New Musical SWEETEE, Set in '30s Depression-Era South, to Arrive Off-Broadway

SWEETEE (www.SweeteeTheMusical.com) a new American musical with book, music and lyrics by Gail Kriegel (Home Front, Seven) and directed and choreographed by five-time Tony nominee and two-time Emmy Award winner Patricia Birch (Broadway: Grease, Candide, Parade) will play at the Ford Foundation Studio Theatre at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues) for a limited engagement from May 21st - June 18th, it was announced today by producers Dream Big Theatrical LLC. Opening night is set for June 1st and this marks the musical's world premiere.

SWEETEE tells the storyof an outcast minister, a young street singer, and a band of orphans in the 1930's depression-era South. As they struggle to make music and find their place in a world amid bigotry and poverty, a tale emerges of spiritual triumph in the face of adversity and racism. Nothing comes easy...but dreams are big.

SWEETEE features scenic design by Timothy Mackabee (Broadway: The Elephant Man), costume design by Tricia Barsamian (Broadway: Present Laughter), lighting design by Kirk Bookman (Thoroughly Modern Millie), and sound design by Janie Bullard (Cagney). Doug Katsaros (Broadway: The Rocky Horror Show) in the musical director and Greg Uliasz (Heaven Can Wait) is the associate director.

The cast includes: Jelani Alladin (Macbeth), Katy Blake (Mamma Mia!), Cedric Cannon (Camelot), Adante Carter (Carrie, the musical), Hugh Cha (The King and I), Dave Droxler (Candide), Morgan Siobhan Green (A Dog Play!), Jeremiah James(Billy Bigelow in the West End revival of Carousel, member of best selling recording group Teatro), Amir Royale, Jordan Tyson and Katherine Weber (Into The Woods).

SWEETEE begins a strictly limited engagement at the Ford Foundation Studio Theatre at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street between 9thand 10th Avenues) from May 21st - June 18th with opening night scheduled for June 1.

Performances are: Tuesdays at 8:00PM, Wednesdays at 2:30PM and 8:00PM, Thursdays at 8:00PM, Fridays at 8:00PM, Saturdays at 7:30PM and Sundays at 3:00PM. Special performance on May 21st at 7:30pm.

Tickets are $65. Tickets can be purchased through Ticket Central at www.ticketcentral.com, by calling at (212) 279-4200, or in person at 416 W. 42nd Street (12-8pm daily).

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Patricia Birch (Director / Choreographer) Two Emmy Awards, Five Tony Nominations, 2 DGA Nominations, Drama Desk, Billboard, Barrymore, Fred Astaire And MTV Awards, For Her Work In All Media. Choreography For Original Productions: You're A Good Man Charlie Brown, The Me Nobody Knows, Grease, A Little Night Music, Candide (H. Prince Version), Diamond Studs, Over Here, Pacific Overtures, They're Playing Our Song, Gilda Radnor Live From New York, Zoot Suit, Rosa, Street Scene, (NYCO) The Cradle Will Rock, The Happy End, Parade, Robert Altman's A Wedding (Chicago Lyric Opera), Lovemusik. Direction: I Sent A Letter to My Love, Really Rosie Raggedy Ann, Elvis, The Mass, Band In Berlin (Barrymore Awards) The Snow Queen, Of Thee I Sing/Let Them Eat Cake, The Thomashevsky Project With The San Francisco Symphony, Orphan Train. Film: Grease (Choreography), Grease II, (Direction and Choreography) First Wives Club, The Wild Party, Roseland, Big, Awakenings, Working Girl, Billy Bathgate, The Human Stain Etc. TV Direction: "Natalie Cole: Unforgettable," "Celebrating Gershwin" (EMMY Awards), "Dance In America," "Saturday Night Live" With Gilda Radner, Steve Martin, Bill Murray, etc. Videos: Directed And Choreographed For Cyndi Lauper, Rolling Stones, Carly Simon Etc.

Gail Kriegel (book, music and lyrics) Gail wrote the book and lyrics for Rainbow Junction, an operetta for young audiences and collaborated with 6 other award winning women playwrights on Seven, a docudrama which has been seen all over the world. Seven was presented by 7 NATO Generals and in New York by Tina Brown starring Meryl Streep, Marcia Gary Harden and introduced by Hillary Clinton. On The Home Front, about returning veterans, was seen at the National Black Theatre Festival, The Women's Project and Productions, the University of Alabama, Birmingham and the Empire State Institute for Performing Arts in New York State. (Ruby Lloyd Apsey Award for Playwriting and a Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship.) Fragments, a short film based on On The Home Front, produced by Stan Salfas Productions, won Best of Fest in the Humboldt, USA and Cork International Film Festivals. She is a member of the Dramatists Guild, and the League of Professional Theatre Women. Gail received her MFA in Playwriting at Brooklyn College.

The Pershing Square Signature Center, the permanent home of Signature Theatre, is a three-theatre facility on West 42nd Street designed by Frank Gehry Architects to host Signature's three distinct playwrights' residencies and foster a cultural community. The Center is a major contribution to New York City's cultural landscape and provides a venue for cultural organizations that supports and encourages collaboration among artists throughout the space. In addition to it's three intimate theatres, the Center features a Studio Theatre, rehearsal studio, a bookstore, and the Signature Café + Bar, open to the public from noon-midnight Tuesdays - Sundays. For more information on renting the Center, visit www.signaturetheatre.org/rentals.

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