Sunday Scoop of 2/9/20 - What's Happening This Week or Coming Up Soon

In This Week's Scoop

1) Upcoming at Merkin Hall
    Tuesday Matinees: Ziang Xu 2/11, World Music Institute: Sahba Motallebi & Rahim AlHaj 2/15
2) New Adventure from Story Pirates Available 2/11
3) Upcoming at Lincoln Center
     iLe 2/12, Endea Owens 2/13, Roomful of Teeth 2/13, Brandon Victor Dixon 2/14,
     Dan & Claudia Zanes 215 & 2/16, Our Lady J 2/15
4) Upcoming at iPlay America
     The Jersey Four 2/14
5) Upcoming at Kelsey Theatre
      The Last of the Red Hot Lovers 2/14 - 2/23 Friday, Saturday, Sunday
6) Upcoming at Symphony Space
     Stevens Puppets: Goldilocks and the Three Bears 2/15
7) Upcoming at TADA Youth Theatre
     How to Eat Like a Child 2/15 - 3/8

PR Firm Roundup

8) News from DKC/O&M
    8A) Upcoming at NY Stage and Film
    Whitelisted 2/10, An Evening of Short Films 2/13
    8B)  Waterwell's The Courtroom 2/12
9) News from JT Public Relations
    A Sign of the Times 2/27 -214 (Begins Previews 2/17)
10) News from Pascal Nadon Communications
       Orchestra Now Free Performance at Symphony Space 2/16
11) News from Richard Hillman PR
      11A) Upcoming for J2 Spotlight Musical Theater
                Seesaw 2/13 -2/23
      11B) Upcoming for Abingdon Theatre Company
               One Night Benefit Performance of Date of a Lifetime 2/17
      11C) Rules of Desire World Premiere Begins 2/11
12) News from Spin City NYC
      12A) Unmaking Toulouse Lautrec Special Valentine Performances 2/14
     12B) Look Back in Anger Revivial Begins Previews 2/13
13) News from Vivacity NY
       Upcoming for WP Theater
       Where We Stand 2/11 - 3/1

1) Upcoming at Merkin Hall

129 W. 67th St.

New York, NY

Tuesday Matinees: Ziang Zu, 

World Music Institute: Sahba Motallebi & Rahim AlHaj 

Tuesday February 11, 2:00 PM

Tuesday Matinees: Ziang Xu

The winner of many international awards including the New Orleans International Piano Competition performs works by Liszt and Beethoven.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.kaufmanmusiccenter.org/mch/event/tuesday-matinees-ziang-xu-piano

Saturday Febraury 15, 7:30 PM

World Music Institute: Sahba Motallebi & Rahim AlHaj 

Two masters of traditional stringed instruments will join musical forces in this special event. Pre-show discussion with the artists & WMI Artistic Director Brian Keigher at 7:30 pm; concert at 8 pm.

For more information or to purchase tickets, https://www.kaufmanmusiccenter.org/mch/event/world-music-institute-sahba-motallebi-rahim-alhaj

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2)A new fantasy-adventure from the Story Pirates: Quest for the Crystal Crown

The Story Pirates Present:
Quest for the Crystal Crown

by Annabeth Bondor-Stone and Connor White
Illustrated by Joe Todd Stanton
Based on a story idea by Angie Ortiz

Hardcover. 288 pages. ISBN 9780593120637 | Middle Grade (8-12)

Available on February 11, 2020 from Penguin Random House;
Launch events planned in New York and Los Angeles

The Story Pirates are proud to announce the third in a series of middle-grade books for kids: The Story Pirates Present: Quest for the Crystal Crown, by  Annabeth Bondor-Stone and Connor White, and illustrated by Joe Todd Stanton. Like the first two Story Pirates books -- Stuck in the Stone Age and the Parents’ Choice Award winning Digging Up Danger -- this imaginative fantasy is based on an idea from a real kid (Angie Ortiz, from Rockland County, New York). The story is also a jumping-off point for an introduction to the basics of creative writing. With the help of Story Pirate Captain Rolo Vincent and the Fantasy Creation Zone, readers can use this novel as inspiration to create their OWN great fantasy adventure.

