MEL & EL: SHOW AND TELL Comes To Ars Nova, Previews 5/6

Ars Nova (Jason Eagan, Artistic Director; Jon Steingart and Jenny Wiener Steingart, Executive Producers) presents the World Premiere of MEL & EL: SHOW AND TELL. This new comedy with original music, best described as a musical Laverne & Shirley-meets-Sex and the City, is written and performed by Melanie Adelman and Ellie Dvorkin, with music by Patrick Spencer Bodd, and developed with and directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel. Previews begin May 6 at Ars Nova, with an official press opening on May 15.

Mel & El are real life best friends who have been inseparable since meeting in advanced jazz class in seventh grade. In MEL & EL: SHOW AND TELL, the riotously funny duo employs sharp wit, infectious songwriting and unparalleled stage chemistry to escape meddling mothers, wedding mania, ticking biological clocks and much more. Join the eighties fab / nineties glitz / aughts pop pair as they uncover and untangle their true selves.

MEL & EL: SHOW AND TELL features musical direction by Jasper Grant, choreography by Wendy Seyb, and a design team that includes Tim Mackabee (set design), Bobby Tilley (costume design), and Walter Trarbach (sound design).

MEL & EL are Melanie Adelman and Ellie Dvorkin - real life best friends who have known each other since they were 12 years old. The widely acclaimed act has quickly become an award-winning NYC cult phenomenon, having recently concluded a year-long, critically acclaimed run of MEL & EL: THIS SHOW RHYMES at The Duplex - which was developed in conjunction with Cannery Works. Past appearances include NYMF, The Hysterical Festival, Nice Jewish Girls Gone Bad, On the Rocks with Danny Leary, The Big Gay Variety Show, Dykes on Mics, Homo Comicus, Hedda Lettuce's TossEd Salad and here! TV's Busted. and at popular venues around New York including The Box, The Zipper, Gotham Comedy Club, The Stonewall, Therapy, The PIT and Comix.

Melanie Adelman has appeared in Martin Charnin's The Next-to-the-Last Revue as well as his national tours of Strike Up the Band & Annie (starring Marcia Lewis), We Won't Pay! We Won't Pay! (Kitchen Theatre Co.) and appearances with The WorkShop Theatre Co., Jewish Theatre of NY, Atlanta Theatre of the Stars, and Helen Hayes Theatre Co. Melanie is featured in the indie films "A Double Whammy" (PBS), "Only Life" (Cannes) and "World's End" (SciFi Channel). As a writer/lyricist, Melanie has had her work featured all over the US and Canada with the critically acclaimed performance group The Bubblz. Melanie is a graduate of Ithaca College. She is most proud of her brief appearance in the Cher video "Song for the Lonely."

Ellie Dvorkin's first professional gig was performing with Kenny Rogers in Christmas from the Heart at the Beacon Theatre. Since then, she has toured nationally with Tony n' Tina's Wedding, worked at the McCarter Theatre, appeared in left-wing political musicals Burning Bush: A Faith-Based Musical and Moral Value Meal, and acted with a number of New York-based companies including The Vortex and The Gallery Players. She has had featured roles on "Law & Order", "The Education of Max Bickford" with Richard Dreyfuss and Marcia Gay Harden, and "Deadline" with Oliver Platt. As a writer, Ellie freelances for the New York Hall of Science museum to create puppet shows and musicals that are both educational and entertaining.

Moritz von Stuelpnagel's New York directing credits include The Most Lamentable & Tragical Historie of the Barber-Surgeons and friendly fire (Studio-42); Susan Gets Some Play, Gamelegs, and Melo-Llama: A Melodrama (FringeNYC); The Roosevelt Cousins Thoroughly Sauced (Ensemble Studio Theatre -- winner of the Samuel French Festival); Stars in her Eyes (Ars Nova and Brick Theater); Burning Down to Heaven (Culture Project); and La Dispute (45th St. Theatre). Regionally, he has directed productions for Williamstown Theatre Festival, Kennedy Center, American Stage Festival and Boston Playwrights Theatre. Moritz was the associate director for Broadway's Cry-Baby, the musical. He has been a Resident Director at Playwrights Horizons, The Acting Company and the Huntington Theatre Company.

As New York's premiere hub for emerging artists and new work, Ars Nova is committed to developing and producing eclectic theatre, comedy and music to feed today's popular culture. To that end, Ars Nova strives to create daring collaborations, meld disciplines and give voice to a new generation of artists. Last season, Ars Nova developed and produced critically acclaimed productions of Peter Sinn Nachtrieb's Boom, Liz Flahive's From Up Here (in a co-production with Manhattan Theatre Club), and Nick Jones and Raja Azar's Jollyship the Whiz-Bang. Past productions include Dixie's Tupperware Party, At Least It's Pink, 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother, Holy Cross Sucks!, Freestyle Love Supreme and The Wau Wau Sisters. In addition to its featured productions, Ars Nova supports and develops new work from the most promising emerging artists through its alternative comedy series (Tragedy Tomorrow), music series (Uncharted), public play-reading series (Out Loud), developmental residency program (Residency Encores) writer's group (Play Group) and artist-in-residence program. Ars Nova was founded in memory of Gabe Wiener.

MEL & EL: SHOW AND TELL runs May 6 -9, 12-16, 19-22, & 27-30 at 8PM. Ars Nova is located at 511 West 54th Street (just west of 10th Ave. -- accessible from C, E, to 50th Street, N, R, Q, W to 57th Street, or 1, 9 to Columbus Circle). All Tickets are $25. For tix and info visit www.arsnovanyc.com, call 212-352-3101, or visit the Ars Nova box office starting 30 minutes prior to each show.

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