Algonquin Theater Announces Two NATIONAL PASTIME Readings 12/7, 12/10

Algonquin Theater Productions, producers of Sessions, An Evening at The Carlyle and The Devil and Billy Markham will be having an industry only reading of their proposed new musical National Pastime, scheduled to open in 2010. The dates are December 7th and 10th at the Algonquin Theater on East 24th Street, both at 3pm.

National Pastime is the fable of a 1933 small town radio station so desperate for ratings that they create a fictional baseball team who can't lose and broadcast their games over the air. Their plan is wildly successful until Life Magazine accidentally shows up and threatens to expose the whole scam. The comedy, written by Tony Sportiello, has played several times at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Now a musical with songs by Al Tapper, it's slated to open an Off Broadway production sometime in 2010.

Starring in the reading are Algonquin veterans Jodie Langel (Les Miserables, Sessions) and Michael McGuirk ("As The World Turns", An Evening at The Carlyle). Joining them are Ashley Betton, William Broderick, Jr., Ethan Cadoff, Scott Richard Foster, Kelli Maguire, Bob Manus and Jeremiah Zinger. Tom Herman directs the reading, David Wolfson is the musical director.

Sessions, featuring Robert Newman and Rachelle Rak, has played over 350 performances at the Algonquin Theater and recently surpassed Bat Boy and Closer Than Ever on the list of Longest Running Off Broadway musicals. An Evening at The Carlyle has been running since June and was labeled 'The Surprise Off Broadway Hit of the Summer" by UPI. Both musicals were written by Al Tapper.

For more information, please contact Tony Sportiello at algonquinprod@aol.com or log on to the website at www.algonquintheater.org.

Photo credit: Linda Lenzi