The story: An enchanted arrow pierces the wall of Hillview–the city is under attack! Years ago, a powerful crystal crown was stolen from a group of magic-wielders called Lysors. Lacking the crown’s protection, the Lysors hid themselves behind the city walls, shut off from the rest of the world. But with danger upon them once more, can Laura, a spunky girl with a knack for adventure, journey outside Hillview ... and reclaim the crystal crown?

“We’re so honored to bring Angie’s original idea to fruition,” say authors Bondor-Stone and White. “Kids have the best ideas. They truly have the imaginative power to create real works of art. We hope this story inspires readers to write their own fantasy novels.” The two adult authors have published other acclaimed books for young readers, and they tour the country as “Annabeth and Connor,” sharing their love of stories and reading. White is also a long-time teaching artist for Story Pirates Changemakers, which provides high-quality arts and literacy programs in the Tittle I schools, homeless shelters and hospitals.

The Story Pirates are planning two in-store events to celebrate the book launch:

• February 11 at  6 pm: Books of Wonder, 18 West 18th Street, New York
• February 23 at 11 am: Book Soup, 8818 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles

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3) Upcoming at Lincoln Center

 iLe, Endea Owens, Roomful of Teeth 

Brandon Victor Dixon,  Dan &Claudia Zanes, 

Our Lady J 

Wednesday, February 12 at 8:30 pm 

American Songbook 

iLe 

Singer-songwriter Ileana Cabra Joglar, better known as iLe, rose to fame as part of the musically omnivorous Puerto Rican hip-hop group Calle 13, winning three Grammy Awards and 24 Latin Grammys—the most earned by a single act to date. In 2016, the artist reemerged as iLe with the release of her solo debut album, iLevitable, a bravura survey of traditional Latin forms. The album earned her a Grammy and prompted NPR to deem her “a first-class interpreter of the classic sounds that flow through Latin America.” In 2019, she shed her skin once again with the intimate sophomore album Almadura, featuring legendary pianist Eddie Palmieri. Simultaneously an ode to Puerto Rico and a call for political action, it reveals an artist upending old assumptions and unafraid to share a wealth of emotion. iLe collaborated with Residente and Bad Bunny on the protest song “Afilando Los Cuchillos” (“Sharpening the Knives”) this past July, which garnered 2.5 million views on YouTube within a day of its release. Fresh off this incendiary success, iLe celebrates her American Songbook debut with a varied tapestry of songs that expose the poetry and strength of this multilingual, multitalented star. 

The Appel Room, 10 Columbus Circle. 

TICKETS start at $35 and are available by calling 212.721.6500 or visiting LincolnCenter.org/AmericanSongbook. 

*FREE Thursday, February 13 at 7:30 pm 

Atrium 360° 

Endea Owens: Feel Good Music 

Lincoln Center’s Emerging Artist of 2019 and Detroit native Endea Owens is a vibrant, internationally renowned bassist who you can catch on the Late Night with Stephen Colbert show. A Juilliard graduate, Owens has been mentored by the likes of Marcus Belgrave, Rodney Whitaker, and Ron Carter. She has toured and performed with Jennifer Holliday, Rhonda and Diana Ross, Jazzmeia Horn, and Lea DeLaria from the Netflix hit series Orange is The New Black. Mixing standards with her own original compositions, Owens plays hot, swinging jazz for multiple generations. 

David Rubenstein Atrium, Broadway between 62nd and 63rd Streets. 

FREE Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. For questions about accessibility or to request an accommodation, please contact access@lincolncenter.org or 212.875.5375. For more information, please visit LincolnCenter.org/Atrium. 

Thursday, February 13 at 8:30 pm 

American Songbook 

Roomful of Teeth 

A leading incubator for cutting-edge a cappella music, Roomful of Teeth has sought inspiration from both experimental and world traditions, including Tuvan throat singing, yodeling, Korean p’ansori, and Sardinian cantu a tenore. The ensemble’s first record won the Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble 4 Performance in 2013. That same year, one of the group’s singers, alto Caroline Shaw, won the Pulitzer Prize for music for Partita for 8 Voices—a work that put Roomful of Teeth on the map and catapulted Shaw to international prominence. In the years since, the ensemble has performed at the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, and Disney Concert Hall alongside the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Hailed as “fiercely beautiful” (NPR) and “pure joy” (Boston Globe), Roomful of Teeth creates music that is at once primeval and sophisticated, ancient and modern, abstract but dramatic waves of pitch-perfect vocalism. 

