York Theatre to Continue 'Musicals in Mufti' Series with DRAGONS, 1/31

The York Theatre Company continues the Winter 2014 Musicals in Mufti Series Celebrating Sheldon Harnick with Dragons with Book, Lyrics and Music by Sheldon Harnick.

Directed by Maggie Harrer, and with Music Direction by Beth Ertz, the cast will feature David Buskin, Ed Dixon, Danny Gardner, Katherine Henly, Mary Page Nance, Camille Palmisano, Laura O. Pfortmiller, Alan Schmuckler, Gordon Stanley, Marcus Stevens, Olga Talyn, Stephanie Umoh, Bray Wilkins, and William Youmans.

The limited engagement will play 5 performances January 31 - February 2, 2014 at The York Theatre Company at Saint Peter's (Entrance on East 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue).

Dragons features book, lyrics and music by Sheldon Harnick and is based on Yevgeny Schwartz's play, The Dragon. After suffering through the siege of Leningrad in WWII, Schwartz felt that the Russian people deserved something better than life under the tyrant Stalin. He couldn't very well write a play about that and hope to have it produced in Soviet Russia, so he wrote a charming fantasy about a knight who rescues a damsel in distress from a dragon and what happens thereafter. Harnick's musical adaption preserves the charm, humor and romance of Schwartz's play while making the tale applicable to life under any form of government (including ours).

The performance schedule for Dragons is Friday, January 31 at 8:00 p.m., Saturday, February 1 at *2:30 p.m. & 8:00 p.m., and Sunday, February 2 at *2:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. (*audience discussions follow the matinee performances).

Tickets are priced at $45.00 ($31.50 for York Members) and are available online at www.yorktheatre.org, by calling (212) 935-5820, or in person at the box office at the York Theatre Company at Saint Peter's (Entrance on East 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue), Monday through Friday (12-6 PM). A special "Musical in Mufti" Three Show Package is also available for a discounted price of $108.

The York Theatre Company's acclaimed Musicals in Mufti series of musical theatre gems, in a simply-staged, book-in-hand concert format, has presented over 90 shows from the past in its eighteen-year history. Mufti means: "in street clothes, without the trappings associated with a full production."

The Winter 2014 Musicals in Mufti Series will continue with Dragon (January 31-February 2), Malpractice Makes Perfect (February 14-16)), Smiling, The Boy Fell Dead (February 21-23) and Tenderloin (March 7-9) at The York Theatre Company at its home in Saint Peter's (Entrance on East 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue).

The 2013-2014 season York Theatre season concludes with the world premiere of a new musical, Inventing Mary Martin, conceived, written and directed by Stephen Cole, with music arrangement by David Krane and choreography by Bob Richard. Performances are set to begin Tuesday, April 15 for a limited engagement through Sunday, May 18 at York Theatre Company at Saint Peter's. Casting will be announced shortly.

For additional information, visit www.yorktheatre.org.

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. 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 Producing 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 35 cast recordings from The York Theatre Company productions are now available on CD, and commercial transfers of such York premieres as The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!), Souvenir, Jolson & Company, and its acclaimed revivals of Closer Than Ever (2013 Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best Revival), Sweeney Todd and Pacific Overtures have all showcased the importance of the York and its programs.