Speakeasy Dollhouse Transforms Times Square's Liberty Theater for ZIEGFELD'S MIDNIGHT FROLIC, Beginning Tonight
By: BWW News Desk Apr. 18, 2015
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 (accessible only through a secret entrance located at the back of the Liberty Diner at 234 West 42nd 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, Moskowitz starred in a one-woman play also adapted 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. Joey Calveri will play Jack Pickford. Calveri was featured in the Broadway cast of Rock of Ages as Joey Primo, and he assumed the starring role of Stacee Jaxx in 2012. 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 Josephine 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 Lilyan Tashman. 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 and charted in the top five of the Billboard charts.
The cast will also include Dash Barber, Billy Butler, Haleigh Ciel, Brian Davis, Bethany Fay, Chris Fink, Ellie Frances, Luka Fric, Jeremy X Halpern, Glen Heroy, Celeste Hudson, Charley Layton, Dana McDonald, Frank Neuman, Turner Rouse, Anya Sapozhnikova, Erin Orr, Samantha Smart, Chandler Smith, Bobby Underwood, Erica Vlahinos, Carmen Carriker, Dolly Debutante, Lily Faye, Ivory Fox, Brianna Hurley, Melody Jane, Francine the Lucid Dream, Wae Messed, Kat Mon Dieu, Melissa Aguerre, Sarah Sadie and Sylvana Tapia.
ZIEGFELD'S MIDNIGHT FROLIC's music director and bandleader is Alphonso Horne, a member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center All-Stars, the band that played nightly for the Broadway musical After Midnight.
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, and Czech photographer and filmmaker Bibiana is creating silent films for the play that will feature the cast and the Liberty Theatre. Costume design is by Carmela Lane.
Bespoke cocktails will be created by Bootleg Greg, mixologist at the Dean James Max farm-to-table restaurant Parallel Post in Connecticut. There will also be a dinner option for guests during the show featuring traditional 1920s American cuisine, with pescetarian, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options.
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, from April 18 - May 9, at the Liberty Theater. To enter the Liberty Theater, guests must enter through the Liberty Diner (234 West 42nd Street), where they will be escorted through a back entrance in to the world of ZIEGFELD'S MIDNIGHT FROLIC. 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, exclusive green room balcony access, 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 can be made with by phone at (212)-997-0009 or via email at reservations@libertytheaterny.com. Dinner entrees range from $20-45.
Comments
Videos