CATCO Presents THE LAST SMOKER IN AMERICA 9/29-10/24

CATCO will present the pre-New York production of the new musical comedy, The Last Smoker in America, with book and lyrics by Tony nominee Bill Russell (Side Show) and music by Drama Desk nominee Peter Melnick (Adrift in Macao). Directed by Andy Sandberg (producer of Hair on Broadway and London's West End), the limited engagement provides Ohio patrons the unique opportunity to be among the first to see this production before it opens in New York.

The Last Smoker in America runs September 29 through October 24 at the Riffe Center, Studio One Theatre (77 S. High St.). Tickets go on sale August 19 and are $11.50-$40 at the Ohio Theatre Ticket Office (39 E. State St.), all Ticketmaster outlets, and www.catcoistheatre.org. To purchase tickets by phone, please call (614) 469-0939 or (800) 745-3000. This is a one-act musical comedy with a live rock band. Running time is anticipated to be 90 minutes with no intermission.

"We are looking forward to bringing the world premiere of this cutting-edge new musical to Columbus," stated CATCO Artistic Director Steven C. Anderson. "Since merging CATCO and The Phoenix Theatre for Children earlier this year, part of the mission for the new company is to present high-quality, collaborative productions, both local and national, and this is a great way to kick off our first combined season."

The Last Smoker in America is an original, raucous, irreverent, four-character musical comedy about a dysfunctional family struggling to survive in a world where smoking has recently been outlawed. Pam, an English lit professor at a small college, is having an impossible time trying to quit smoking. Her husband Ernie dreams of being a rock star and relentlessly practices his electric guitar in the basement. Their teenage son Jimmy listens to so much rap music he's convinced he's black. Their nosy, anti-smoking zealot neighbor Phyllis lurks around trying to catch transgressors mid-puff. Will Pam kick the habit or fight for the right to light up as The Last Smoker in America?

The musical received a developmental workshop production at the New York Musical Theatre Festival in the fall of 2009 where it extended and played to sold-out audiences.

www.catcoistheatre.org

About the Creative Team
Bill Russell (Book and lyrics) received two Tony nominations for Side Show (both book and score). He co-wrote the book and lyrics for Off-Broadway's Pageant and directed it at the King's Head Theatre in London's West End where it received two Olivier Award nominations. Russell subsequently directed Pageant in Chicago, Los Angeles, the University of Kansas, and Stoneham, MA. He authored the book and lyrics for Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens, directing it in New York, London's Fringe and West End, and many others. Everything's Ducky premiered with TheatreWorks and garnered the Will Glickman Award for Best Play and the "BackStage West" Garland Award for Best Score. A revised version under the new title Lucky Duck was produced at The Old Globe, and Russell also directed a version at the Boston Conservatory. Russell's latest creation with Henry Krieger, Up in the Air, premiered at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. His credits as lyricist include the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular and the official theme for Gay Games. Honorary doctorates from Morningside College and the Boston Conservatory. www.BillRussell.net

Peter Melnick (Music) His musical Adrift in Macao, a parody of film noir written with librettist Christopher Durang, was presented Off-Broadway at Primary Stages after a successful, award-winning run at the Philadelphia Theater Company. The New York production earned Melnick a Drama Desk Award nomination for his music. Melnick also composed the score to Twyla Tharp's Sextet and, with Bill Russell, wrote two musical one-acts, Patter for the Floating Lady, based on Steve Martin's eponymous play, and A Bad Spell. Melnick's film scoring credits include L.A. Story, the Steve Martin comedy; The Only Thrill starring Diane Keaton and Sam Shepard; Horton Foote's Convicts with Robert Duvall and James Earl Jones; and Bob Saget's Farce of the Penguins. Melnick's television credits include the recent PBS feature-length documentary "Cinema's Exiles: From Hitler to Hollywood," "Indictment: The McMartin Trial," "Grand Avenue," and "Lily Dale." www.PeterMelnick.com

Andy Sandberg (Director) has been represented on Broadway and London's West End as a producer of the hit revival of HAIR: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical (Tony, Drama Desk, Drama League, Outer Critics Circle Awards). Off-Broadway: Vigil, a dark comedy by Morris Panych, starring Tony nominees Malcolm Gets and Helen Stenborg. Other producing projects include Hal Prince's Paradise Found at the Menier Chocolate Factory (London) and A Perfect Future by David Hay. As a director, Sandberg's recent credits include R.R.R.E.D. (NYMF), Bernice Bobs Her Mullet (NYMF), and Into the Woods (Blue Hill Troupe). Upcoming: Operation Epsilon, a new play by Alan Brody; Garbo & Me, a new musical by Joanne Lessner and Joshua Rosenblum. In 2007, Sandberg worked with Hal Prince on the Broadway production of LoveMusik (SDC Fellowship). As an actor, some favorite credits include Huck in Big River (Mill Mountain) and Jimmy in Hot and Sweet (NYMF; opposite Golden Globe and Emmy nominee Lea Michele). BA Yale University. Alumnus of Yale Whiffenpoofs, Alley Cats, and Dramat. Member of AEA and SDC. www.AndySandberg.com