PAST SEASONS

2005-2006

A young couple takes an unexpected journey when their car crashes into an old wall surrounding a deserted house on New Year’s Eve. Through its powerful, melodic score, In This House communicates the challenges and joys of waking up and moving on, stone by stone.   

Mike Reid & Sarah Schlesinger   Mike and Sarah's musical, The Ballad of Little Jo, opened to rave reviews at the Bridewell Theatre in London in July 2003 and was hailed by Daily Telegraph critic Domenic Cavendish as “two and a half hours of unmitigated brilliance.” Prior to its London run, the show was produced by Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago as its first musical. Mike and Sarah have also collaborated on Different Fields, which was commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera Guild and Opera Memphis, and are currently writing the score for a new musical based on the life of Casanova. Mike and Sarah have received the Kleban Award, the Richard Rodgers Award, a Gilman-Gonzalez Falla Theatre Foundation Award, and Chicago’s Jeff Award for Best Original Musical. Mike is a Grammy Award-winning songwriter with more than 30 Top-Ten pop and country hits recorded by many artists including Bonnie Raitt (“I Can’t Make You Love Me”), Anita Baker, Kenny Rogers, Wynonna, Alabama, Willie Nelson, Joe Cocker, Bette Midler, and Tim McGraw.

The cast of Broadway performers includes George Lee Andrews (The Phantom of the Opera, A Little Night Music), Stephanie J. Block (The Boy from Oz, Wicked), Mary Beth Peil (Nine, The King & I, TV's "Dawson's Creek"), and Charlie Pollock (Carnival at Paper Mill Playhouse, I Love You You're Perfect..., Urinetown).  The show is directed by Jonathan Bernstein (The Mag-7 at Naked Angels, resident director of Chicago on Broadway), with music direction by Andrew Wilder (Jersey Boys, Little Women).

 World Concert Premiere!    

Wednesday, April 26-28

Peter Norton Symphony Space - Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre

2537 Broadway @ West 95th St. in Manhattan

 

Preludes

New Musicals in Concert

TEREZIN

A musical drama     Czechoslovakia 1939-1945

Book by                              Music by                            Lyrics by

Peter Ullian               Joel Derfner               Len Schiff

With Broadway Performers

Danny Gurwin, Zac Halley, David Hibbard, Carolann Page, Donna Vivino,

Kathy Voytko, Blake Whyte, Stuart Zagnit, and more!

Musical Direction by Andrew Wilder

Directed by Jeremy Dobrish

World Concert Premiere!

Thursday, Feb. 23-25

Peter Norton Symphony Space - Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre

2537 Broadway @ West 95th St. in Manhattan

TEREZIN is a new musical drama about prisoners in the Czech concentration camp.  Many were artists and intellectuals from Prague. The Nazis used the camp as a “model city” to deceive the Red Cross.  The show follows the lives of several residents and the art they created in an effort to survive.

“We are honored to bring this powerful, engaging new musical to New York,” said Melting Pot Artistic Director Larry Hirchhorn.  “We’ve watched the progress of this show for a few years, and it’s now ready to be seen by the general public and the theatre industry.  Some may be nervous about a musical set during the Holocaust, but Terezin is about very specific characters and their struggle against incredible obstacles.  It’s handled with tastefulness and sensitivity.”

The creative team includes bookwriter Peter Ullian (Flight of the Lawnchair Man, Elliott Ness in Cleveland), composer Joel Derfner (Blood Drive, “Gay Haiku”), lyricist Len Schiff (AEthernity, Zach in Progress), director Jeremy Dobrish (Artistic Director of adobe theatre company), and music director Andrew Wilder (Jersey Boys, Little Women).

The cast includes Danny Gurwin (Little Women, Urinetown, A Little Night Music), Zac Halley (Six of One), David Hibbard (A Class Act, Once Upon A Mattress, Cats), Carolann Page (Menopause The Musical, Nixon in China, Candide), Donna Vivino (Hairspray, Les Miserables), Kathy Voytko (The Frogs, Nine), Blake Whyte (Big River), Stuart Zagnit (Picon Pie, Seussical, The Wild Party).

