Jordan Gelber and Jennifer Cody Star in Hangar Theatre's LAST OF THE RED HOT LOVERS, Beg. Tonight

Hangar Theatre kicks off its 2013 season tonight, June 13th with Neil Simon's irresistible comedy Last of the Red Hot Lovers, which runs through June 29.

Featuring a stellar cast including three Broadway favorites, this seminal work will be directed by Hangar Associate Artistic Director Jesse Bush. Last of the Red Hot Lovers had its original Broadway run from 1969-1971 and received four Tony nominations, including for Best Play. The Hangar production features the talents of Jordan Gelber (Broadway's Avenue Q, All My Sons, Elf) as Barney Cashman, Jennifer Cody (Shrek, Urinetown) as Elaine Navazio, Leenya Rideout (Company, War Horse, Cabaret) as JeAnnette Fisher, and Natalie Walker as Bobbi Michele.

Last of the Red Hot Lovers follows the story of Barney Cashman, a seafood restaurateur who is deep in the throes of a mounting midlife crisis. It's 1969 and the sexual revolution is passing him by with alarming speed. But Barney is determined to catch up to the times, so he borrows his mother's empty apartment for a series of afternoon encounters. In three hilarious scenes, we witness Barney's attempts to discover his inner Don Juan with the help of an unlikely parade of possible partners. Can he seal the deal? What is it he is truly searching for?

"What a gift to have the chance to dive into the precise, insightful, and breathlessly funny world of a Neil Simon play," says director Jesse Bush. "I have long been a fan of Mr. Simon's unique gift for comedy, which is rooted firmly in the characters he so finely crafts. He shows so much respect for the human condition, and with this play, he exposes an honest and touching portrayal of a man's search for his identity in mid-life. It is a surprising play utilizing both his signature brashness and hilarity while combining that with a deep compassion for the struggles we all face in our quest for our best-lived life."

Tickets range from $20 to $43 and can be purchased online at www.HangarTheatre.org, by phone at (607) 273-4497, or in person at Ticket Center Ithaca located on the Downtown Commons in addition to at the Hangar Theatre Box Office one hour before curtain time. The recently renovated theatre is located at 801 Taughannock Blvd, Ithaca, NY 14850. Subscription packages - offering preferred seating, discounted ticket prices, and other great benefits - are also available. For subscription information, please call (607) 273-8588 or visit www.HangarTheatre.org, or stop by the Hangar Theatre business office M-F 9:30am - 5:00pm. The office is located in Center Ithaca on the Downtown Commons at 171 East State Street, Suite 230 Ithaca, NY 14850.

The Hangar's commitment to making theatre accessible to the entire community is represented though the Pay What You Can (PWYC) program. Patrons may pay what they can afford to see a show for the first Saturday matinee performance of each Mainstage production and the Saturday noon performances of the KIDDSTUFF series.

Hangar Theatreis committed to providing exceptional theatre experiences of high professional quality to enrich, enlighten, educate, and entertain the diverse audience in the Finger Lakes region and beyond. Strong education and training programs are central parts of our commitment to the local and national artistic communities. Visit the website at www.HangarTheatre.org.

Neil Simonis widely regarded as one of the most successful, prolific, and performed playwrights in the world.He has received more Academy and Tony nominations than any other writer. His plays and musicals includeCome Blow Your Horn, Little Me, Barefoot in the Park, The Odd Couple, Sweet Charity, The Star-Spangled Girl, Plaza Suite, Promises, Promises, Last of the Red Hot Lovers, The Gingerbread Lady, The Prisoner of Second Avenue, The Sunshine Boys, The Good Doctor, God's Favorite, California Suite, Chapter Two, They're Playing Our Song, I Ought to be in Pictures, Fools, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, The Odd Couple (female version), Broadway Bound, Lost in Yonkers, Rumors, Jake's Women, The Goodbye Girl, Laughter on the 23rd Floor, London Suite, Proposals, Hotel Suite, The Dinner Party, 45 Seconds from Broadway, Oscar and Felix, and Rose's Dilemma.

