Photo Flash: The Diva-Lution of Molly Pope

On the heels of a sold-out premiere at Joe's Pub, Molly Pope brings The Diva-lution of Molly Pop, directed and produced by Ben Rimalower (Leslie Kritzer is Patti LuPone at Les Mouches) and featuring a band led by Sonny Paladino (White Noise), to the Laurie Beechman Theatre, downstairs at the West Bank Café (42nd Street, just West of 9th Ave) for three performances, Wednesday, November 19th, Monday, December 8th and Monday, December 15th, all at 9:30 PM. Hailed for her powerful vocals and dynamic dramatic intensity, Molly 's performances of such songs as Dietz & Schwartz' "By Myself," Weill & Anderson's "It Never Was You" and even The Cardigans' "Love Fool" provoked widespread comparison to a young Barbra Streisand .

MOLLY POPE grew up in Pittsburg and studied at NYU's Stella Adler Studio, Experimental Theatre Wing, and Viewpoints Studio, graduating with an honors BFA in Drama. New York stage roles include the Young Woman in Machinal, Martha in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Portia in The Merchant of Venice, Desiree in A Little Night Music, and Maria in Twelfth Night: The Drinking Game. In regional theater she has played Jackie in Murder on the Nile, multiple roles in the regional premiere of Almost, Maine (both with Cortland Repertory Theater), and Roz in Moon Over Buffalo (Cider Mill Playhouse). On camera work includes Secrets of the Mystic Oracle (Evil City Film Festival), the webseries Four if by Space (http://4ifbyspace.net/), a Papa John's Pizza commercial, Sundance Channel promotional, and Bristol-Myers Squibb industrial. In the fall of 2007 Molly hurled herself into the New York cabaret scene with her critically acclaimed debut show, The Diva-lution of Molly Pope, at Don't Tell Mama. She has also appeared as a guest star in the MAC award-winning cabaret show Matt Sigl: Unstuck in Time and has been a performer and judge for Overnight Sensation with the Native Aliens Theatre Collective. She is a member of Dreamscape Theater and The Dorothy Parker Society. www.mollypope.com

Ben Rimalower directed The Fabulous Life of a Size Zero (DR2 Theatre), Joy (Actors' Playhouse, Out Magazine's "Top Ten Theatre 2005" & HX Award nomination), Snoopy! (starring Sutton Foster ), And/or ( Dixon Place ) and Sodom the Musical (Kraine Theatre) as well as staged readings for Second Stage, The York and Ensemble Studio Theatre. He conceived and directed Leslie Kritzer is Patti LuPone at Les Mouches (Special Time Out New York Award) in addition to a slew of solo shows including Lindsey Alley's Look Ma, No Ears, Our Lady J and the Pink Champagne Orchestra at the Zipper Factory, Wendy Ho's The Gospel According to Ho, Scott Nevins' Celebutant (MAC nomination), John Hill's Skinny Corpse, Kate Pazakis' The Sexless Years (MAC nomination), Lance Horne's How Love Goes, and multiple incarnations of Natalie Joy Johnson. Assistant Director credits include Lonny Price 's productions of A Class Act (Manhattan Theatre Club, Broadway and Tokyo ) and A Little Night Music (starring Patti LuPone , George Hearn and Zoe Caldwell ) as well as the Emmy-winning Sweeney Todd. Ben studied Dramatic Art at U.C. Berkeley where he was the founding Artistic Director of BareStage (now celebrating its 13th anniversary.)

Sonny Paladino: Music Supervisor for Disney's High School Musical (Milan/Italy tour.) Broadway (piano/keyboard): Grease, Mama Mia. 1st National Tours: Disney's High School Musical and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Musical director/vocal arranger/orchestrator for Jammin'for Godot (The Culture Project), Stuck in the Zipper, White Noise, and Mandragola (York Theatre). Off B'way : Naked Boys Singing and The Open Gate. Accompanist for singer Jane Monheit . As a composer: The Return of the Blue Cat (with poet F.D. Reeve, OtherPress-publisher). Currently, Sonny is writing music for Matthew Morrison 's debut album and musically directing the new musical Street Lights. B.F.A. in Jazz Piano from CUNY City College . www.sonnypaladino.com

RESERVATIONS: (212) 695-6909 or e-mail beechmantheatre@aol.com
$20 + $15 food-drink minimum
The Laurie Beechman Theatre is located downstairs at the West Bank Café, 42nd Street, just West of 9th Ave.
www.mollypope.com

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