The Appel Room, 10 Columbus Circle. 

TICKETS start at $35 and are available by calling 212.721.6500 or visiting LincolnCenter.org/AmericanSongbook. 

Friday, February 14 at 8:30 pm 

American Songbook 

Brandon Victor Dixon 

For more than a decade, the soulful and sensitive Brandon Victor Dixon has charmed audiences onstage and on screen with his “powerful and charismatic” (New York Times) performances in The Color Purple, Shuffle Along, Motown The Musical, The Scottsboro Boys, and NBC’s Emmy Award–winning Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert. Most recently, he co-starred in Fox’s Rent: Live. In 2016, he took over the role of Aaron Burr in a little-known show called Hamilton for nearly a year before joining the cast of the hit TV series Power. He has also produced several new pieces, including a tribute to James Brown, and has performed in concerts alongside heavyweight talents Jennifer Hudson, Nathan Lane, Wynton Marsalis, Chita Rivera, Liza Minnelli, and Kelli O’Hara, among others. On Valentine’s Day, the Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Award–nominee promises to bring down the house in this evening of essential, powerful stagecraft. 

The Appel Room, 10 Columbus Circle. 

TICKETS start at $40 and are available by calling 212.721.6500, or visiting LincolnCenter.org/AmericanSongbook. 

Saturday, February 15 – Sunday, February 16 at 11:00 am & 2:00 pm 

LC Kids 

Songs from Open Windows 

Dan + Claudia Zanes 

Dan + Claudia Zanes have been at the forefront of the movement to explore and expand the definition of family music in the 21st century. Their new show features a mix of traditional and contemporary songs from near and far, enhanced by the Latin American percussive styles of Yuriana Sobrino, creating an inclusive concert both sophisticated and handmade for people of all ages. Songs from Open Windows performances are relaxed and adapted for children with autism and other developmental disabilities. Recommended for ages 5-8. Clark Studio Theater, 165 West 65th Street, 7th Floor. 

TICKETS start at $25 (Member Price $18) and are available by visiting Kids.LincolnCenter.org 

Saturday, February 15 at 8:30 pm 

American Songbook 

Our Lady J 

After a career of making music in both the pop and classical worlds (Sia, American Ballet Theatre, Mark Morris Dance Group), Our Lady J—an Emmy and Golden Globe nominee and Peabody Award winner— returns to the New York stage. Her American Songbook performance will showcase her progression as a lyricist and composer since becoming a writer and producer in Hollywood (currently on Ryan Murphy’s Pose on FX). Our Lady J will debut her catalogue of new music, which will feature original compositions 5 with her collaborator, Justin Tranter, one of the most successful songwriters in pop music today. Our Lady J holds the honor of being the first out trans woman to perform at Carnegie Hall, as well as the first out trans writer to be hired in a television writers’ room. Tonight, she takes The Appel Room’s glittering stage for a liberating celebration that fuses electro-pop with the uplifting, soul-shaking sound she's known—and loved— for. Don’t be surprised if there’s a little Dolly Parton in there. 

The Appel Room, 10 Columbus Circle. 

TICKETS start at $35 and are available by calling 212.721.6500, or visiting LincolnCenter.org/AmericanSongbook. 

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4) Upcoming at iPlay America

110 Schank Rd.

Freehold, NJ

The Jersey Four 

Friday February 14, 7:00 PM

The Jersey Four is set to return to The Event Center at iPlay America for a Valentine’s Day Dinner Show. Dance and dine with your Valentine during a special performance in Freehold, New Jersey on Friday, February 14.

The Jersey Four will take the guests in attendance on a journey from Frankie Valli’s solo career to present day Four Seasons shows. The highly praised act will perform songs from their collection such as “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Rag Doll,” “Walk Like a Man,” among others.

The Jersey Four always deliver their very own interpretation of the classic hits on stage. With their unique vocals, authentic costumes, and the fabulous stage show, it will spark romance for couples of all ages.

