THE TILLER GIRLS OF LONDON Gets Trans-Atlantic Simulcast This Weekend

The Ziegfeld Society of New York City will present their first Trans-Atlantic event, THE TILLER GIRLS OF LONDON, simulcast live between The Drury Lane Theater in London's West End and the stage of Lang Concert Hall in New York City, on Saturday, March 12th.

The event will take place at Lang Recital Hall, Hunter College (69th Street between Park and Lexington Avenue), and tickets for the 3:30pm performance are now on sale.

Executive Producer Mark York and actress-playwright Joanna Rush, a former Rockette, cohost the event, which will feature live interviews with members of The Tiller Girls dance troupe direct from the Drury Lane Theatre in London's West End and rare archival film and video footage of The Tiller Girls performing over the decades, from their earliest beginnings, through their heyday in the 1950s, and into the present day.

The Tiller Girls are one of the most popular dance troupes in the world. Formed in 1889 by John Tiller in Manchester, England, the troupe continues today, into its third century. Famous for their high-kicking routines, The Tiller Girls performed as resident dancers at the Folies Bergere in Paris, the London Palladium, on Broadway, and in hundreds of other theatres throughout Europe and the United States. After seeing The Tillers perform in The ZIEGFELD FOLLIES OF 1922, Russell Markert was inspired to create the "Missouri Rockets", the dance troupe that made their debut in St. Louis, in 1925, before evolving into the Roxyettes, and finally into the now legendary Radio City Music Hall Rockettes.

Hosting the simulcast will be Mark York, founder and Executive Producer of The Ziegfeld Society, who is perhaps best known to New York audiences as Jim Dale's accompanist sidekick in The Roundabout's critically acclaimed production of JUST JIM DALE, directed by Richard Maltby, Jr. It was while York was appearing with Dale in that show at London's famed Vaudeville Theater, in the West End, that he was introduced The Tiller Girls and the idea of the UK-US simulcast interview was conceived. York is also musical director for the New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players' touring production of A LITTLE TWIST. Most recently Baayork Lee directed his original musical version of ALICE IN WONDERLAND at Molloy College, in Rockville Center, he directed JERRY HERMAN ON BROADWAY, starring Klea Blackhurst, Walter Willison and Karen Ziemba with the sixty piece South Shore Symphony Orchestra, also at Molloy, and last month he hosted and musical directed ZIEGFELD'S PUNCH BOWL OF 2016, featuring a cast of Broadway stalwarts.

Joanna Rush recently finished a successful Off-Broadway run in her solo play KICK. The former Rockette appeared as Sheila in A CHORUS LINE on Broadway and in LA, and was also on Broadway in SHIRLEY MAC LAINE AT THE PALACE, DAUGHTERS, INSIDE OUT, Duke Ellington's POUSSE CAFÉ, and Off-Broadway in GRANDMA SYLVIA'S FUNERAL, BROADWAY SCANDALS OF 1928, and OPTIONS. Her Films include Sunburn, On the Cliffs, Saying Goodbye, and her screenplay for Irish Whiskey received the Best Screenplay Award at the Temecula Valley Film Festival. Her television appearances include costarring roles in A Killing Affaire (in which she costarred as a police detective opposite O.J. Simpson!), Shannon, Archie Bunker's Place, Cagney & Lacey, Straight no Chaser and Splendor in the Grass. Ms. Rush continues to tour the US in her solo play KICK, in an ongoing effort to help victims of rape.

All proceeds benefit The Ziegfeld Society of New York City, a not-for-profit organization that aspires to enlighten, entertain and educate current and future generations of theatergoers and young artists about the legendary performers, songwriters and creators of our vast musical theater heritage. Monthly performances feature Broadway stalwarts performing alongside young up-and-coming artists as well as presentations by authors and screenings of lost film and television musicals.

Upcoming events include Josh Ellis' solo show CALL MY PUBLICIST on April 30th, and The Legacy 36 Dancers, A Line of Former Rockettes in LEGACY ON THE LINE: The Dancer's Journey to Becoming a Rockette on June 25th.

Tickets are $20.00 for general admission, $12.00 for seniors, and $7.00 for students and can be purchase on line at theziegfeldsociety.com or by calling 917-371-5509. All contributions are tax deductible.

Pictured: THE TILLER GIRLS at The London Palladium 1967

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