TEREZIN was commissioned by producer Virginia Criste of Snap-Two Productions Inc.

 

INVITATION-ONLY DEVELOPMENTAL READING

IN THIS HOUSE
A new musical

Music by Mike Reid           Lyrics by Sarah Schlesinger
Book by Sarah Schlesinger & Mike Reid

With
George Lee Andrews • Stephen R. Buntrock • Andrea Burns • Maureen Silliman

Musical Direction by Andrew Wilder
Directed by Jonathan Bernstein

A young couple takes an unexpected journey when their car crashes into an old wall surrounding a deserted
house on New Year’s Eve. Through its powerful, melodic score, In This House communicates the challenges
and joys of waking up and moving on, stone by stone.    4 actors • 1 set • 18 songs • 90 minutes

February 6 & 7, 2006

Mike Reid & Sarah Schlesinger   Mike and Sarah's musical, The Ballad of Little Jo, opened to rave reviews at the Bridewell Theatre in London in July 2003 and was hailed by Daily Telegraph critic Domenic Cavendish as “two and a half hours of unmitigated brilliance.” Prior to its London run, the show was produced by Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago as its first musical. Mike and Sarah have also collaborated on Different Fields, which was commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera Guild and Opera Memphis, and are currently writing the score for a new musical based on the life of Casanova. Mike and Sarah have received the Kleban Award, the Richard Rodgers Award, a Gilman-Gonzalez Falla Theatre Foundation Award, and Chicago’s Jeff Award for Best Original Musical. Mike is a Grammy Award-winning songwriter with more than 30 Top-Ten pop and country hits recorded by many artists including Bonnie Raitt (“I Can’t Make You Love Me”), Anita Baker, Kenny Rogers, Wynonna, Alabama, Willie Nelson, Joe Cocker, Bette Midler, and Tim McGraw.

 

One night only benefit reading!

The 1951 Lux Radio Theatre adaptation
Based on the film written & directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Starring

Gregg Edelman • Tovah Feldshuh • Jonathan Hadary • Adam Heller

Jackie Hoffman • Fred Newman  • Christine Pedi

Patrick Quinn • Jennifer Rae Beck • David Ogden Stiers

Emily Skinner • Tamara Tunie

 Singers: Greg Carter • Suzanne Hevner • Vanessa A. Jones

Music Direction by Jono Mainelli

Directed by Nick Corley

Monday, November 7, 2005

7:30 - 9:00 Show
Barrow Street Theatre
27 Barrow St. @ Seventh Ave. South

9:00 - 11:00 Reception
Agave
140 Seventh Ave. South @ West 10th St.

2004-2005

World Premiere Production!

“WELL-CRAFTED! A strong cast and equally strong direction! Perfomers and ideas that should be heard!” -- New Yorker

“EXQUISITE! OUTSTANDING! This crisp production has the clean lines and thematic clarity of THE BEST KIND OF THEATRE--the kind with a heart!” -- Variety

“Well-written. Well-acted by an EXCELLENT six-member ensemble. TOP NOTCH!"
-- Star-Ledger

“An attractive production and a HIGH-FLYING CAST! A flight worth boarding!” -- NY Sun

“It reveals the complexities of a FASCINATING historical figure in a COMPELLING way.”
-- TheaterMania

A new play by

Garth Wingfield

Starring

Gregg Edelman    Kerry O'Malley

Andrew Polk     Rex Young     Victoria Mack
and
Brian d'Arcy James

Set & Projection Design by Michael Deegan & Sarah Conly
Costume Design by Daryl A. Stone
Lighting Design by Jeff Nellis
Sound Design by Jill B.C. Du Boff
Incidental Music by Lance Horne
Production Stage Manager   Marci Glotzer
Asst. Stage Manager   Allison C.E. Mitchell
Production Manager   B.D. White
Video Projections   Brian Kim
Public Relations   Publicity Outfitters
Advertising   SPOTCO

Directed by Nick Corley

Limited Run! May 8 - June 12

Lucille Lortel Theatre
 

FLIGHT follows famed American aviator Charles Lindbergh during fourteen critical years in his life: from his historic flight to Paris, to the kidnapping of his son, to his obsession with science, to his sudden decision to move to Europe and the anti-Semitic remarks he made at the outbreak of World War II.  The play is a deconstruction of an American icon and an exploration of the effects the media and fame have on our celebrities.

