York Announces 2010 Mufti Season

The award-winning York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director) has announced the titles for its upcoming Musicals in Mufti Concert Series-the York's acclaimed series of musical theatre gems in staged concert performances taking place in September and October 2010. "This was not planned as a ‘theme' series; but the shows are ones that I have wanted to do for a while, and when they all fell into place, it seemed too good to pass up. Maybe audiences will discover unintentional connections," said Morgan.

‘Mufti' (pronounced MUFF' tee) means "in street clothes; without the usual trappings" and each show in the Series is presented script-in-hand, with minimal staging. To date, the York has presented over 75 Mufti concert revivals of musical theatre gems from Broadway, Off-Broadway and London, celebrating great writers from the world of musical theatre; entire Series have celebrated Joseph Stein, Richard Rodgers, Larry Grossman and George Abbott. AM New York recently declared the Musicals in Mufti Series as "increasingly essential."

Each show will play five performances: Friday at 8 PM, Saturday at 2:30 & 8 PM, and Sunday at 2:30 & 7:30 PM. Audience talkbacks will follow all matinees. Tickets are priced at $39.50. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.yorktheatre.org or call the York's Box Office at 212-935-5820.

This year's selections are as follows:

Coco
Book and Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Music by Andrè Previn
Suggested by incidents from the life of Gabrielle ("Coco") Chanel
September 10-12, 2010
The glamour and excitement of Coco Chanel's life and style take the stage in Coco. Offering an intriguing look at one of the fashion world's most celebrated icons, Coco explores a period in Chanel's life that led to her legendary 1950s comeback (long before the Devil ever wore Prada.) Katherine Hepburn famously originated the title role on Broadway in 1969.

The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd
Book, Music and Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley
October 1-3, 2010
Social norms and qualms are thrown out the window in The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd, a musical about 1960s London, where two gentlemen of different classes are always trying to get the best of each other and neither truly win. This comic musical premiered on Broadway in 1965 and includes the well-known standards "Feeling Good" and "Who Can I Turn To?"

I Remember Mama
Music by Richard Rodgers
Lyrics by Martin Charnin
Book by Thomas Meehan
Additional Lyrics by Raymond Jessel
Based on the play by John Van Druten
October 8-10, 2010
Journey back to turn-of-the-20th-century San Francisco and join the Hansen family, a tight-knit group of recent Norwegian immigrants, as they make their way through an unfamiliar time and place with a little bit of luck, some laughs and a lot of love. Inspired by Kathryn Forbes' Mama's Bank Account, I Remember Mama was Richard Rodgers' last Broadway musical.

I Love My Wife
Book and Lyrics by Michael Stewart
Music Composed and Arranged by Cy Coleman
October 22-24, 2010
I Love My Wife is a dynamic, irreverent look at relationships and marriage during the sexual revolution of the 1970s. Grappling with the rapidly shifting spirit of the time, two New Jersey couples consider merging their marriages in this hilarious hit musical from Broadway's 1977 season.

The York Theatre Company is the only theater in New York City - and one of very few in the world - dedicated to developing and fully producing new musicals and preserving neglected, notable shows from the past. Over the past two seasons, York productions have been nominated for some 23 Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, Outer Critics Circle and Drama League Awards (and its productions of Yank! A WWII Love Story and Enter Laughing, The Musical have both been announced for Broadway transfers). For over four decades, York's intimate, imaginative style of producing both original and neglected classic musicals has resulted in critical acclaim and recognition from artists and audiences alike. Under the guidance of Artistic Director James Morgan since 1997, the York has focused exclusively on new musicals in its Mainstage Series-most of them world, American, or New York premieres-by some of the field's most esteemed creators, and has also helped launch the careers of many talented new writers. Over 30 cast recordings from York Theatre Company productions are now available on CD, and commercial transfers of such York productions as The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!), Souvenir, Jolson & Company, and acclaimed revivals of Sweeney Todd and Pacific Overtures have all showcased the importance of the York and its programs.