Doors will open at 6:00 PM and the event will start at 7:00 PM. Tickets including Reserved Seating, Preferred Seating, and Exclusive Skydeck Seating are now available for purchase at https://www.iplayamerica.com/event/the-jersey-four/.

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5) Upcoming at Kelsey Theatre 

1200 Old Trenton Rd.

West Windsor, NJ

The Last of the Red Hot Lovers

The Yardley Players will tickle your fancy as they present Neil Simon’s tale of Barney Cashman, deep in the throes of a mounting midlife crisis. It’s 1969, and the sexual revolution is passing him by with alarming speed. But Barney, bravely determined to catch up to the times, borrows his mother’s empty apartment for a series of afternoon encounters. In three hilarious scenes, we witness Barney’s attempts to discover his inner Don Juan with the help of an unlikely parade of possible partners!

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit 

https://ci.ovationtix.com/35232/production/1014557

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6) Upcoming at Symphony Space

2537 Broadway

New York, NY

Stevens Puppets: Goldilocks and the Three Bears 

Saturday February 15, 11:00 & 2:00 PM

This classic tale is brought to life in a fresh new setting told with hand-carved wooden marionettes. In an enchanted Alaskan forest, a family of bears encounter a golden-haired trespasser, who learns from them about respect, kindness, humility, and forgiveness. Hand-painted scenery presents the misty fjords and totems of Southeast Alaska in glorious color and authenticity. Stevens Puppets has been bringing fairy tales to life on the stage since its founding in 1933 by the Peabody-Award-winning Martin Stevens, who was a founder of the Puppeteers of America. With his wife, Margi, Stevens created groundbreaking touring marionette shows. Since the 1990s, Dan and Zan Raynor have presented the multiple award-winning Stevens Puppets productions around the globe.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.symphonyspace.org/events/just-kidding-goldilocks

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7) Upcoming at TADA! Youth Theater

15 W. 28th St.

New York, NY

How to Eat Like a Child and Other Lessons in Not Being a Grownup

February 15 - March 8

In this “kid’s guide to being a kid” both children and adults will laugh along to comical numbers such as How to Torture Your Sister, How to Beg for a Dog, How to Understand Your Parents and more! 

“How to Eat Like a Child…”was first  produced as a 1981 TV special with Dick Van Dyke. TADA! was the first company to stage this musical in 1984 without any adult characters. 

Book by:
Delia Ephron, John Forster, and Judith Kahan
Music and Lyrics by:
John Forster
Based on the book/

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PR Firm Roundup

8) News from DKC/O&M

8A) Upcoming at New York Stage and Film

Whitelisted

by Chisa Hutchinson
directed by Jade King Carroll
Monday, February 10 at 3:00pm

Rebecca Burgess is just living her life when weird, supernatural shit starts happening to her for no reason she can think of. Of course, the fact that she can't think of the reason is probably why it's happening. Whitelisted is a cautionary tale that considers the possibility of cosmic justice in the absence of social justice.

An Evening Of Short Films by Filmmakers’ Workshop Alumni

Thursday, February 13 at 7:00pm

The Glicker Milstein Theater, The Diana Center

Barnard College, 3009 Broadway, LL2

The evening will consist of short films created by alumni of their annual Filmmakers’ Workshop, as well as a brief conversation with some of the creators.

                Across the Tracks (Michael C. Cooke)

                In This Life (Bat-Sheva Guez)

                Gun Corp (Josh Liveright)

                Love (James Gallagher)

                Bliss House (Jonterri Gadson)

                The Son, The Father (Lukas Hassel)

                The Dark of Night (Denise Meyers)

8B) THE COURTROOM

A RE-ENACTMENT OF DEPORTATION PROCEEDINGS

TRANSCRIPTS ARRANGED BY ARIAN MOAYED

DIRECTED BY LEE SUNDAY EVANS

THE RE-ENACTMENT OF DEPORTATION PROCEEDINGS

IS PLAYING MONTHLY PERFORMANCES AT CIVIC VENUES

BETWEEN NOW AND THE 2020 ELECTION

THREE TONY AWARD WINNERS JOIN MEMBERS OF THE ORIGINAL CAST

KELLI O’HARA, JAYNE HOUDYSHELL, AND JENNIFER EHLE TO PERFORM

 ONE NIGHT ONLY AT THE LUCILLE LORTEL THEATRE

Waterwell announced today the complete cast for the next performance of The Courtroom, its re-enactment of deportation proceedings that is playing a series of special, one-night engagements in civic venues following a sold-out run in 2019. Tony Award^® winner and Emmy Award^® nominee Kelli O’Hara, Tony and Obie Award winner Jayne Houdyshell, and two-time Tony Award winner Jennifer Ehle will join members of the original cast for one night only at the Lucille Lortel Theatre on February 12.