Playwright GARTH WINGFIELD is the author of Dating Games, a collection of short plays that ran at the Theater Row Studio Theater in June 2003 and later in Los Angeles. He also wrote Are We There Yet?, which was produced in London and New York. He was a staff writer on ABC's “Clueless.”

Director NICK CORLEY directed the world premiere of Eliot Ness in Cleveland (also co-adaptation) at the Denver Theatre Center; the original production of The Civil War at Houston's Alley Theatre; A Young Lady of Fashion (also co-author) at the historic Fulton Opera House; and the off-Broadway productions of Fables in Slang: A Ragtime Revue and Tintypes for Melting Pot.

Four-time Tony nominee (Into the Woods, 1776  - winner of  the Drama Desk Award - City of Angels, Anna Karenina), GREGG EDELMAN stars as Charles Lindbergh.  He recently starred in Wonderful Town on Broadway as well as in Anything Goes, Cabaret, Falsettos, and Stephen Sondheim's Passion, among others, and Reefer Madness and Lee Blessing's Thief River Off-Broadway.

KERRY O'MALLEY starred as the Baker's Wife in the 2002 revival of Into the Woods (Outer Critics Circle & Drama Desk nominations).  Other Broadway credits include Annie Get Your Gun, Cyrano, and Translations. She also starred opposite Martin Short in Promises, Promises at City Center Encores! Off-Broadway, she appeared in Finian's Rainbow, How I Learned to Drive, and Dublin Carol at the Atlantic Theatre Company. 

BRIAN D'ARCY JAMES recently starred in City Center Encores! Pardon My English and received a 2002 Tony nomination for his portrayal of Sidney Falco in Sweet Smell of Success.  Other Broadway credits include Titanic, Carousel, Blood Brothers, Les Miserables. Off-Broadway:  The Good Thief (OBIE Award, Drama Desk nomination, Outer Critics Circle nomination, Backstage West Garland Award, LA Weekly Theater Award), MTC's The Wild Party (Drama Desk nomination), and others.

ANDREW POLK appeared in the Broadway Tour of Biloxi Blues and Off-Broadway in Critical Darling, Vick's Boy, The Odyssey, The Truth Teller, The Ash Fire, Scaring the Fish, and Summer's Evening.  His regional credits include productions at Long Wharf Theater, Arena Stage, Alley Theatre, Actor's Theatre of Louisville, Trinity Rep, Portland Stage, George Street Playhouse, and the Donmar Warehouse in London. 

REX YOUNG Regional credits include Betrayal and Importance of Being Earnest at Actor's Theatre Of Louisville; Twelfth Night at Long Wharf Theatre; Macbeth at Seattle Shakespeare Company.

VICTORIA MACK has appeared Off-Broadway in The Truth About Blayds, A.A. Milne's Mr. Pim Passes By, and the highly acclaimed production of Schnitzler's Far and Wide, all at the Mint Theatre Company. 

Based on the screenplay by Frances Goodrich & Albert Hackett and Frank Capra

Starring

Gregg Edelman • Carolee Carmello

Tom Aldredge • Wayne Barker • David Alan Basche • Kate Burton

Harrison Chad • Walter Charles • Kailani Coba • Bob Dishy

Adam Heller • Peter Francis James • Malachy McCourt • Sean McCourt

Cass Morgan • Richard Poe • Tony Roberts • Debra Walton

 Live Sound Effects by Fred Newman
Musical Performances by Billy Porter • Greg Carter • Suzanne Hevner
Music Direction by Wayne Barker
Directed by Nick Corley

One Night Only!

