LoveMusik, with Cerveris and Murphy, to Open May '07

The world premiere of LoveMusik, a new musical featuring the songs of Kurt Weill, presented by Manhattan Theatre Club, will star Tony Award-winners Michael Cerveris and Donna Murphy.

Opening night is set for Thursday, May 3, 2007 at the Biltmore Theatre (261 West 47th Street).  Previews begin Thursday, April 12.  

The show will feature a book by Pulitzer and Tony Award-winner Alfred Uhry, and direction by Tony Award-winner Harold Prince. 

The production will also star David Pittu (The Coast of Utopia: Voyage, Never Gonna Dance) as Bertolt Brecht and John Scherer (By Jeeves, Sunset Boulevard) as George Davis.   The creative team and additional casting will be announced at a later date.

The musical is suggested by Speak Low (When You Speak Love), The Letters of Kurt Weill and Lotte Lenya, edited and translated by Lys Symonette and Kim H. Kowalke. 

"LoveMusik follows the lives of the unlikeliest of lovers – the brilliant, intellectual German composer Kurt Weill (Michael Cerveris) and a lusty girl from the streets of Vienna who became his muse and star, Lotte Lenya (Donna Murphy).  LoveMusik is an epic romance, set in Berlin, Paris, Broadway and Hollywood, spanning 25 years in the lives of this complicated couple.  Featuring a full range of Weill's songs and a book by Alfred Uhry (the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Driving Miss Daisy and Parade), LoveMusik will be directed by Harold Prince, the 21-time Tony Award winner, who has staged such musicals as The Phantom of the Opera, Evita and Sweeney Todd," as press notes state.

Cerveris won a 2004 Tony Award for his performance in Assassins, and has also been nominated for his performances in Sweeney Todd and The Who's Tommy.  His other New York credits include Titanic, Wintertime, The Fifth of July and Hedwig and the Angry Inch.  Regional credits include A Little Night Music, Passion and the Ravinia concerts of Anyone Can Whistle and Sunday in the Park with George.

Murphy won Tony Awards for her performances in The King and I  and Passion, and was nominated for her performance in Wonderful Town.  She has also been seen on Broadway in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, The Human Comedy and They're Playing Our Song, as well as in such films as Spider-Man 2 and World Trade Center.

Subscriptions to MTC can be obtained by calling (212) 399-3030, Monday - Friday, noon - 8 PM with a major credit card. Subscriptions are also available online at www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com.