With text arranged from real court transcripts by Waterwell co-founder and Tony Award nominee Arian Moayed, and featuring direction by Waterwell Artistic Director and Obie Award winner Lee Sunday Evans, The Courtroom is an intimate encounter with our nation’s immigration court system. The production is included in The New York Times’ Best Theater of 2019 list.

The Courtroom will then perform on Monday, March 9 at 7:00pm at Symphony Space (2537 Broadway) in the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre.

Tickets are available at symphonyspace.org.

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9) News from DDPR

JAVIER MUÑOZ

To star in the North American Premiere of

A Sign of the Times

Written and Directed by STEPHEN LLOYD HELPER

Beginning Performances February 17,

Opening on February 27, 2020 

at THEATER 511

Broadway’s Javier Muñoz (Hamilton, In The Heights) will star in the North American Premiere of Stephen Lloyd Helper’s A Sign of the Times at Theater 511 (511 West 54th Street) beginning performances on February 17 in advance of its opening night on February 27 through April 4, 2020. Tickets are $49-$69  and can be purchased by visiting ww.asignofthetimesplay.com.

A Sign of the Times   is an epic theatrical exploration of life, loss, hope and time.  At a personal and professional crossroads, a man becomes a Stop/Slow traffic controller outside a construction site in an effort to catch his breath and simplify his life.  With his wit and vivid imagination, he invokes Shakespeare, Einstein and more visionaries on his emotional odyssey.   Though he tries valiantly to distract himself from the pains in his present from his recent past, it’s through the saving grace of time that he reclaims his future.  Join him for his entertaining and soulful investigation of life’s meaning in an uncertain world.  Part joyous comedy, part thoughtful tragedy… it is the entirety of life in 95 minutes.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit https://asignofthetimesplay.com.

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10) News from Pascal Nadon Communications

THE ORCHESTRA NOW PERFORMS FREE CONCERT

AT SYMPHONY SPACESUNDAY

 FEBRUARY 16 AT 4 PM

TŌN Free Concerts Series: Boléro & Petrushka

Peter Norton Symphony Space, New York City

Sun, Feb 16, 2020 at 4 PM

Zachary Schwartzman, conductor

Debussy: Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun

Messiaen: The Forgotten Offerings

Ravel: Boléro

Stravinsky: Petrushka (1947)

Tickets: Free concert, advance RSVP at theorchestranow.org is suggested.

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11) News from Richard Hillman PR

J2 SPOTLIGHT MUSICAL THEATER COMPANY
LAUNCHES INAUGURAL SEASON
WITH
“SEESAW”
BOOK BY MICHAEL BENNETT
MUSIC BY CY COLEMAN
LYRICS BY DOROTHY FIELDS
CHOREOGRAPHY BY CAITLIN BELCIK
MUSIC DIRECTION BY GRANT STROM
DIRECTED BY ROBERT W. SCHNEIDER

FEBRUARY 13 – 23, 2020
AT THEATRE ROW
(410 WEST 42ND STREET – NYC)

Seesaw, with book by Michael Bennett, music by Cy Coleman, and lyrics by Dorothy Fields, will begin performances Thursday, February 13, 2020 at 7:30pm and continue through February 23, 2020 at Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street – between 9th and Dyer Avenues). Seesaw is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc., a Concord Theatricals Company. Based on the play Two for the Seesaw by William Gibson. Opening Night is Thursday, February 13, 2020 at 7:30pm.

From the composing team of Sweet Charity, Seesaw tells the story of Jerry Ryan, a reserved lawyer from Omaha, who has fled to New York City looking for a change in his life. There he meets Gittel Mosca, a single, loveable lunatic who lives life to the fullest. Will their love affair be able to survive the big, noisy, dirty island known as Manhattan? Songs include: “It’s Not Where You Start,” It’s Where You Finish,” “Welcome to Holiday Inn,” and “Nobody Does It Like Me.”

