Joy Behar Brings ME, MY MOUTH & I Reading to Cherry Lane's 'Tongues' Series Today

Cherry Lane Theatre's TONGUES: a reading series presents "Me, My Mouth & I", written and performed by Joy Behar today, September 23 at 2pm at Cherry Lane Theatre, 38 Commerce Street, NYC.

Comedian Joy Behar makes her Cherry Lane debut with two readings of her one-woman show Me, My Mouth & I. With more than 30 years on stage and screen, Behar's one-woman show takes us on a journey from her rollicking childhood in Brooklyn to center stage as one of America's premiere Talk Show Hosts & Comedians. Behar commented, "It's a good time ot take stock of my shenanigans."

TONGUES readings are free and open to the public. Reservations are required: company@cherrylanetheatre.org. For more information, visit cherrylanetheatre.org.

In 1998, Cherry Lane Alternative launched its reading series of new American plays and has since hosted more than 200 readings, inviting our community of playwrights as well as guest companies and artists to participate. Emerging, mid-career and award-winning writers have heard their words interpreted by a number of New York's top actors, including F. Murray Abraham, Mary Alice, Matthew Arkin, Bob Balaban, Kathleen Chalfant, Jill Clayburgh, Chris Cooper, John Cullum, Matt Dillon, Lisa Emery, Boyd Gaines, Micki Grant, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Ethan Hawke, Judith Ivey, Jessica Hecht, Kim Hunter, Carol Kane, Anthony LaPaglia, Dan Lauria, Mark Linn-Baker, Joe Mantello, Elizabeth Marvel, Ellen McLaughlin, Estelle Parsons, Austin Pendleton, Marianne Plunkett, Lily Rabe, Peter Riegert, Julia Roberts, Roger Robinson, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Mercedes Ruehl, Jay O. Sanders, Lois Smith, Frances Sternhagen, Will Swenson, Jesse Eisenberg, and David Zayas. In 2003, the reading series was officially named TONGUES in honor of the late Joseph Chaikin who directed our Heritage Series revival of Happy Days by Samuel Beckett. which had received its world premier at Cherry Lane in 1961.

Joy Behar is the recent co-host of The View, recipient of the 2003 Daytime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Talk Show," and the original forum where real women discuss relevant, everyday issues and share their daily, no-holds-barred opinions and lively, colorful conversations. The View has received 16 Daytime Emmy Awards and has been nominated each year for "Outstanding Talk Show" and for Ms. Behar and her co-hosts as "Outstanding Talk Show Host." Armed with an M.A. in English education from S.U.N.Y. at Stony Brook, Ms. Behar originally began a career in teaching. She then set out to pursue comedy professionally and immediately received bookings from such famous New York clubs as Caroline's and Catch a Rising Star. Ms. Behar went on to win three MAC awards and a CableACE Award. On television she starred in her own HBO special and was a regular on the series Baby Boom. Other appearances include the voice of a hilariously neurotic patient on Dr. Katz, which won the CableACE Award, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Live with Regis and Kelly, The Late Show With David Letterman and last summer Ms. Behar was one of the "kinder" judges on the Jay Mohr reality series Last Comic Standing. Ms. Behar has hosted a popular call-in radio show on WABC and has appeared in films such as Cookie, This is My Life, and Manhattan Murder Mystery. In theater she had a successful run in the off-Broadway hit The Food Chain, where she earned rave reviews in the starring role, and also in the critically-acclaimed play The Vagina Monologues. Still a frequent comedy headiner, she was chosen by TV Guide as "Personality of the Year" (1991), and is also the recipient of the Safe Horizon Champion Award, the Gracie Allen Tribute Award from the Foundation of American Women in Radio and Television, and the New York City Public Advocate's Special Advocate Award for her outstanding friendship to the Gay community. She has a monthly column "Talk to Me" in Good Housekeeping, and has hosted Love, Hate & Joy for ABC Family. Her first book, Joy Shtick: or What Is the Existential Vacuum and Does It Come with Attachments, was published by Hyperion. Ms. Behar is heavily involved with numerous philanthropic organizations and is a frequent contributor to several charitable organizations.