York Theatre Company Announces May Developmental Reading Series

The York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director; Evans Haile, Interim Executive Director; David McCoy, Chairman of the Board), dedicated to the development of new musicals and the preservation of musical gems from the past, as part of its acclaimed Developmental Reading Series, will present staged readings of three new musicals: The Sparkley Clean Funeral Singers by Lori Fischer and Don Chaffer; Come Up 'N' See Me by Bonnie Lee Sanders, Ellen Schwartz, Arthur Writ, and Bianca Leigh; and Desperate Measures by Peter Kellogg and David Friedman. The York will also present a reading of Nightclub Cantata by Elizabeth Swados in its 40th anniversary year. All readings will take place at The York Theatre Company at Saint Peter's (619 Lexington Avenue, entrance on East 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue).

The readings are open to the public with a $10.00 advance reservation fee for each reading (Complimentary for York Theatre's Plus Members; $5 for York Theatre Members). Reservations can also be made on the day of the reading (pending availability) for a suggested $5.00 donation in person at the box office.

The York's Developmental Reading Series presents over 30 readings and workshops of new musicals by emerging and established authors throughout the year, a vital part of the writing process. The strong commitment to developing new work is an important part of what makes the York unique in the musical theatre community. The series serves as an incubator for shows to be considered for Mainstage productions, thus serving the York's unique mission of taking new musicals through the complete development process to full production. Projects developed through the series have included Broadway'sAvenue Q and In Transit and the York's Cagney and Mark Felt, Superstar.

The 2017 May Development Reading Series schedule is, as follows:

MONDAY, MAY 8 AT 2:00 P.M. - ONE PERFORMANCE ONLY

The Sparkley Clean Funeral Singers

Book by Lori Fischer(Barbara's Blue Kitchen)

Music and Lyrics by Lori Fischer and Don Chaffer (Son of a Gun)

Directed by Martha Banta (Rent)

Musical Direction by Don Chaffer

Featuring Lori Fischer (It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues), Julie Foldesi (Newsies), Reathel Bean (Caroline, or Change), and Dan Domingues (The Mother of Invention), with Stage Directions read by Stevie Hernandez.

The Lashley Sisters were headed for country stardom until alcoholic lead singer Lashley Lee Lashley crashed their tour bus into a pet store, sending many a goldfish to an early fish tank heaven. Now, Junie, the sister who sang backup, has gotten them a gig as funeral singers in their hometown-crafting quirky, folksy songs about the dead-with the hope that this step backward might really be a step forward, jump-starting their musical comeback while they care for their ailing father. A hilarious country-rock comedy about two very different sisters and the men who come between them.

THURSDAY, MAY 18 AT 7:00 P.M. AND FRIDAY, MAY 19 AT 2:00 P.M.

Come Up 'N' See Me

Music and Lyrics by Bonnie Lee Sanders and Ellen Schwartz

Book by Bonnie Lee Sanders, Ellen Schwartz, Arthur Writ and Bianca Leigh

Directed by Crystal Chapman

Featuring Tom Bozell (Swiss Family Robinson), Robert Fowler (Beauty and the Beast), George Dvorsky (York's Closer Than Ever), Debbie Gravitte(Jerome Robbins' Broadway), Tanya Haglund (Oklahoma!), Jerome Harmann-Hardeman (Dirty Dancing), Jem Jender, Dana Moore (Fosse), Philip Taratula (The Hound of the Baskervilles), and Tommy Vance.

In a glitzy nightclub somewhere between Vegas and Hell, Mae West finds herself performing for her afterlife. The key to passing through the gates of Heaven, she finds out, is getting a good review from the big critic in the sky-and so, with the help of a couple of friends on both sides of the law, she sings and dances her way through her life and times. From the sidewalks of New York to Broadway to Hollywood and back again-this is the story of the broadest broad in showbiz.