The J2 Spotlight Musical Theater Company series will play the following performance schedule: Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30p.m. and Sundays at 3:00 p.m.

NOW ON SALE: Single tickets are priced at $55 and may be purchased at telecharge.com, or by calling 212-239-6200. $25 Student Rush tickets will be available on the day of performance. A 3-Show Package is available at $124, a 25% discount, and may be purchased online at: www.j2spotlightnyc.com.

Single tickets are priced at $55 and may be purchased at telecharge.com, or by calling 212-239-6200. $25 Student Rush tickets will be available on the day of performance. A 3-Show Package is available at $124, a 25% discount, and may be purchased online at: www.j2spotlightnyc.com.

Upcoming productions: No Strings (February 27 – March 8, 2020) and A Class Act (March 12-22, 2020) at Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street).

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11B) A ONE NIGHT ONLY EVENT!

ABINGDON THEATRE COMPANY
ONE NIGHT ONLY SERIES
PRESENTS
“DATE OF A LIFETIME”
A NEW MUSICAL
BOOK AND LYRICS BY CARL KISSIN
MUSIC BY ROBERT BAUMGARTNER, JR.
MUSIC DIRECTION BY ISAAC HARLAN
DIRECTED BY NATHAN BREWER

FEATURING: BROADWAY’S KATIE ROSE CLARKE & NOAH WEISBERG

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17th @ 7:00PM
AT THEATER 71

(152 WEST 71st STREET, NYC)

Abingdon Theatre Company (Chad Austin, Artistic Director) will present a one night only benefit performance of “Date of a Lifetime” a new musical with book and lyrics by Carl Kissin, music by Robert Baumgartner, Jr. with musical direction by Isaac Harlan and directed by Nathan Brewer. Starring Broadway’s Katie Rose Clarke (Wicked, Light in the Piazza) and Noah Weisberg (South Pacific, Legally Blonde), the “date of a lifetime” will take place at Theater 71 (152 West 71st Street – just east of Broadway) on Monday, February 17th at 7pm.

In the pressurized few minutes of a speed date, two singles suggest to each other what they think their entire lives would be like if they allowed their brief tête-à-tête to go beyond the “switch partners” bell. Competing comical and fraught visions of the future leave them wondering if the person they have just met is the Date from Hell or the Date of a Lifetime.

Benefiting Abingdon's ongoing mission to support new works, ticket prices are: $125 “Date of a Lifetime” (includes a pre-show reception, preferred seating and post show bubbly and sweets with the company), $75 "First Date” (includes pre-show reception and preferred seating) and $45 “Blind Date” (general admission). All tickets are tax deductible. Tickets may be purchased here.

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11C) ERIC KREBS
TO PRESENT THE WORLD PREMIERE OFF BROADWAY OF
RULES OF DESIRE
A NEW PLAY
BY WILLIAM MASTROSIMONE
DIRECTED BY WILLIAM ROUDEBUSH

FEATURING:
TRISTAN BIBER, McKENNA HARRINGTON, CHRISTOPHER SUTTON

PERFORMANCES BEGIN TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2020
OPENING NIGHT IS SET FOR MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2020
PERFORMANCES CONTINUE THROUGH MARCH 21, 2020

THE PLAYROOM THEATER
(151 WEST 46th STREET – JUST EAST OF BROADWAY)

Producer Eric Krebs announced today that Rules of Desire, a new play by award-winning playwright William Mastrosimone (Extremities), will have its world premiere Off Broadway in a limited engagement next month. Performances are set to begin on Tuesday, February 11th at 7:30pm at The Playroom Theatre (151 West 46th Street – just east of Broadway). Opening Night is set for Monday, February 24th, 2020 at 7:30pm. Performances will continue through March 21, 2020.

A startling and timely play by the author of Extremities, Rules of Desire, explores issues of power, self-preservation and profound humanism in the context of a frightening, beautiful drama. Three characters battle for love, lust and survival with stealth and a surprising element of comedy.

