York Theatre Company Announces Cast For The Musicals In Mufti Presentation Of SUBWAYS ARE FOR SLEEPING

Are subways really for sleeping? The York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director; Evans Haile, Executive Director), dedicated to the development of new musicals and the preservation of musical gems from the past, has announced the cast of the 1961 Broadway musical Subways Are for Sleeping with music by Jule Styne and book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, the final show in the Winter 2018 Musicals in Mufti Series celebrating the work of the legendary composer Jule Styne. Performances are set to begin Saturday afternoon, February 24, 2018 for 11 performances only through Sunday, March 4, 2018 at the York Theatre Company at Saint Peter's (entrance on East 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue). Opening Night is Sunday evening, February 25, 2018 at 7:00 p.m.

Directed by Stuart Ross (Enter Laughing), and with music direction by David Hancock Turner (Desperate Measures), the cast will feature Karl Josef Co (York's Berlin to Broadway with Kurt Weill: A Musical Voyage), David Engel (La Cage aux Folles), Beth Glover (Take Me Along) as Myra Blake/Ensemble, David Josefsberg (Waitress) as Carlie Smith, Alyse Alan Louis (Amélie) as Angie McKay, Kathryn McCreary (The Phantom of the Opera), Gerry McIntyre (Once On This Island), Gina Milo (Les Misérables) as Martha Vail, Eric William Morris (Mamma Mia) as Tom Bailey, and Kilty Reidy (The Drowsy Chaperone).

The Winter 2018 series concludes with the 1961 Broadway musical Subways Are for Sleeping with music by Jule Styne and book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, suggested by the book by Edmund G. Love. Originally produced by David Merrick, Subways tells the tale of Angie, a reporter sent to get the scoop on a segment of NYC society-a group of well-dressed homeless people sleeping in the New York subway system-that lives by their own rules. Going undercover, Angie learns how the carefree other half lives and begins to see there might be another way to experience the world. Subways Are for Sleeping is perhaps best known for an infamous publicity stunt in which Merrick invited New Yorkers with the same names as some of the prominent theatre critics at the time, using their favorable reviews in a print ad.

The creative team includes Graham Kindred (Lighting Designer) and Kevin Maloof (Production Manager). The Production Stage Manager is Shanna Allison with Assistant Stage Manager Chris Steckel. Casting director is Geoff Josselson, CSA.

The York Theatre Company's acclaimed Musicals in Mufti series of musical theatre gems, performed in a simply-staged, book-in-hand concert format, is celebrating its twenty-fourth historic year of worthy shows from the past that deserve a second look. Mufti means "in street clothes, without the trappings of a full production."

Subways Are for Sleeping will play the following 11-performance schedule- First Week: Saturday at 2:30 p.m. & 8:00 p.m., Sunday at 2:30 & 7:00 p.m. Opening; Second Week: Wednesday at 7:00 p.m., Thursday at 2:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., Friday at 8:00 p.m., Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

Currently onstage at The York Theatre Company is the second production in the series of three shows in the Winter 2018 Musicals in Mufti Series celebrating the work of composer Jule Styne is the rarely-seen musical Bar Mitzvah Boy, with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Tony and Oscar winner Don Black, and book by Jack Rosenthal, as adapted by David Thompson. Directed by Annette Jolles, and with music direction by Darren R. Cohen, the eight-member cast features Neal Benari, Julie Benko, Ned Eisenberg, Ben Fankhauser, Tim Jerome, Peyton Lusk, Casey Watkins, and Lori Wilner.

Based on Rosenthal's award-winning 1976 BBC1 teleplay of the same name, Bar Mitzvah Boy is a bittersweet musical comedy about a young Jewish Londoner who runs away from the Bar Mitzvah into which his parents have poured their efforts and their money. Looking at the adult world, Eliot Green doubts if he can cope with being a part of it. Rosenthal's hysterical story of a family's anxious build up to their only son's Bar Mitzvah will resonate with many Jewish families, but this classic tale speaks loudly for any important family occasion-whatever the religion. Originally produced at Her Majesty's Theatre in the West End in 1978, Bar Mitzvah Boy is composer Jule Styne's only musical written expressly for London, and this presentation marks the New York premiere of a new version first presented in London in 2016, with a book adapted by David Thompson and new songs with lyrics by Black, using previously unheard Styne melodies.

The Winter 2018 Musicals in Mufti series opened with the 1968 Tony Award-winning Best Muscial Hallelujah, Baby! with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and book by Arthur Laurents. Directed by Gerry McIntrye, and with music direction by David Hancock Turner, the cast featured Stephanie Umoh as Georgina and two-time Tony Award nominee Vivian Reed as Momma, with Jennifer Cody, Randy Donaldson, Bernard Dotson, Latoya Edwards, Michael Thomas Holmes, Jarren Muse, and Tally Sessions. The limited engagement played January 27 - February 4, 2018.

Single tickets for the Winter 2018 Musicals in Mufti series are priced at $45 (Weekdays and Saturday nights), and $50 (Weekend matinees). York Member single tickets are priced at $31.50 (all performances). Tickets be purchased online at www.yorktheatre.org, by calling (212) 935-5820, or in person at the box office at The York Theatre Company at Saint Peter's (Entrance on East 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue), Monday through Friday (12:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.).

For additional information, please visit www.yorktheatre.org

The York Theatre Company is the only theatre in New York City-and one of very few in the world-dedicated to developing and fully producing new musicals and preserving neglected, notable shows from the past. For over four decades, York's intimate, imaginative style of producing both original and classic musicals has resulted in critical acclaim and recognition from artists and audiences alike. Under the guidance of Producing Artistic Director James Morgan since 1997, The York has focused on new musicals in its Mainstage Series-most of them world, American, or New York premieres-by some of the field's most esteemed creators, and has also helped launch the careers of many talented new writers. Almost 40 cast recordings from York Theatre Company productions are now available on CD, including its acclaimed revival of Closer Than Ever (2013 Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best Revival); commercial transfers of such York premieres as The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!), Souvenir (Tony Award Nomination for actress Judy Kaye), and Jolson & Company, and revivals of Pacific Overtures and Sweeney Todd (four Tony Nominations including Best Revival) have all showcased the importance of The York and its programs. Recent New York premieres have included Marry Harry, A Taste of Things to Come, Rothschild & Sons, and Desperate Measures which just completed a three and a half month extended run. The critically acclaimed musical Yank!, which received its Off-Broadway debut at The York in 2010, recently opened to rave reviews in London, and the hit musical Cagney, which received its York premiere in 2015 and subsequently transferred to The Westside Theatre for over 15 months, has just concluded a limited engagement in Los Angeles.

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