FRIDAY, MAY 12 AT 2:00 P.M. AND MONDAY, MAY 15 AT 2:00 P.M.

Desperate Measures

A new western musical loosely based on Shakespeare's Measure for Measure

Book and Lyrics by Peter Kellogg (Anna Karenina)

Music by David Friedman ("The Today Show")

Directed by Bill Castellino

Music Direction by Eugene Gwozdz

Featuring Lora Lee Gayer (Holiday Inn), Hunter Ryan Herdlicka (York's Dear World), Lauren Molina (Rock of Ages), Lennie Watts (The Drowsy Chaperone), and Nick Wyman (Catch Me If You Can).

In 1890, in a territory out West, a young cowboy named Johnny Blood is sentenced to hang for killing a man in a bar fight. When his sister Susanna, a novice nun at a nearby Franciscan mission, pleads with the governor to spare Johnny's life, the governor makes a very un-PC offer. Complications, as they say, ensue.

TUESDAY, MAY 23 AT 2:00 P.M. AND WEDNESDAY, MAY 24 AT 2:00 P.M.

Nightclub Cantata
Conceived and composed by Elizabeth Swados
Directed by Bill Castellino
Music Direction by Eric Svejcar
Drummer Dave LeBlanc

Conceived and composed by the legendary Elizabeth Swados (Runaways, Doonesbury) in 1977, Nightclub Cantata was her attempt to, in her words, "combine the seriousness of a cantata with the frivolousness of a nightclub." The words of legendary writers including Nazim Hikmet, Frank O'Hara, Delmore Schwartz, Sylvia Plath, Eve Merriam, and Muriel Rukeyser combine with Swados' unique and beautiful score to make a powerful theatrical event.

Until its resurrection on The York's stage last year in collaboration with Marymount Manhattan College, Nightclub Cantata had not been seen on the New York stage in nearly 40 years. This reading, performed by professional actors, is presented with an eye toward producing a 40th anniversary revival of the show next season.

Currently on The York's Mainstage is the Off-Broadway premiere of the new musical Marry Harry, with book by Jennifer Robbins (Hudson River Blues) and music and lyrics by Dan Martin and Michael Biello (In My Body, The Cousins Grimm). Directed and choreographed by York favorite Bill Castellino(Cagney, Storyville), and with music direction by Eric Svejcar (York's Berlin to Broadway with Kurt Weill and You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown), the 7-member cast features Ben Chavez (Bombshell), Morgan Cowling (The Phantom of the Opera), Jesse Manocherian (The Baker's Wife at Gallery Players), Claire Saunders (Barrington's Theatre's The Pirates of Penzance), Robin Skye (Parade), David Spadora (ValueVille), and Lenny Wolpe (York'sDear World).

The new musical Marry Harry, a romantic comedy set in New York's East Village, is about two people on the verge of 30 whose family ties hold a little too tightly - Little Harry, a cook at his father's failing neighborhood restaurant with dreams of becoming a great Italian chef, and Sherri, who works for her controlling mother's real estate office but longs for something more. When their whirlwind romance sets their parents on edge, Harry and Sherri must attempt to find their own ways in life. Marry Harry cooks up ideas of family loyalty, marriage, love, and food with a side of humor, heart, and just the right amount of spice. The limited engagement continues through Sunday, May 21, 2017.

York Theatre Company offers the York! Membership Program, an exclusive membership package for as low as $75.00-with elite benefits that includes a 30% discount on tickets to York Theatre Productions, exclusive member pre-sale opportunities, 50% off on all lobby concessions, 20% off on all lobby merchandise, in addition to special member-only receptions. The York also offers a York Plus! Membership Program with additional perks, including complimentary tickets to Mainstage productions and invites to several VIP-only presentations throughout the season.

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. Over 35 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 hits have included Rothschild and Sons, Plaid Tidings and Cagney, currently playing to sold-out houses at the Westside Theatre starring Robert Creighton as James Cagney and the original York Cast.

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