and David Nehls. Upcoming: Nine (CAP21/Molloy College), Eastbound, How the Weston's Won, Tuck Everlasting, and Shoes and Baggage. www.joebarros.com

Vadim Feichtner (Music Supervisor). Broadway: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Falsettos. Off-Broadway: Fly By Night, A New Brain (Encores), Little Miss Sunshine, Nobody Loves You, The Other Josh Cohen, Elegies: A Song Cycle, The Memory Show, Infinite Joy, The Burnt Part Boys, Ordinary Days, Long Story Short, I Sing!. Writing Credits include: Surviving the Avalanche (Barrington Stage), Lincoln Center Songbook's Songs of Innocence and Experience and incidental music for NY Public Theater's As You Like It (both written with William Finn). TV: Last Week Tonight, Live From Lincoln Center.

Nancy Manocherian's the cell (Artistic Director Kira Simring) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the incubation and presentation of new works by emerging artists. the cell has produced over a dozen critically-acclaimed world premiere productions of new plays and musicals including Bastard Jones (Drama Desk Nominee), Crackskull Row, Horse Girls, Hard Times: An American Musical and more. the cell also features the jazz @ the cell series and has served as a home base for a large community of resident artists and organizations such as Blackboard Reading Series, Artists Without Walls (AWOW), Irish American Writers and Artists (IAW), Sybarite5, Tribeca New Music and New York Theatre Barn. www.thecelltheatre.org @thecelltheatre

THE EVOLUTION OF MANN runs September 23 - October 21; Tuesday - Friday at 8pm and Saturday at 3pm & 8pm, and Sunday at 3pm. the cell is located at 338 W 23rd St, between 8th & 9th Avenues -- accessible from the C & E trains at 23rd Street. Tickets range from $25 - $55 and are available at 800-838-3006 or www.thecelltheatre.org.

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