Strouse's Nicholaw Directed MINSKY'S Set For Ahmanson 1/21-3/1

Minsky's is the second new musical playing the Ahmanson this season, boasting a book by Bob Martin and direction and choreography by Casey Nicholaw, who both crafted the U.S. premiere of the musical The Drowsy Chaperone at the Ahmanson  in 2005.  Composer Charles Strouse (Bye Bye Birdie, Annie) will join lyricist Susan Birkenhead (Triumph of Love) on the musical, which begins performances January 21 through March 1, 2009.

The cast for Minsky's which is currently in rehearsals includes, Beth Leavel, Christopher Fitzgerald, Kevin Cahoon and  Kristin Bracken.

Press for the show describes the new musical as "a big, racy, new musical comedy set in a time when entertainment was about legs and laughs, and you had to push the limits to  keep the customers buying tickets. A rollicking backstage story, set in  Prohibition Era New York City, that peeks into a world populated by comedians,  con men and seductive, sexy women; a world reigned over by the king of  burlesque himself, Billy Minsky - until the day he falls in love and the cops come banging on his door.

Minsky's is based on the Bud Yorkin-Norman Lear production of "The Night They Raided Minsky's,"

Charles Strouse has touched the life of almost every American in the last half century with his musical works. There may be no other living composer from America's popular songbook whose work is as integrated into the popular culture as that of Charles Strouse.His music has attracted top recording artists from the last half-century with covers of his songs recorded by such diverse pop artists as Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Bobby Darin, Harry Connick, Jr., Bobby Rydell, Jay Z, Vic Damone, Louis Armstrong, Nina Simone, Grace Jones and Duke Ellington and his Orchestra.Strouse has written the score to over 30 stage musicals, 14 scores for Broadway, four Hollywood films, two orchestral works and an opera.He has been inducted to the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Theatre Hall of Fame.  

He is a three-time Tony Award winner, a two-time Emmy Award winner, and his cast recordings have earned him two Grammy Awards.His song "Those Were The Days" launched over 200 episodes of the "All in the Family" and continues to reach new generations of television audiences in syndication.With hundreds of productions licensed annually, his musicals Annie and Bye Bye Birdie are among the most popular musicals of all time produced by regional, amateur and school groups all over the world. Strouse's memoir, Put on a Happy Face - A Broadway Memoir, is published by Sterling Publishing and will be available in stores everywhere July 1, 2008.

Casey Nicholaw (Director) received 2006 Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations for his work on 'The Drowsy Chaperone' and 2005 Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations for Best Choreography for 'Monty Python's Spamalot.' Additional New York credits include direction and choreography for 'Follies' (Encores!); choreography for 'Bye, Bye, Birdie' (Encores!); 'Candide' (NY Philharmonic, 'PBS Great Performances'); 'South Pacific' (Carnegie Hall, 'PBS Great Performances'); musical staging for 'Can-Can' (Encores!); 'Sinatra: His Voice. His World. His Way' (Radio City Music Hall). Other choreography: 'Lucky Duck' (Old Globe), 'The Road to Hollywood' (Goodspeed). 

Tickets for the Ahmanson Theatre's 42nd season are currently available by subscription only.  For information and to charge subscriptions by phone, call the new Exclusive Season Ticket Hotline at (213) 972-4444. To purchase subscriptions on-line, visit CenterTheatreGroup.org. 

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.

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