Monday, December 6, 2004
Lucille Lortel Theatre

Melting Pot Theatre Company (MPTC) is proud to present its annual gala: a one-night-only, all-star concert reading of the 1947 radio play adaptation of the film, It’s A Wonderful Life.  This heartwarming holiday classic is presented in humorous period style by a diverse cast of Broadway, television, and radio stars.

Saturday, September 11 @ 8:00 PM & Sunday, September 12 @ 3:00 PM & 7:00 PM

Can a light bulb that cures the blues brighten up a lonely guy's New Year's Eve? A wacky rewiring of Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Match Girl, STRIKING 12 is a festive fairy tale that features the acclaimed trio GrooveLily, one of the hottest bands in the country. Their sweet, witty concert-play is a clever mix of musical comedy, pop-rock tunes, and old-fashioned uplift, illuminated by an incandescent salesgirl whose holiday spirit just can't be matched.

Milburn and Sheinkin are alumni of the prestigious New York University Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. Vigoda, Milburn, and Lewin comprise the “smart pop” trio, GrooveLily, and have been touring the country since 1995 to terrific critical and audience response.  They have released five albums of their own songs. Striking 12 was previously produced to great acclaim at the Prince Music Theater in Philadelphia in 2002 and the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego in 2003.

There will be only three concert performances: This is the New York concert premiere of Striking 12, and the only chance for East Coast fans to see the revised show.  The concerts will be recorded live, for an album to be released in December 2004 to coincide with performances of Striking 12 at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto, California.  Performances will take place at the intimate Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre at Peter Norton Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway at 95th Street in Manhattan. 

2003-2004

2002-2003

January 14 - March 2, 2003

COOKIN' AT THE COOKERY
The Music and Times of Alberta Hunter

A New Blues Musical

STARRING
Tony Award winner Ann Duquesnay & Debra Walton

Sets & Lighting Dale Jordan • Costumes Marilyn A. Wall
Sound Josh Navarro • Wigs Bettie O. Rogers
Production Stage Manager Audrey M. Koran  • Press Publicity Outfitters
Musical Director George Caldwell
Musical Supervision & Arrangements by Danny Holgate
Written & Directed by Marion J. Caffey

AWARDS

2003 Drama League Award Nomination - Distinguished Production of a Musical

2003 Drama League Award Nomination - Distinguished Performance Award - Ann Duquesnay

2003 Drama Desk Award Nomination - Outstanding Actress in a Musical - Ann Duquesnay

2003 Drama Desk Award Nomination - Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical - Debra Walton

Six AUDELCO Award Nominations

WHAT THE CRITICS SAID:

“ASTONISHING! A feel-good musical with great warmth, verve, and a heart of gold!” - New York Times

“ELECTRIFYING! EXHILARATING!” – New Yorker

“TERRIFIC! RED HOT! A rare and thrilling experience in the theatre!” – NY1 TV

“SIZZLING! DELIGHTFUL!” – NY Daily News

“HOT STUFF! DELICIOUS ENTERTAINMENT!” – NJ Star-Ledger

“SUPERB! Brings down the house!” – Associated Press
 

January 18 to March 2, 2003

Arnie Kolodner in
THE MAGIC LAND OF PETER PAN
Featuring Alice Bergman as Wendy

 

2001-2002

MISS EVERS’ BOYS

2002 - Four AUDELCO Award Nominations

TINTYPES: THE MUSICAL

 

2000-2001

THE DEVIL’S MUSIC: THE LIFE & BLUES OF BESSIE SMITH

A CHILD’S GARDEN

 

1999-2000

COBB

2001 Drama Desk Award - Best Ensemble Performance

Commercial Transfer to the Lucille Lortel Theatre

ICE ISLAND: THE WAIT FOR SHACKLETON

 

1998-1999

FABLES IN SLANG: A RAGTIME REVUE

OY!

WOODY GUTHRIE’S AMERICAN SONG

1999 Outer Critics Circle Award Nomination - Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical

1999 Drama Desk Award Nomination - Outstanding Musical Revue

1999 Drama Desk Award Nomination - Outstanding Orchestrations

 

1997-1998

THE GOOD DOCTOR

COTTON PATCH GOSPEL

 

1996-1997

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