Rules of Desire will play the following performance schedule: Monday through Saturday at 7:30pm. All tickets are $59 and may be purchased online at www.rulesofdesiretheplay.com.
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12) News from Spin Cycle NYC

Environmental Drama About Legendary Artist
Offers Special Valentine’s Day Performances 
UNMAKING TOULOUSE-LAUTREC
Friday, February 14 at Madame X

Bated Breath Theatre Company will amp up the romance at a special Valentine’s Day edition their acclaimed immersive, environmental production UNMAKING TOULOUSE-LAUTREC. Staged at Madame X (which has been called “new York’s sexiest bar”), UNMAKING TOULOUSE-LAUTREC has been selected as one of the 11 “best immersive plays and interactive theatrical experiences on Broadway and beyond” by Time Out. At both performances on Friday, February 14, audience members will be treated to chocolates, a rose, and champagne woven into the performance and patrons can take advantage of an open bar throughout. Other sweet and sexy surprises are also in store during this special edition. Tickets are $80, available at www.unmakinglautrecplay.com

UNMAKING TOULOUSE-LAUTREC invites you to discover the bohemian world of the Belle Epoque with Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec—artist, aristocrat and all-around 19th Century bad boy. Dive into the underbelly of old Paris as you drink innovative house-made cocktails, lounge in a totally immersive Parisian-style salon, and rub shoulders with the dancers, prostitutes and outcasts that inspired the most enticing, elegant and provocative art depicting the decadence and sexuality of post-impressionist France.

Through dance, imagery, vignettes, and text, the production combines modern music and language while exploring the ecstasy of creativity and the agony of the body in the sexiest art history lesson you'll ever have.

UNMAKING TOULOUSE-LAUTREC runs through March 6. Regular performances are Wednesdays at 7pm & 9pm, Friday at 6:30pm & 8pm, and Saturday at 4pm & 6pm with additional performances Thursdays, February 6 and March 5. (Please note: no performances Feb. 8.) Running time is 60 minutes. Madame X is located at 94 West Houston Street, between LaGuardia Place and Thompson Street -- accessible from the B,D,F,M trains at Broadway/Lafayette.  You must be 21+ to attend. Tickets are $46 - $50 and include one complimentary beverage. Tickets are available at www.unmakinglautrecplay.com.

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13) News from Vivacity Media Group

DONNETTA LAVINIA GRAYS’

WHERE WE STAND

A CO-WORLD PREMIERE

WITH BALTIMORE CENTER STAGE

DONNETTA LAVINIA GRAYS TO OPEN,

ROTATING PERFORMANCES WITH DAVID RYAN SMITH

BEGINNING FEBRUARY 15

DIRECTED BY TAMILLA WOODARD

JANUARY 31 – MARCH 1, 2020 AT WP THEATER

WP Theater, under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Lisa McNulty and Managing Director Michael Sag, is thrilled to announce that the world premiere of playwright and performer Donnetta Lavinia Grays’ Where We Stand, co-presented by WP Theater and Baltimore Center Stage, will star Grays [Men on Boats, In The Next Room (or The Vibrator Play)], who will alternate select performances with David Ryan Smith (One Man, Two Guvnors; Passing Strange) beginning February 15. Directed by Tamilla Woodard (Hadestown Broadway associate director), previews begin Off-Broadway on Friday, January 31 at WP Theater with an opening night of February 11, 2020. The limited engagement at WP Theater will run through March 1, 2020 before playing Baltimore Center Stage April 2-26.

In a town running low on compassion, an exile seeks forgiveness, forcing the community to decide between mercy or justice. A storyteller spins a tale of a lonely soul tempted by the devil’s kindness on a fateful trip to the crossroads. Where We Stand is an epic fable of penance filled with humor, heart, and music. 

Tickets for Where We Stand are on sale now via www.wptheater.org or by calling (212) 352-3101. The Performance schedule is as follows: Tuesday-Thursday at 7PM, Friday at 8PM, Saturday at 2 & 8PM, and Sunday at 3PM. From February 15 to March 1, Smith will perform Tuesday evenings, Saturdays at 2pm, and Sundays at 3pm. All other performances will be performed by Grays.

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And that's the scoop. Tune in tomorrow for another Talking Topic.