Empire Stage Presents MEL SCHWARTZ SLEEPS WITH MAE WEST

Love, lust, ex-wives, and transgender role confusion collide in this zany musical comedy making its world premiere at Empire Stage in Fort Lauderdale. Mel Schwartz Sleeps With Mae West is the story of a homophobic senior citizen living in Miami Beach in 1981 who is stunned to discover that his beautiful mistress of the past five years used to be a man!

If that wasn't enough, it turns out his transgender mistress is actually the long-lost child of his lifelong friend, Milty. When Milty finds out that his son is now a daughter and that Mel's been shtupping her, chaos ensues. Popular comic Sheba Mason co-stars along with Michael Kreutz as Mel Schwartz, and a cast of six, in this fun new raunchy bawdy show penned by Ginger Jean Reiter (The Jackie Mason Musical, Solomon's 700 Wives the Musical).

Mel Schwartz Sleeps with Mae West will run at Empire Stage in Ft. Lauderdale from September 15th through October 2.

The musical's original score, written by Ginger Reiter, includes the raunchy "Shtupping Your Daughter", and "Boney-Assed Whore" as well as the poignant "Call It Love". The cast includes Michael Kreutz as Mel Schwartz, Cherrill Rae as Ruthy, Jerry Weinberg as Lester, Sheba Mason as Marla, David R. Gordon as Milty, and Ginger Reiter as Jeanie, Mae West.

Sheba Mason's first stage role at the age of two was as a prop in one of her mother's plays. Raised in Boca Raton, she is a stand-up comic. Her home base is in the New York Comedy Clubs, including The Broadway Comedy Club, The New York Comedy Club, and The Comic Strip; she also appears in clubs throughout the country, including Funny Bones, as well as clubs Las Vegas and California. Sheba is often a guest on the Artie Lang Show, and recently starred in a Rearview Films web series debuting in March 2017 called "Non-Disclosure". Sheba has been performing as her mother Ginger in the Off Broadway version of The Jackie Mason Musical since 2013.

Michael Kreutz(Mel Schwartz): is a singer, actor, music director, and vocal coach. . Michael taught voice in the Emerson College Music Theatre Department in Boston for 13 years and now teaches at his studio in Wilton Manors. His students have performed on and off Broadway and in national and international tours. Highlights of his stage performances include Isador Straus in the National Tour of Titanic and Aimable in The Baker's Wife opposite 4-time Tony nominee Judy Kuhn. Other favorite roles include Scrooge in Scrooge, The Musical, Mr. Paravicini in The Mousetrap, Captain Markinson in A Few Good Men, Felix in The Odd Couple, and Nathan Detroit in Guys & Dolls.

Cherrill Rae (Ruthy) was signed by A&M records in 1980 and had a hit single with a remake of the old Doris Day song "Que Sera Sera". It was arranged with a percussive Latin beat and killer vocals. It climbed to number one on the Canadian top 40 and stayed there for ten consecutive weeks.Her next album "Dancing up a Storm" became a top 40 success in the United States as well as Canada and Europe. The number-one single off that album "A Little Lovin'" went top ten in Cash Box, Record World and Rolling Stone Magazine. She went on to star in her own weekly Canadian Television variety television show called "The Raes" which aired for four consecutive seasons. She appeared as Mrs.Olivier in The Jackie Mason Musical at The Lake Worth Stonzek Theatre Playhouse.

Jerry Weinberg (Lester) has been seen throughout Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties. Favorite roles are in South Pacific (Emile DeBeque), Oliver!(Bill Sykes), All My Sons(Joe Keller),Sweeney Todd (Judge Turpin), A View from the Bridge(Alfieri),Wait Until Dark(Harry Roate),Cabaret(Herr Schultz), Assassins(Proprietor), Company (Larry), and Twelve Angry Men(Juror 6) .

David R.Gordon (Milty) plays Jackie Mason in The Jackie Mason Musical at Empire Stage (going to Chicago in 2017), starred with Brooks Brasselman in Die, Evil Twin Sister, Die; the OffBroadway production of Making Porn, was in the film Wallstreet. He is the proprietor of Empire Stage in Fort Lauderdale.

Ginger Reiter (Playwright/Composer/Director, performing as Jeanie, Mae West) is a former Wellington High School English teacher who quit teaching to focus full-time on managing the musicals and comedies she writes. Other plays include 700 Wives The Musical - Solomon's Saga (Off Off Broadway), and The Jackie Mason Musical. She performs a one-woman show "Schtick with The Matriarchs" throughout the Florida Condo Circuit.

Tickets for Mel Schwartz Sleeps with Mae West are $30 and are on sale now. Tickets may be purchased on line at www.melsleepswithmaewest.com or by phone at 866-811-4111.