Cast of RUTHLESS! to Perform at Broadway in Bryant Park This Week

RUTHLESS! The Musical will appear at "Broadway in Bryant Park" this Thursday, August 6th at 12:30 PM on the Lawn. Author/director Joel Paley and composer Marvin Laird are scheduled to appear with cast members Kim Maresca, Tori Murray and Rita McKenzie, along with performers from Broadway's A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE & MURDER, SOMETHING ROTTEN, ALLEGIANCE, and SYLVIA. The event is being presented by 106.7 Lite FM and will be hosted by radio personality Rick Kaminski and the cast of AVENUE Q.

RUTHLESS! opened Off-Broadway July 13th to unanimous rave reviews led by Entertainment Weekly which called the show, "Uproarious! A mash-up of THE BAD SEED, GYPSY, ALL ABOUT EVE, plus the films of Douglas Sirk and John Waters!" Book and lyrics are by Joel Paley with music by Marvin Laird. Joel Paley also directed the original production of RUTHLESS! as well as productions in L.A., South Beach and the record-breaking concert event starring Bernadette Peters. He once again serves as director of the new production, with Marvin Laird on board as music supervisor as well.

When THE BAD SEED meets GYPSY, it's fun for the whole dysfunctional family! Tina Denmark is a pretty, charming and diabolical eight-year-old who "was born to entertain." With the encouragement of slick and overbearing potential agent Sylvia St. Croix, Tina will do anything to play the lead in her school play. The question is, where does such remarkable talent and unstoppable ambition come from? The answer is shocking in this award-winning Stage Mother of all musicals.

RUTHLESS! first appeared Off-Broadway 23 years ago at the Players Theatre, winning both the Drama Desk Award for Best Lyrics and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical. Most notably, the production featured a few young girls in the role of Tina including Britney Spears, Natalie Portman and Laura Bell Bundy. The show continues to be a favorite among regional theaters and productions are continually being staged around the globe.

But make no mistake - this is not your mother's RUTHLESS! This is no mere revival, but a newly imagined meditation on narcissism, talented tykes and stage mothers in a world that has since been introduced to such gems as "Toddlers & Tiaras" and 'Honey Boo Boo.'

Featured in the cast of RUTHLESS! are Kim Maresca (Westport's TWELFTH NIGHT), Paul Pecorino (DEVIL BOYS FROM BEYOND, THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW), Rita McKenzie (ETHEL MERMAN'S BROADWAY, RUTHLESS! L.A.), Andrea McCullough (URINETOWN, GREASE), Tracy Jai Edwards (HAIRSPRAY, LEGALLY BLONDE), and introducing Tori Murray (Paper Mill's NEW VOICES OF 2014: OH, WHAT A NIGHT!)

Author/lyricist/director Joel Paley was an original member of the notorious Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, dancing as Bertha Vinayshinski. This gig led him to Laird who was musical directing a Shirley MacLaine TV special featuring the "Trocks," prior to their sold-out Broadway engagement at the Palace Theatre.

Composer Marvin Laird has written dance and vocal arrangements for over two dozen Broadway and West End shows, including the award-winning production of ANNIE GET YOUR GUN and the 2003 Broadway revival of GYPSY, both starring Bernadette Peters. He has been Ms. Peters' personal music director for more than 40 years.

RUTHLESS! is produced Off-Broadway by Maxine Paul, Evan Sacks and Ken Schur. The playing schedule is Mondays at 8 PM, Thursdays at 7 PM, Fridays at 8 PM, and Saturdays at 1:30 PM. Tickets are available through www.RuthlessTheMusical.com or by calling 212-239-6200.