The Fantasticks To Sing National Anthem At The Mets Game 4/10

The cast of The Fantasticks, the world's longest-running musical, will sing the national anthem at the Saturday, April 10, 2010 Mets game at Citi Field in Flushing, New York. The performance, which is in recognition of the show's 50th anniversary Off Broadway, is part of Jack Lang Day, named in honor of the belovEd Hall of Fame sportswriter who covered the Mets for twenty-five years and who died in 2007.

All eleven members of The Fantasticks company are scheduled to sing the anthem at 12:57 PM. The game will be broadcast live on Fox 5.

Ticket proceeds for the 1:10 PM game against the Washington Nationals will benefit The Epilepsy Foundation of Long Island in order to raise funds for and awareness of the disorder which affects Jack Lang's grandson and over 40 million people worldwide. The Lang family will be on hand as the Mets celebrate Jack in a pre-game ceremony and video tribute.

To purchase tickets, which range from $25 - $125, call (516) 739-7733 ext. 140 or e-mail giving@epil.org. Those purchasing the $125 tickets are invited to a pre-game party in a private luxury suite that will feature a visit by Mets legends and Mr. Met, a buffet luncheon and silent auction of baseball memorabilia and Off Broadway tickets.

The Off Broadway silent auction has been facilitated by The Off Broadway Alliance, the organization of Off Broadway producers, general managers, venue owners, press agents and marketing firms.

About Jack Lang

Lang began his career in 1946 with the Long Island Press, a Newshouse publication based in Jamaica, Queens. The Brooklyn native served 38 months in the U.S. Army during World War II, covered the Brooklyn Dodgers until 1958 where he then covered the New York Yankees for four seasons after the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles. He was hired by the New York Daily News to cover the expansion Mets until his retirement in 1988. He also served as a New York Chapter Baseball Writers Association of America Secretary-Treasurer and oversaw the annual Baseball Writers Dinner from 1963-1996. In his 33 year tenure, Lang notified 44 players of their election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He also conducted the elections of the BBWAA's annual awards: Most Valuable Player, Cy Young Award, Rookie of the Year and Manager of the Year.

About the Epilepsy Foundation of Long Island

The Epilepsy Foundation is committed to providing education, counseling and residential care to Long Island residents with epilepsy and related conditions. More than 35,000 children, teens and adults on Long Island face the challenges of epilepsy each and every day. The organization works to ensure that people with seizures are able to participate in all life experiences. Through education and advocacy, the Foundation strives to improve how people with epilepsy are perceived, accepted and valued in society.

About The Off Broadway Alliance

The Off Broadway Alliance is an organization of Off Broadway producers, general managers, venue owners, press agents and marketing firms who meet to promote and support Off Broadway theater, encourage and assist new producers, plan for the future of the industry, share ideas and network. Membership is open to everyone in the Off Broadway theater community.

The Alliance created and administers 20 at 20, the biannual event where you can purchase $20 tickets to participating Off Broadway shows 20 minutes prior to curtain; The Seminar Series, featuring panel discussions with acclaimed Off Broadway figures focusing on the culture, business and history of Off Broadway; and Legacy: The Musicals of Off Broadway, featuring concert presentations of landmark Off Broadway musicals. This past June, The Alliance released the first ever Off Broadway Economic Impact Report, which detailed Off Broadway's $461 million impact on the City of New York during the 2008 theater season.

About The Fantasticks

The Fantasticks (music by Harvey Schmidt, book/lyrics/direction by Tom Jones) is a captivating and simple romantic comedy about a boy and girl who fall in and out of love at the hands of their meddling fathers. The audience uses its imagination to follow the narrator, El Gallo, as he creates a world of moonlight and magic until the boy and girl find their way back to one other. The score, which includes the hit songs "Try To Remember," "They Were You" and "Soon It's Gonna Rain," is as timeless as the story itself.

Having played a record-breaking 17,162 performances in its original run at the Sullivan Street Playhouse in Greenwich Village, The Fantasticks is now playing in the heart of Times Square at The Snapple Theater Center.

The Fantasticks company includes Edward Watts (Broadway's Finian's Rainbow), Erik Altemus (Musical Theater Guild of Los Angele's Parade), MacIntyre Dixon (Broadway's Gypsy, 1776, A Funny Thing...Forum, Beauty and The Beast), Tom Flagg (Broadway's Will Rogers Follies, How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Oklahoma), Gene Jones (Broadway's Big River, Joe Turner's Come and Gone; No Country for Old Men), Matt Leisy (St. Louis Rep's The History Boys), Michael Nostrand (A&E's Emmy Award-winning Peter Pan, national tours of Jelly's Last Jam, The Mystery of Edwin Drood), Evy Ortiz, Steve Routman (The Keen Company's The Conscientious Objector, Awake and Sing! at Arena Stage), Kimberly Whalen (West Side Story, Carousel at Lyric Stage) and Scott Willis (Broadway's Crazy for You, 42nd Street).

The Fantasticks plays at The Snapple Theater Center's Jerry Orbach Theater, 210 West 50th Street at Broadway. The performance schedule is as follows: Mondays at 8PM, Tuesdays at 8PM, Wednesdays at 2PM, Fridays at 8PM, Saturdays at 2PM & 8PM, and Sundays at 3PM & 7:15PM.

Tickets for The Fantasticks are available by calling the box office at (212) 921-7862 or Ticketmaster.com at (212) 307-4100.

www.FantasticksOnStage.com

 

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