'Two-mur Humor' to Premiere at FringeNYC in August

Two-mur Humor: He's Malignant; She's Benign will premiere at The New York International Fringe Festival - Fringe NYC as a production of The Present Company, running from August 10th- August 26th.

Written by Valerie David and Jim Tooey, the production will be directed by Charles Messina, and will star Jim Tooey, Kelly Chippendale, and Valerie David.       

Two-mur Humor: He's Malignant; She's Benign is "a two-actor, multi-character comedic drama loosely based on the true stories of Valerie David's diagnosis of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and Jim Tooey's pituitary brain tumor. The play follows their personal struggles on the road to recovery as well as their crazy and hilarious experiences.  Their life affirming stories are told through the eyes of two characters, Paul and Lisa.  We follow their amazing journey through wacky hospital roommates, health insurance debacles, and experiences with family and friends," state press notes.  

Messina's work as a director includes the critically acclaimed Off-Broadway plays, Cirque Jacqueline, about the life of Jackie Kennedy Onasis, and Mercury: The Afterlife and Times of a Rock God, about Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, which he also wrote. Messina is currently directing Be My Love, a big-budget musical about the life of tenor Mario Lanza, produced by Phil Ramone and Sonny Grosso. On the big screen, Messina has written They're Just My Friends which was released in  Fall 2006.  He has also written Spy, starring Vincent Pastore, Frank Vincent, and Ben Curtis. Later this year, Messina will be directing Tony Danza and Vincent Pastore in the feature film Payback's A Bitch.   

In addition to the play, a non-profit organization, the Tumor Humor Fund, was established by Jim Tooey, Valarie David, and co-founding members and fellow actors, Kelly Chippendale and Yvonne Sayers. The mission of Tumor Humor is to help children and their families affected by cancer relieve the debt associated with medical bills.  "Through our play and organization," stated Jim and Valerie, " the goal is to inspire and give hope to patients, as well as their families and friends. Cancer and any life-threatening illness is not a death sentence. One can survive and still thrive." 

A production venue will be announced.

For tickets, visit www.FringeNYC.org or call in New York: 212-279-4488, or Outside New York: 1-888-FringeNYC.  Visit www.tumorhumor.org for more on the Tumor Humor Fund.