Medicine Show Theatre Ensemble Opens TOM THUMB Today

Medicine Show Theatre Ensemble, one of New York's longest-running experimental theatres, will stage Henry Fielding's 1730 classic Tom Thumb, which is officially known as The Tragedy of Tragedies; or the Life and Death of Tom Thumb the Great. The production opens today, June 7, 2013 and closes Sunday, June 30, 2013. Performances are scheduled for Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays at 8 p.m. There are no performances on Saturdays. The theatre is located at 549 W. 52nd Street, 3rd Floor, near 11th Ave., New York, NY 10019, subway C/E 50th St.

Medicine Show artistic director Obie-award winner Barbara Vann will appear in and directs. Cast members include Jarrod Bates as Tom Thumb, Barbara Vann and Beth Griffith alternating as Queen Dollalolla, Oliver Conant as King Arthur, David Elyha as Merlin, Perri Yaniv as Lord Grizzle the Rebel, Meaghan Bloom Fluitt as Glumdalca the Giant Princess, Eva Nicole as Princess Huncamunca, and as courtiers, ghosts, soldiers and others: Zoe Anastassiou, Tatiana Baros, Richard Gross, Richard Keyser, and Marissa Maislen.

Do not let Tragedy of Tragedies fool you. The play is a wondrous tale filled with great laughs, a parody of the epic tragedies that were popular in 18th century London. According to legend, the play made Gulliver's Travels author and satirist Jonathan Swift laugh out loud for only the second time in his life. Fielding is better known for his later novels Tom Jones and Amelia. His source material for the play was 1621'sThe History of Tom Thumbe, the first English fairy tale to be printed, but the legends are even older, going back to the tales of King Arthur. Tom was said to be a favorite of Arthur's, small in stature but fierce in battle. The play mostly focuses on a series of love triangles, as a tiny Tom conquers giants and becomes the object of desire for many of the ladies at court.

Medicine Show's current season is garnering great reviews. CurtainUp's Elizabeth Ahlfors called Fifty Million Frenchmen "non-stop frivolity" while The Wall Street Journal's Will Friedwald tweeted that the production was a"spirited gem." Time Out listed the classic musical comedy The Beggars' Opera as a "gay old time," a reference to the laughs and author John Gay.

Tickets are $18.00 for general admission, $15.00 for seniors and students. Tickets are available from Smarttix at www.Smarttix.com or (212) 868-4444. Group rates are available by calling the theater directly at (212) 262-4216. For more information, log onto the company's website at www.MedicineShowTheatre.org