MANN... AND WIFE, Starring Zachary Prince, Opens Tonight at Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma

Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma presents its first production of the 2016 season, MANN... AND WIFE. This world premiere musical, running tonight, February 3, through February 21 at Lyric's Plaza Theatre, is the third musical to have its first full production at Lyric in the past three years. Written by Douglas J. Cohen and Dan Elish, and based on Elish's novel Nine Wives, the musical is produced in partnership with Larry Hirschhorn and Jayson Raitt.

Dan Elish co-wrote the book for the Broadway musical 13 and is also the author of ten novels, including The Worldwide Dessert Contest, Nine Wives, and Born Too Short, which won a 2004 International Reading Association Students' Choice Award for YA literature. Douglas J. Cohen received the 2010 Fred Ebb Award for Musical Theatre Songwrigint and two Richard Rodgers Awards for writing NO WAY TO TREAT A LADY, produced twice off-Broadway a with productions worldwide, and THE GIG, produced at MTC Stage II and Goodspeed Musicals, receiving the Noël Coward Prize. Cohen penned the scores for THE BIG TIME, THE OPPOSITE OF SEX, GLIMMERGLASS, and BARNSTORMER.

Broadway's Zachary Prince will star as the loveably romantic Henry Mann, who is on the hunt for a date to his ex-fiance's wedding. Prince's Broadway credits include HONEYMOON IN VEGAS, ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER, and JERSEY BOYS. Liz Shivener stars as all the women in Henry's dating life. Shivener was recently seen in the national tours of SHREK THE MUSICAL as Princess Fiona and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST as Belle. Lyric favorite Mateja Govich, recently seen as Curly in Lyric's 2015 production of OKLAHOMA!, will play Glenn. Govich's other Lyric credits include LYRIC'S A CHRISTMAS CAROL, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, LES MISERABLES, and CALL ME MADAM.

Lyric's producing artistic director, Michael Baron, will direct the show. Adam Koch, whose designs for Lyric include BIG FISH, TARZAN, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, and BYE BYE BIRDIE, will design the set. Lyric's resident costume designer, Jeffrey Meek, will design the costumes, Art Whaley will design the lighting, and Maurizio M. D'Errico will complete the sound design. Rickelle Williams will stage manage.

"The story of MANN... AND WIFE, about relationships and finding love in the modern world, touching, tuneful, and hysterically funny," said producing artistic director Michael Baron. "Lyric's audiences tell me, time and time again, that the shows they love the most are those with lots of heart. This show has that in spades."
MANN... AND WIFE is the third production in Lyric's new works initiative, launched in 2013 with TRIANGLE by Curtis Moore, Tom Mizer, and Joshua Scher, and continued in 2014 with BERNICE BOBS HER HAIR by Adam Gwon and Julia Jordan.

MANN...AND WIFE is being shepherded by producers Larry Hirschhorn and Jayson Raitt. Hirschhorn is a 3-time Tony award winning producer whose credits include Broadway's ON YOUR FEET!, THE ELEPHANT MAN starring Bradley Cooper and A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER, and Raitt recently developed and produced the hit musical MURDER FOR TWO.

"Opportunities like this are hard to come by, as more and more regional theatres choose to produce known shows," said Jayson Raitt. "The fact Lyric has cultivated an audience that wants and appreciates new work is to be greatly applauded, and we could not be more thrilled that new musical theatre is alive and thriving in Oklahoma."

Tickets are on sale now for MANN... AND WIFE, and start at $30. Tickets can be purchased by visiting LyricTheatreOKC.com, by calling (405) 524-9312, or by visiting Lyric's box office at 1727 NW 16th St in Oklahoma City. Season tickets for Lyric's 2016 season, which also includes THE FANTASTICKS, DREAMGIRLS, THE WIZARD OF OZ, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, THE DROWSY CHAPERONE, and FULLY COMMITTED, are also on sale.

MANN...AND WIFE has been developed at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Goodspeed Musicals, and the Sharon Triarts Playhouse.

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