Archive

For over four decades, The York Theatre Company’s intimate, imaginative style of producing both new and classic musicals has resulted in critical acclaim, multiple awards and recognition from artists and audiences alike. This blog is the archives of past productions, readings, concerts, and more. This is the archive of the York's four decades of work.

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Malpractice Makes Perfect

2014 Winter MUFTI Series: Celebrating Sheldon Harnick

Book, Music, & Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick Directed by David Glenn Armstrong Music Direction by Amanda Morton

February 14-16, 2014

With David Ayers, Christina Bianco, Cady Huffman, Robin de Jesús, Megan Lawrence, Brad Oscar, Robb Sapp, Conrad John Schuck, & Nick Wyman

Synopsis: MALPRACTICE MAKES PERFECT, with book, music and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, is based on the Moliere’s classic comedy of manners, THE DOCTOR IN SPITE OF HIMSELF. A musical comedy whose classic plot devices lead to hilarious ends, Harnick’s adaptation tells the story of a woodcutter manipulated by his spiteful wife to impersonate a brilliant doctor. Called to an emergency case -- a lovely young woman who feigns sickness to avoid her impending marriage -- the “doctor” prescribes a perfect remedy for an uproarious situation. Mix in a cast of eccentrics, and the comic antics build to the climactic resolution.

More: Meet & Greet Photos

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The Stardust Supper Club

Developmental Reading

Written by Alan Bailey & Mark Cabaniss Directed by Pamela Hunt Music Direction and Arrangements by Mark Hartman Featuring the Music of Hoagy Carmichael

February 7, 2014

With: Carolee Carmello, Jason Graae, Charles MacEachern, Julia Murney, Courtney Stokes

Synopsis: The new Hoagy Carmichael musical THE STARDUST SUPPER CLUB is the story of two of Hoagy Carmichael’s closest friends, now a longtime married couple who run a small nightclub.  When Hoagy is nominated for a 1952 Oscar, they celebrate by putting on their biggest show in years – only to watch it fall apart in ways both hilarious and heartbreaking as they find themselves examining their own lives in contrast to Hoagy’s huge success.  In the vein of Ain’t Misbehavin’ andForever Plaid, THE STARDUST SUPPER CLUB features the biggest hits of this quintessentially American composer, including “Georgia on My Mind,” “Skylark,” “Two Sleepy People,” and the immortal “Stardust.”

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'Til The Next Time

Developmental Reading

Music by James Scully Book & Lyrics by Frank Evans

Director: Jennifer Paulson Lee Music Director: Scott Cady Production Stage Manager: Becca Hernan

February 6, 2014

With: Ben Cherry, Daniella Dalli, Joe Danbusky, Christine DiGiallonardo, Owen Judge, Sean Allan Krill, Andrea Prestinario, Joel Robertson, Peter Saide, Haley Swindal

Synopsis: A musical about the life of Howard Hughes: iconoclastic, womanizing billionaire, investor, film producer, anonymous benefactor, and aviator, told from the point of view from his long time lieutenant Noah Dietrich. The musical takes us from the early days in Houston to his reclusive, secretive life involving marriages to Ella Rice, a Houston socialite, to Jean Peters, 20th Century Fox film star and his long affair with the luminary Katharine Hepburn.

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Dragons

2014 Winter MUFTI Series: Celebrating Sheldon Harnick

Book, Music, & Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick Directed by Maggie L. Harrer Music Direction by Beth Ertz

January 31-February 2, 2014

With David Buskin, Ed Dixon, Danny Gardner, Katherine Henly, Mary Page Nance, Camille Palmisano, Laura O. Pfortmiller, Alan Schmuckler, Gordon Stanley, Marcus Stevens, Olga Talyn, Stephanie Umoh, Bray Wilkins, & William Youmans

Synopsis: DRAGONS features book, music, and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and is based on Yevgeny Schwartz’s play, THE DRAGON. After suffering through the siege of Leningrad in WWII, Schwartz felt that the Russian people deserved something better than life under the tyrant Stalin. He couldn’t very well write a play about that and hope to have it produced in Soviet Russia, so he wrote a charming fantasy about a knight who rescues a damsel in distress from a dragon and what happens thereafter. Harnick’s musical adaption preserves the charm, humor and romance of Schwartz’s play while making the tale applicable to life under any form of government (including ours).

