2014 BroadwayWorld NY Cabaret Award Winner JOE ICONIS To Be Celebrity Judge for TUNE IN TIME at York Theatre, 3/9

"The notion of the show sounds fun," says Iconis, who knows all about putting on "fun" shows through his Joe Iconis & Family concerts at 54 Below and the Laurie Beechman Theatre. "I like the idea of pitting songwriters against each other in a fight to the death. I don't think that Tune In Time goes that far, but it's a step in the right direction. There is incredible songwriting talent here in New York and it's very inspiring to be part of a community that is as active and vocal as the songwriting community is in New York. It feels like a scene. I'm as inspired by the writers I love as I am by the ones I hate. That mixture of jealousy, admiration, and disgust motivates me hugely."

In this "Musical Theater Olympics," three teams of composers and lyricists who have never worked together are forced to collaborate--and to beat the clock! Their task? They must write a song from a new Broadway musical, the title of which is picked from a hatful of audience suggestions--in the style determined by a spin of the dreaded "Genre Wheel"--all within 20 minutes. Tune in Time is an evening of edge-of-your-seat suspense, brain-frying bravery, and Broadway trivia. Each edition of Tune in Time features a different roster of musical theater composers and lyricists as well as a panel of celebrity judges.

Songwriters confirmed for March 9th are Will Aronson (My Scary Girl), Brett Boles (Foreverman), Sara Cooper (The Memory Show), Zach Redler (Loving Leo), and Micah Young (The Story of Bea and Ben).

Besides Joe Iconis, the panel of illustrious celebrity judges are Kent Nicholson (Director of Musical Theater, Playwrights Horizons) and Mara Wilson (Welcome to Night Vale; Mrs. Doubtfire; Matilda).

Songwriting winners from February were Kellen Blair (lyricist) and Dave Christensen, (composer) who wrote "The High Octane Chola" from the fictional 50s/60s throwback musical of the same name.

Previous songwriting winners have included David Sisco and Kate Anderson who were paired together and awarded for their stunning duet from the mock operetta, The Moist Aardvark; Dan McKenzie and Ben Wexler who were paired together to write a love duet from the Disney-style musical, The Sticky Snake; Erik Jareth Ransom (two-time champ) and Clay Zambo for their song from the imagined historical epic, The Hairy Ebola; and Avi Amon and Robbie Torres for their original song written for the faux Disney musical, The Lovely Piano.

"A triumph! A rollicking celebration of words and music that skips briskly along the path that wends from the hilarious to the sublime." - Big Yellow Taxi

"Head down to Tune in Time. It is a joyous, hilarious romp that has the added benefit of being an exceptional night of creative genius." - Stage Buddy

General Admission tickets for Tune in Time are priced at $20 and can be purchased online at www.yorktheatre.com, or by visiting the York Theatre Company Box Office (Citicorp Building, entrance on East 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue), or by calling the Box Office at (212) 935-5820 during regular business hours (Monday through Friday, 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.).

For additional information, please visit the website at www.yorktheatre.org.