Speakeasy Dollhouse to Transform Times Square's Liberty Theater for ZIEGFELD'S MIDNIGHT FROLIC This Spring

This spring, a former Broadway theater just off Times Square will be resurrected as the lavish and risqué playground of Florenz Ziegfeld and his Follies for SPEAKEASY DOLLHOUSE: ZIEGFELD'S MIDNIGHT FROLIC, the third interactive show in the Speakeasy Dollhouse series from author, artist and playwright Cynthia von Buhler.

From April 18 - May 9 at the Liberty Theater (enter backstage at 233 West 41st Street), guests can step into a reimagining of Ziegfeld's 1920's extravaganza The Midnight Frolic, replete with showgirls, burlesque, aerialists and - of course - plenty of spirits. At the center of the story is the mysterious 1920 poisoning death of silent film star and Ziegfeld Girl, Olive Thomas, and the subsequent destruction of her husband, movie star, Jack Pickford. Inspired by Theodore Dresier's novel Sister Carrie, ZIEGFELD'S MIGNIGHT FROLIC explores a starlet's transition from hopeful anonymity to disenchanted fame.

Audiences will be free to follow the story on their own by wandering throughout an expansive environment. Choose your corruption at Montmartre's Cabaret du Néant while a garish garcon regales you with tales of guillotines and deadly bacteria. Sleuth the luxury suite at Hotel Ritz Paris where Pickford allegedly tried to save the Follies' star, after she drank poison. Take a gander at the glories and gutters that created the American Dream.

In addition to Thomas, Pickford and Ziegfeld, 1920s stars such as Fanny Brice, Josephine Baker, Eddie Cantor, Billie Burke, Will Rogers, Marilyn Miller, Mary Eaton, Dorothy Mackaill, Alberto Vargas, Mr. Gallagher, Mr. Sheen and the Ziegfeld Girls will be represented in the cast. Guests will be entertained with dance, jazz, silent films and magic - and as with all Speakeasy Dollhouse experiences, guests are expected to ignore the advice their parents gave them as children: they should be nosy and talk to strangers.

Olive Thomas will be played by actress, model and filmmaker Syrie Moskowitz. Recently, she has starred in a one-woman play also adopted for the screen, "A Telephone call" by Dorothy Parker, directed by Avram Ludwig (Swingers). Moskowitz has been the feature of a Spring 2015 Kate Spade advertising campaign. Violinist Russell Farhang, the star of Speakeasy Dollhouse: The Bloody Beginning, will play Florenz Ziegfeld in ZIEGFELD'S MIDNIGHT FROLIC. Delysia La Chatte will play Josehine Baker. La Chatte wrote, choreographed, produced and performed in Dark Heroine, a burlesque show about super heroines of color, at The Triad Theater. Robyn Adele Anderson will play Marilyn Miller. Anderson is a lead vocalist in Postmodern Jukebox, a band that recently became a viral YouTube sensation. Postmodern Jukebox's album hit #1 on the iTunes Jazz Chart.

Cynthia von Buhler is the writer, director and set designer of ZIEGFELD'S MIDNIGHT FROLIC. Von Buhler's first play in the Speakeasy Dollhouse series, The Bloody Beginning, has been running continuously in New York City since 2011. Chris Fink will serve as associate director, in addition to playing Eddie Cantor. FX's The Americans star Alison Wright will serve as Directorial Consultant. Delysia La Chatte will be the choreographer for the dance and burlesque. Aerial will be choreographed and performed by Anya Sapozhnikova from House of Yes. Puppetry will be created and performed by Erin Orr. Billy Butler, the silent film explicator, will be writing original songs for the show.

Bespoke cocktails will be created by Bootleg Greg, mixologist at the Dean James Max farm-to-table restaurant Parallel Post in Connecticut. A Prix Fixe Parisian dinner created by Upper East Side French restaurant, Frere De Lys, will be offered in The Cabaret du Neant before the show. Owned by Alsatian brothers, Thibaut and Alexis Piettre, Frere De Lys offers classic French dishes, including tartines, cheeses and charcuterie, complement a number of contemporary options, with seasonal, vegetarian, and gluten-free plates.

The SPEAKEASY DOLLHOUSE series is produced by Smoosh & Smoosh Inc., which creates unique experiences by applying audience immersion to theater, fine art, music, events, and business. The company was founded in 2014 by husband and wife duo Russell Farhang and Cynthia von Buhler.

SPEAKEASY DOLLHOUSE: ZIEGFELD'S MIDNIGHT FROLIC will be presented every Thursday through Saturday evening, at the Liberty Theater (233 West 41st Street), from April 18 - May 9.

Tickets must be purchased in advance and are priced as follows:

Dewdropper (8PM entry) $75.00

Dewdroppers take care of themselves. They like to explore, find their own seat, and buy cocktails at the bar. You receive a role and an unforgettable experience.

Bee's Knees VIP (7:30PM entry) $150.00

Bee's Knees never waits in line. Showgirls offer you an absinthe punch cocktail and guide you up to Varga's VIP-only pre-show art reception, reserved seats, a role and an unforgettable experience.

Hotsy Totsy (7:30PM entry) $1000.00

Hotsy Totsys are given celebrity roles, receive a private 1-4 person luxury box seat, and a bottle of champagne. Ziegfeld personally welcomes them from the stage and they receive everything the Bee's Knees level provides.

Tickets are available by phone at 1-866-811-4111 or online at https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/943609.

Dinner reservations for 6:30PM in The Cabaret du Neant are being accepted after purchasing tickets.

For more information, visit www.speakeasydollhouse.com.

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