More: Meet & Greet Photos

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Photos from the Meet & Greet for DRAGONS in the 2014 Winter MUFTI Series: Celebrating Sheldon Harnick, January-February 2014

Photographs by David Eric Loughner

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Swing Wings: A New Musical

Developmental Reading

Book & Lyrics by William Schermerhorn Music by Milton Delugg & Mary Ehlinger With WWII Songs of Frank Loesser

Director: Randy Redd Music Director: Adam Podd Choreographer: Alex DeLeo Production Associate: Taylor Newby

January 24, 2014

With: Will Burton, Liam Forde, Hunter Ryan Herdlicka, Johnny Kinnaird, Ian Lowe, Taylor Rathus, Haley Swindal, Tatiana Wechsler

Synopsis: SWING WINGS is an original musical based on the World War II experiences of Frank Loesser, Milton Delugg and the fresh-faced Army Air Corps musicians who created the era’s signature radio broadcasts. In a time of patriotic sacrifice, they forged a bond that could not be broken. The military marches to a beat. These boys made it swing.

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Love In Our Language

Developmental Reading

Book & Lyrics by Judy Goetz Sanger Music by Howard Marren

Director: Terry Berliner Music Director: Lawrence Yurman

Stage Manager/Assistant Director: Jeromy Hunt

January 23, 2014 at 3PM & 8PM

With: Leah Horowitz, Joseph Kolinski, Justin Lawrence, Terry Layman, Gavin Lodge, Terry Palasz, Jonathan Todd Ross, Deborah Tranelli

Synopsis: LOVE IN OUR LANGUAGE is a play with music, a personal view of two love stories, and of the subtleties of language between lovers in two cities; New York and London. Do they speak the same language? What do any of us understand when we fall in love?  The world in which these lovers exist is like the climate in Harriet Friedlander's greenhouse -- needing to be "just so", for love to thrive. The luck of sharing a lifetime, with one person who understands you completely, is the greatest gift of all.

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A World To Win

2014 Winter MUFTI Series: Celebrating Sheldon Harnick

WORLD PREMIERE!

Book and Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick Music by Jerry Bock plus David Baker, Larry Hochman, Michel Legrand, Richard Rodgers, & Sheldon Harnick Directed by Robert Brink Music Direction by Jeff Saver

January 17-19, 2014

With Jason Graae, Kerry Conte, Rhynn McLemore, & Aaron Serotsky

Synopsis: A WORLD TO WIN is a revue which samples Sheldon Harnick’s wide-ranging career as a lyricist (and occasional composer) for the musical theatre. It covers everything from shows on and off Broadway, revues to book musicals, and well-known gems as well as hidden treasures that have never been performed publicly. Most of the music was written by his long-time collaborator Jerry Bock; other songs were composed by Richard Rodgers, Michel Legrand, David Baker, Larry Hochman and even Harnick himself.

More: Meet & Greet Photos

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Photos from the Meet & Greet for Sheldon Harnick's A WORLD TO WIN in the 2014 Winter MUFTI Series: Celebrating Sheldon Harnick, January 2014

Photographs by David Eric Loughner

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Christmas Carolyn

Developmental Reading

Music by Ok Kyun Kang Book & Lyrics by James Yates & Dan Marshall

Director: Tom Pacio Music Director: Kevin David Thomas

December 17, 2013

With: Sol Baird, Cameron Mitchell Bell, Charissa Bertels, Janet Dickinson, James LaRosa, Cathy Prince, Kilty Reidy, Kalli Siringas, Tatiana Wechsler

Synopsis: Carolyn DuMont, the most reviled woman in show business, is locked in the theater on Christmas Eve. In one night she is forced to face her demons, two ghosts and the spirit of Ethel Merman. Together they teach her the true meaning of friendship, Show Biz and, oh yeah, Christmas!

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Rails

Developmental Reading

Music by Tom Kenaston Book by Tom Paitson Kelly Lyrics by Tom Kenaston and Tom Paitson Kelly

Director: David Glenn Armstrong Music Director: Micah Young Associate Director: Michael Rader

December 13, 2013

With: Klea Blackhurst, Louisa Flaningam, Jessica Grové, Kilty Reidy, Robb Sapp, Paul Anthony Stewart

Synopsis: Memory falters. Days disappear. Dreams get shelved. But none of that matters if you have the right storyteller. On the morning of an elderly woman’s move into a senior facility, her grandson conducts her on one last fantastical journey through the stories of her own life. Rails is at once a sweeping tale of four generations of an American family, and an intimate portrait of two people trying to remember who they are.