Jesse Bush (Director) has directed the Hangar's The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Once on This Island, columbinus, Wanna Hear a Scary Story?, Free To Be You and Me, and Les Miserables: School Edition. At the Kitchen Theatre Company, he has directed The Brothers Size, Happy Days, The Drunken City, Bed, No Breakfast, The Santaland Diaries, Two Rooms, The Drawer Boy, Orphans, The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me, and Someone Who'll Watch Over Me. New York City credits include Down the Road (Creative Space Theater), Steel Kiss (Kraine Theatre), Reaching Mercy and Sex and Imagining (American Theatre of Actors), T & T Music Factory (NY International Fringe Festival). As an assistant director, he has worked with Syracuse Stage, Second Stage Theatre, the Goodspeed Opera House, and the Papermill Playhouse. Jesse is the Associate Artistic Director at the Hangar Theatre. He is an alumnus of Ithaca College where he received a BFA in Acting.

Jordan Gelber (Barney Cashman) has appeared on Broadway in Avenue Q (original cast, special Outer Critics Circle Award), All My Sons, and Elf (title role). Other New York theater credits include 2,000 Years (The New Group), Birth and After Birth (Atlantic Theater), and Avenue Q (Vineyard). He has appeared in the films Dark Horse, Pelham 1-2-3, Changing Lanes, Riding In Cars With Boys, and Everyday People (for which he received an IFP/Gotham Award for Breakthrough Acting nomination). His television credits include Boardwalk Empire (directed by Martin Scorsese), Blue Bloods, The Sopranos, Nurse Jackie, Rescue Me, Ugly Betty, Damages, The Good Wife, Royal Pains, 100 Centre Street, Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and a recurring role on Law &Order: SVU. He is a graduate of Stanford University and the NYU Tisch Graduate Acting Program.

Jennifer Cody (Elaine Navazio) has been in many Broadway shows, including Shrek the Musical, Pajama Game, Taboo, Urinetown: The Musical, No No Nanette, Best Little Whorehouse, Seussical, Grease, Beauty and the Beast, and Cats. She has spent the last few years lending her voice to movie and TV characters and commercials. She won the Annie award (the voice-over Oscar for Best Actor in an Animated Motion Picture Feature Film) for creating the voice of Charlotte La Boeuff in Disney?s The Princess and the Frog. She also is the voice of Darcy in Nickelodeon's Winx Club and Lucy in Robot and Monster. Off Broadway, she was thrilled to create original roles in Andrew Lippa?s The Wild Party (MTC), Charles Bush?s Judith of Bethulia(Theatre for the New City), and Henry and Mudge (Lucille Lortel). TV/Film credits include Winx Club, Robot and Monster, American Dad, Phineas and Ferb, Law and Order, Gravity Falls, Daily Show, and Letterman.Her upcoming projects include the ?lm Lucky Stiff in which she plays Jason Alexander?s wife and Khumba,an animated ?lm in which she voices "Fi?, the cheerleading zebra."

Leenya Rideout (JeAnnette Fisher) has performed on Broadway in War Horse, Cyrano de Bergerac (with Kevin Kline), Company (as Jenny), and Cabaret (the 1998 revival, original cast). Her Off-Broadway credits include Yiddle with a Fiddle, American Jewish Theatre; The Portable Pioneer and Prairie Show, Melting Pot Theatre Company; and Cowgirls, Minetta Lane Theatre. She has appeared in productions at many regional theatres (including ALLIANCE THEATRE, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, and Guthrie Theater) and played Eliza Doolittle in an international tour of My Fair Lady. Her film credits include Mona Lisa Smile. Loser,and Bittersweet. She has appeared on television in Company (PBS); Cyrano de Bergerac (PBS); My Favorite Broadway (PBS); Nashville Star (USA Network), and the Jerry Lewis Telethon. She is an Honor graduate of the University of Colorado School of Music.

Natalie Walker (Bobbi Michele) is a member of the Hangar's 2013 Lab Company - a nationally recognized theatre-training program for young professionals in acting, directing, choreography, design, and playwriting. The Lab Company is a training ground for emerging artists where the focus is on professional experience, gearing new artists up for a career in the theatre. Walker is a graduate of the NYU Tisch School of the Arts, where she studied at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting.