| Cast & Creative Team Announced for The York Theatre's Return Engagement of "Cheek to Cheek: Irving Berlin in Hollywood" - Performances Begin 9/13! | |
| Posted by: Official_Press_Release 10:49 am EDT 08/17/22 | |
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| CAST & CREATIVE TEAM ANNOUNCED THE YORK THEATRE COMPANY IN ASSOCIATION WITH RIKI KANE LARIMER PRESENTS A LIMITED RETURN ENGAGEMENT CHEEK TO CHEEK: IRVING BERLIN IN HOLLYWOOD AN ALL-SINGING, ALL-DANCING CELEBRATION MUSIC AND LYRICS BY IRVING BERLIN BOOK BY BARRY KLEINBORT MUSIC DIRECTION BY DAVID HANCOCK TURNER DIRECTED AND CHOREOGRAPHED BY TONY AWARD NOMINEE RANDY SKINNER AT THE THEATRE AT ST. JEANS CAST TO FEATURE JEREMY BENTON, DARIEN CRAGO, KAITLYN DAVIDSON, DANNY GARDNER, MELINDA PORTO, CORINNE MUNSCH, SEAN QUINN PERFORMANCES BEGIN SEPTEMBER 13, 2022 LIMITED ENGAGEMENT THROUGH OCTOBER 16, 2022 AT THE THEATRE AT ST. JEANS New York, NY (August 16, 2022) – The York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director; Evans Haile, Executive Director), dedicated to the development of new musicals and rediscovery of musical gems from the past, in association with Riki Kane Larimer, has announced the cast and creative team for the limited return engagement of the hit Off-Broadway musical Cheek to Cheek: Irving Berlin in Hollywood, a song and dance celebration featuring the music and lyrics of the legendary Irving Berlin which premiered last Fall. Cheek to Cheek: Irving Berlin in Hollywood was conceived, directed, and choreographed by four-time Tony Award nominee Randy Skinner (42nd Street, Dames at Sea, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Ain’t Broadway Grand), who received a 2022 Lucille Lortel award nomination for his choreography. Cheek to Cheek has a book by Barry Kleinbort (13 Things About Ed Carpolotti ) and music direction and additional orchestrations by David Hancock Turner (York’s Desperate Measures and Penelope, Irish Rep’s The Butcher Boy). Cheek to Cheek: Irving Berlin in Hollywood is set to begin performances on Tuesday, September 13, 2022, at 7:00PM for a limited engagement through Sunday afternoon, October 16 at 2:30PM at The York’s beautiful temporary home, The Theatre at St. Jeans (150 East 76th Street, between Lexington and Third Avenues—elevator entrance on Lexington immediately south of St. Jeans). The cast includes Jeremy Benton (42nd Street, Cagney at The York), Darien Crago (Holiday Inn, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas), Kaitlyn Davidson (Cinderella, Bright Star), Danny Gardner (Flying Over Sunset, The Decline and Fall of the Entire World… at The York), and Melinda Porto (Off Broadway debut). Understudies are Corinne Munsch (A Chorus Line at Signature, Bullets Over Broadway on tour) and Sean Quinn (Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Cinderella). Additional casting will be announced soon. Cheek to Cheek: Irving Berlin in Hollywood is an all-singing, all-dancing celebration of the most famous songs that the legendary Irving Berlin composed for the silver screen. Mr. Berlin understood the impact dance had on the public and his melodies, rhythms, and lyrics reflected his love of that art form. Six spectacular performers will showcase these magnificent songs and will also tell the stories behind the man who made the music that made the movies dance. Four-time Tony nominee Randy Skinner directs and choreographs an evening featuring an array of classic Berlin tunes from such classic films as Top Hat, Alexander’s Ragtime Band, Holiday Inn, Easter Parade, White Christma_s, and many more. Cheek to Cheek: Irving Berlin in Hollywood_ is presented through special arrangement with Concord Theatricals and the Irving Berlin Estate and is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature. The critics raved: “Flawless! A dazzling world premiere! Highly entertaining.” - DC Metro Theater Arts. ”Absolute perfection…Simply elegant. A singing and dancing jewel box of a revue!"- Theater Pizzazz. “A gem of a show…A delightful all-singing, all-dancing celebration of Irving Berlin.” - Times Square Chronicles. The creative team includes scenic design by James Morgan, costume design by Nicole Wee, lighting design by Jason Kantrowitz, and sound design by Julian Evans. The production stage manager is Chris Stecke and the casting director is Michael Cassara, CSA. Cheek to Cheek: Irving Berlin in Hollywood will play the following weekly performance schedule at The Theatre at St. Jeans: Tuesday thru Saturday at 7:30 p.m., with 2:30pm performances Saturday & Sunday. NOW ON SALE: Tickets for Cheek to Cheek: Irving Berlin in Hollywood are priced at $60 - $95 (plus $4 convenience fee). York Members receive Priority Seating and Discounted Tickets. Tickets may be purchased by visiting OvationTix at https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/1125403, or by calling The York’s Box Office at (212) 935-5820, Tuesday – Friday 12:00PM – 5:00PM, or via email at boxoffice@yorktheatre.org. Senior Rush tickets are available in-person beginning one hour prior to performances for $20. Student tickets can be purchased anytime in advance at the box office during regular box office business hours. Limit one ticket per valid student ID and tickets are subject to availability. Student Rush tickets are $20. The York Theatre also offers $30 tickets for guests aged 35 years and under through the GenYork program. COVID NOTE: For the safety of all, COVID policies established by the CDC and WHO will be strictly enforced. Proof of vaccination status will be required upon entry and masks must be worn at all times. Full COVID policies can be found on the York Theatre Company website. ??? The York Theatre Company offers the York! Membership Program, an exclusive membership package for as low as $75.00—with special benefits that include up to 35% off tickets to York Theatre productions, exclusive Member pre-sale opportunities, discounts at local restaurants and parking garages—in addition to special Member-only receptions. The York also offers a York Plus!Membership Program ($150) with additional perks, including complimentary tickets to Mainstage productions and invites to several VIP-only presentations throughout the season. York Memberships can be purchased online at www.yorktheatre.org/membership . York Theatre Company Gift Cards are available for any production during the 2022-2023 season by calling the Box Office at (212) 935-5820, Tuesday – Friday 12:00PM – 5:00PM, or via email at boxoffice@yorktheatre.org.For additional information, please visit www.yorktheatre.org. MEET THE CAST Jeremy Benton (Assistant Choreographer/Dance Captain) recently finished a workshop of a new stage adaptation of Summer Stock. Favorite performances include Irving Berlin’s White Christmas (National Tour), Cagney (Off-Broadway/York Theatre, Astaire Award nominee), 42nd Street (Broadway), Anything Goes (National Tour), Countess of Storyville (Off-Broadway), Animal Crackers (Denver Center), Call Me Madam (Lyric Theatre), Backwards in High Heels: The Ginger Rogers Musical (Original Cast), Mary Poppins (Lyric Theatre), and Singin’ in the Rain. NYC Workshops: Merman!, Mommie Dearest. Jeremy is more than grateful and humbled to be sharing the stage with such an incredibly talented cast. Love to my CTG family, The York, Riki, and most of all, sincere thanks to Randy and Mary for continuing opportunities to sing and dance inside the world of Mr. Berlin. Follow Jeremy on Instagram: @jeremywbenton Darien Crago is thrilled to join the Cheek to Cheek cast, having been a part of the Irving Berlin Lyrics & Lyricists installment at the 92Y in 2015. Since then, she has made her Broadway debut in Holiday Inn and toured the country in Randy Skinner’s Irving Berlin’s White Christmas. NY: Paint Your Wagon and Lady, Be Good (with Tommy Tune) at City Center Encores! TV: “Fosse/Verdon,” “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” Thank you to The York and to Randy for another wonderful opportunity to dance his beloved choreography and tell this story. Kaitlyn Davidson is thrilled to be back at The York with Cheek to Cheek! TV: "Law and Order: Organized Crime" (Elizabeth Stabler), "Evil" (Season 3). Broadway: Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Nice Work If You Can Get It. National Tours: Cats (Jellylorum); Bright Star (Lucy); R+H’s Cinderella (Ella); Irving Berlin’s White Christmas (Judy). New York: The Unsinkable Molly Brown (Maureen, Transport Group), The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin (Encores! Off-Center). Regional: How to Succeed… (Kennedy Center), Chicago (Roxie, Riverside Theatre), The Music Man (Marian, Cape Playhouse). CCM Alum. Big thanks to Randy and Mom and Dad. IG:@kaitlyndavidson27. www.kaitlyn-davidson.com Danny Gardner is excited to be returning to The York Theater! He was last seen at the York in The Decline and Fall of the Entire World… in 2019. Broadway: Flying Over Sunset, Dames at Sea. Off-Broadway: Lady, Be Good! (City Center Encores!), The New York Summer Spectacular starring the Rockettes (Radio City), Time Step (New Victory Theater), Neurosis the Musical (DR2), Lyrics & Lyricists (92nd Street Y). National Tours: White Christmas, 42nd Street, Here to Stay: The Gershwin Experience. Regional: Crazy for You (Signature Theater), Singin’ in the Rain (Marriott Lincolnshire), A Gentleman’s Guide… (Engeman Theater), Between the Lines(Kansas City Rep), A Thousand Faces (Encore Theater). www.danny-gardner.com Melinda Porto is overjoyed to be making her off-Broadway debut! She was most recently seen as Catherine of Aragon in SIX (NCL). Regional: The Who's Tommy, White Christmas, 42nd Street, Ren_t. International: Saturday Night Fever, Miss Saigon_. Backup vocals for Taylor Swift and Joe Cocker. BA in Theater (UCLA... Go Bruins!). Thanks to Dave Secor and Randy Skinner for this magical opportunity! Endless love and gratitude to Mom, Dad, Barbara, and Deborah. For Aunt Fran. @minda_loo Corinne Munsch (Understudy ) is overjoyed to be performing with The York Theatre Company! Previous credits include Judy in A Chorus Line (Signature Theatre), Beauty and the Beast and Mary Poppins (Paper Mill Playhouse), Crazy for You (Signature Theatre), How to Succeed… (Maltz Jupiter). Tours: Bullets Over Broadway, Elf, Seven Brides… Television: “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” Otterbein University graduate. Mountains of gratitude to this incredible team, cast and crew and many thanks to Michael Cassara and her beautiful team at CESD. Randy Skinner and Mary Giattino, you are legends! Sean Quinn (Understudy) is so thrilled to join this incredible cast and for theatre to be alive again. Some previous credits include the Broadway tour of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, the international tour of Cinderella starring Lea Salonga, Paper Mill Playhouse, North Shore Music Theatre, Stages St. Louis, and the Gateway Playhouse. Sean would like to thank his incredible husband for his support and gives infinite thanks to Randy and Mary for the gift of being part of such a special show. To the biggest blessings of his life, his two boys, he sends all his love. Enjoy the show! MEET THE CREATIVE TEAM Randy Skinner (Conceiver/Director/Choreographer). Broadway shows include 42nd Street (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics, Astaire nominations), Irving Berlin’s White Christmas (Tony, Drama Desk nominations), Dames at Sea (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics, Astaire nominations), Ain’t Broadway Grand (Tony, Outer Critics nominations), State Fair (Outer Critics nomination), and After the Night and the Music. For City Center Encores!, Mr. Skinner choreographed Do Re Mi, Of Thee I Sing, Face the Music, No, No, Nanette, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and Lady, Be Good; he played the role of Pa Dolan in their production of On Your Toes. Off-Broadway, he choreographed Lone Star Love (Lucille Lortel nomination). Other shows include the Kennedy Center’s Broadway: Three Generations. West End: Lend Me a Tenor: The Musical, Irving Berlin's White Christmas, and 42nd Street (Olivier nomination). For Lincoln Center/PBS, he choreographed Show Boat with the NY Philharmonic Orchestra. In Los Angeles: Stormy Weather (with Leslie Uggams at the Pasadena Playhouse), Garry Marshall’s Happy Days, Hello, Dolly! (with Nell Carter), Pal Joey (with Dixie Carter and Elaine Stritch), and Strike Up the Band (with Tom Bosley). For Goodspeed Musicals: Babes in Arms, George M!, and Lucky in the Rain. Mr. Skinner’s tapping can be heard on the recordings of Sondheim at the Movies, 110 in the Shade, Strike Up the Band, and Lucky in the Rain. He has received the LA Drama Critics, LA Drama-logue, Bay Area Theatre Critics, Connecticut Critics Circle, and Cleveland Times Theatre Awards. Mr. Skinner is a Columbus, Ohio native and graduate of the Ohio State University. David Hancock Turner (Music Director, Piano, Additional Orchestrations) is thrilled to be back at the York this fall! As MD: The Butcher Boy (Irish Rep). As MD & orchestrator: Desperate Measures (New World Stages & York Theatre), Penelope, Cheek to Cheek (York Theatre). Other NYC: Love Life, High Button Shoes, Irma La Douce, Zorba, Do I Hear a Waltz? (Encores); I Do! I Do!, Carmelina, The Day Before Spring, Subways are for Sleeping, Hallelujah, Baby! (York Muftis). All the love to Stacey, Adrian, and Markus. davidhancockturner.com Barry Kleinbort (Book) has earned the prestigious Edward Kleban Foundation Award for Lyric Writing, two Gilman-Gonzalez Musical Theatre Awards, the Second Stage Musical Writers Award, the Jamie deRoy/ASCAP award, two BackStage Bistro awards, and twelve Manhattan Association of Cabarets (MAC) awards for his directorial and songwriting efforts. He wrote the book and lyrics for the musical Was (music by Joseph Thalken, based on the novel by Geoff Ryman), which was the inaugural production of the American Musical Theater Project in Chicago. He co-wrote with David Levy Perfect Harmony, a musical play about the lives of the Barry Sisters, which ran for six months in South Florida. As a composer/lyricist, he wrote music and lyrics for Metropolita(i)n , a bi-lingual musical revue, which has successfully played in Paris and New York. He provided scripts for eight PBS TV specials and was an artistic consultant for “Cathouse: The Musical” for HBO. His newest musical, 13 Things About Ed Carpolotti, had a successful Off-Broadway run at 59E59 starring Penny Fuller and made its regional theater debut in 2014 at the Merrimack Rep in Lowell, Massachusetts, again with Ms. Fuller, and under Mr. Kleinbort’s direction. He has directed and/or written material for Brent Barrett, Petula Clark, Marvin Hamlisch, Kaye Ballard, Regis Philbin, John Barrowman, Tony Roberts, Anita Gillette, Karen Mason, Sylvia McNair, Harolyn Blackwell, Heather MacRae, and many, many others. He has also directed topical revues and intimate theater productions, including Rita Gardner's Try to Remember: A Look at Off-Broadway and Kaye Ballard’s Off-Broadway revue Working 42nd Street at Last! He adapted and directed the New York premiere of Bob Merrill's musical The Prince of Grand Street for the Jewish Rep and John Epperson’s autobiographical one-man outing Show Trash at both the Studio Theater in Washington, D.C and Off-Broadway as part of the acclaimed Lypsinka trilogy at the Connelly Theater. A well-received revue of his theater songs, Big City Rhythm, is available on Harbinger Records. Irving Berlin (Music) (May 11, 1888—September 22, 1989) was an American composer and lyricist, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history. His music forms a great part of the Great American Songbook. He published his first song, "Marie from Sunny Italy", in 1907, and had his first major international hit, "Alexander's Ragtime Band" in 1911 that sparked an international dance craze. Over the years he was known for writing music and lyrics in the American vernacular: uncomplicated, simple and direct. He wrote hundreds of songs, many becoming major hits. During his 60-year career he wrote an estimated 1,500 songs, including the scores for 20 original Broadway shows and 15 original Hollywood films, with his songs nominated eight times for Academy Awards. Many songs became popular themes and anthems, including "Alexander's Ragtime Band", "Easter Parade", "Puttin' on the Ritz", "Cheek to Cheek", "White Christmas", "Happy Holiday", "Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better)", and "There's No Business Like Show Business". His Broadway musical and 1943 film This is the Army had Kate Smith singing Berlin's "God Bless America," which was first performed in 1938. Berlin's songs have been extensively re-recorded by numerous singers including The Andrews Sisters, Perry Como, Eddie Fisher, Al Jolson, Fred Astaire, Ethel Merman, Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Elvis Presley, Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, Linda Ronstadt, Rosemary Clooney, Cher, Diana Ross, Bing Crosby, Sarah Vaughan, Ruth Etting, Fanny Brice, Marilyn Miller, Rudy Vallée, Nat King Cole, Billie Holiday, Doris Day, Jerry Garcia, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Ella Fitzgerald, Michael Bublé, Lady Gaga, and Christina Aguilera. Composer Douglas Moore sets Berlin apart from all other contemporary songwriters, and includes him instead with Stephen Foster, Walt Whitman, and Carl Sandburg, as a "great American minstrel"—someone who has "caught and immortalized in his songs what we say, what we think about, and what we believe. Composer George Gershwin called him "the greatest songwriter that has ever lived", and composer Jerome Kern concluded that "Irving Berlin has no place in American music—he is American music." Riki Kane Larimer (Associate Producer) hails from the world of housewares where her company, Metrokane, created and marketed the famous Rabbit Corkscrew. After selling Metrokane in 2014, she embarked upon a career in theater, where she co-produced the London production of Memphis followed by On the Town and Gigi on Broadway, the Off-Broadway productions of Georgie and Bright Colors and Bold Patterns, and York Theatre's productions of Cagney and Enter Laughing. Riki's major theatrical accomplishment is the widely acclaimed production of Cagney starring Robert Creighton, which started at The York, followed by a run at the Westside Theater (a stunning 15-month success). She is currently working on a workshop production of Cagney directed by Tony Award winner John Rando in London with the intent of opening on the West End. Riki is the Vice President of the Board of Directors at The York Theatre and is a trustee on the Board of Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor on Long Island. 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 five 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. Well over 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, and Rothschild & Sons. The critically acclaimed musical Yank! received its Off-Broadway debut at The York in 2010, and subsequently to rave reviews in London—as did York’s Rothschild & Sons . The hit musical Cagney received its York premiere in 2015, transferring to the Westside Theatre for over 15 months. In 2017, Desperate Measures received a total of 15 award nominations (and three wins) that included “Best Musical” from the Lucille Lortel, Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk, and Off-Broadway Alliance and subsequently transferred across town to New World Stages. The York is the recipient of a special Drama Desk Award for “Developing and Producing New Musicals” and, more recently, a special Outer Critics Circle Award for “50 Years of Producing New and Classic Musicals.” The York is currently producing at The Theatre at St. Jean’s due to a flood in their home of 30 years at Saint Peter’s Church in January 2021. www.yorktheatre.org |
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