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Photos from Love, Linda: The Life of Mrs. Cole Porter  Winter 2013-2014 Mainstage Production

Photographs by Carol Rosegg

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LOVE, LINDA: THE LIFE OF MRS. COLE PORTER Mainstage Production

Book by Stevie Holland with Gary William Friedman Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter Arrangements and Additional Music by Gary William Friedman Directed by Richard Maltby, Jr.

December 3, 2013 to January 5, 2014

With: Stevie Holland

Synopsis: LOVE, LINDA: THE LIFE OF MRS. COLE PORTER is a one-woman, tour de force musical and theatrical journey, starring acclaimed jazz vocalist Stevie Holland. LOVE, LINDA explores the life of Linda Lee Thomas, the Southern beauty who, at the dawn of the Roaring Twenties, married and was a driving force behind legendary songwriter Cole Porter. Though Porter was gay, their companionship and love lasted through 35 years of marriage and together they lived a spectacular, glamour-filled life. With swinging, jazz-inflected arrangements by award-winning composer Gary William Friedman, Cole Porter’s timeless music and lyrics weave through the compelling narrative written by Holland and Friedman, celebrating the deep love that Linda and Cole shared, while examining the darker sides of their life. The score for LOVE, LINDA includes such beloved Porter songs as "Night and Day", "I Love Paris," "In the Still of the Night" and "Love for Sale."

More: Photos

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Photos from Buddy's Tavern  A Developmental Lab

Photographs by Ben Strothmann

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Buddy's Tavern

Developmental Lab

Book by Raymond de Felitta Music by Kim Oler Lyrics by Alison Louise Hubbard Orchestrations by Brad Vieth and Kim Oler Music Direction by Mark Fifer Choreography by Devanand Janki Direction by Peter Flynn

Scenic Consultant: James Morgan Costume Consultant: Jen Caprio Lighting Designer: Chris Robinson Casting Director: Geoff Josselson Wardrobe Supervisor: Jaime Torres Assistant Director: Stephen Amato Production Manager: Kevin Maloof Assistant Stage Manager: Mallory Hewell Production Stage Manager: Niki Armato

November 13-15, 2013

With: Andréa Burns, Angela DeCicco, Darius de Haas, Wally Dunn, Alexander Gemignani, Jessica Grové, Joe Ricci

Synopsis: BUDDY'S TAVERN is based on the film "Two Family House," written and directed by Raymond De Felitta. This new romantic musical is the story of an Italian-American factory worker on Staten Island in 1956. Buddy has always wanted his own business--a bar where he can sing his heart out to his customers. Family pressures, race relations, unexpected love, and the struggle to achieve one's dreams, all come alive in this New York premiere musical.

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JACK: A MUSICAL DRAMA ON THE LIFE OF JOHN F. KENNEDY New2NY Staged Concert Presentation

New York Premiere Production

Book and Lyrics by Will Holt and Thomas B. Sawyer Music by Will Holt Based On An Original Concept by Thomas B. Sawyer Directed by Igor Goldin Music Direction by Matt Castle

November 1-3, 2013

With: Frank Anderson, Stephen Lee Anderson, Andrew Boyer, Wilson Bridges, Patrick Cummings, Jessica Grové, Julia Johanos, Anne Kanengeiser, Erick Pinnick, Lauren Sterling, Debra Walton, WIlliam Zeffiro

Synopsis: Beginning with John F. Kennedy's days at Harvard through his assassination in Dallas,  JACK dramatizes the life and career of JFK, while focusing on a central conflict--Jack's fight to become his own man despite a difficult relationship with his power-obsessed father, Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. JACK examines the triumphs as well as the shadows of the Kennedy legacy leading to the tragic event which continues to resonate with all of us 50 years later.

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Six Wives

One-Night-Only Concert Presentation

Book and Lyrics by Joe Masteroff Music by Edward Thomas Music Direction by Dennis Buck Direction by David Green

Production Stage Manager: Alan Fox Assistant Stage Manager: Miriam Hyfler Lighting Designer: Travis McHale

October 28, 2013

With: Liam Forde, Alexander Gemignani, Judy Kaye, Alexandra Silber, Nick Wyman

Synopsis: SIX WIVES tells the story of Henry VIII, the larger-than-life English monarch, and the six extraordinary women he married: Anne Boleyn, Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard, Katherine of Aragon, Jane Seymour, and Katherine Parr. This five-person musical reexamines Henry VIII's historical image from a modern day perspective-with two women playing all six wives. York produced the world premiere in 1992.