Tari Kelly, James Beaman & More Set for UnsungMusicalsCo.'s BLESS YOU ALL!, Begin. 9/19

UnsungMusicalsCo. (UMC) has announced initial casting for its new Off-Broadway production of the 1950 musical revue Bless You All! with sketches by Emmy Award winner Arnold Auerbach ("The Phil Silvers Show," Call Me Mister) and a score by acclaimed songwriter Harold Rome (Fanny, Destry Rides Again). Directed by UMC artistic director Ben West (The Fig Leaves Are Falling, At Home Abroad), the limited three-week engagement will run Sep 19 - Oct 5 at The Connelly Theatre (220 East 4th Street), officially opening Sep 22.

The cast will feature James Beaman (Spamalot), Jeremy Benton (Anything Goes), Jennifer Lee Crowl (Young Frankenstein), Tari Kelly (Anything Goes), Lindsay Roberts (Memphis) and Billie Wildrick (Scandalous) with additional casting to be announced.

Brimming with jazz-infused melodies, song-and-dance specialties and classic comedy numbers, Bless You All! is a cheerful celebration of the Golden Age of the Broadway revue. Delicious send-ups of such cultural icons as the 21 Club and the roaring '20s line the landscape of this glittering entertainment!

UMC's newly adapted production of Bless You All! is the first time the musical has been performed in over 60 years. UMC has gathered the original manuscript material from various archival collections and has used it to create a fresh take on the classic revue, which features the addition of a never-before-seen comedy sketch written circa 1940 by Mr. Auerbach and Pulitzer Prize winnerHerman Wouk (The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial)!

Additionally, two post-performance talkbacks will be held. "Putting It Together", a discussion about researching and assembling material for lost musical works, will be held following the Wednesday, September 25 performance. It will feature The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts' Doug Reside, Tony Award-nominated writer and lyricist Dick Scanlan and UMC Artistic Director Ben West as panelists, plus a special live performance of two cut songs from Bless You All! "Yesterday is Tomorrow", a discussion of how the Golden Age has influenced emerging and contemporary writers, will be held following the Wednesday, October 2 performance. Bruce Pomahac from the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization is the special guest. Additional panelists to be announced. UMC Associate Producer Ben Coleman will moderate the discussions.

The Bless You All! creative team includes choreographer Ray Hesselink (Heat Wave: The Jack Cole Project, I Heart Bob), musical director and arranger Fran Minarik (At Home Abroad, Make Mine Manhattan), lighting designer Brian Tovar (Travis, Beautiful Disaster) and costume designer Heather J. Carey (The Fig Leaves Are Falling). The casting director is Geoff Josselson.

Tickets, priced at $20, are now available online via www.SmartTix.com or by calling 212-868-4444.

UMC's Fifth Anniversary Celebration is sponsored in part by Yvonne & Jim Fogerty, June Silver and Warner Chappell Music.

For more information, please visit www.UnsungMusicals.org.

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