FANNY BRICE, LOVE, LOSS, AND WHAT I WORE Added to Asolo Rep's 2012 Season

Fanny Brice, America's Funny Girl and Love, Loss, and What I Wore will be the final two shows of Asolo Repertory Theatre's 53rd season.

Fanny Brice, America's Funny Girl will be replacing Tommy Tune Presents: Pulse from the May 25-June 7 slot in the current season. Noah Racey, the star of Pulse, was offered a starring role in a Broadway revival slated to open in early 2012. "One of the risks in working with artists at the top of their game is that they may get an offer they can't refuse," said Producing Artistic Director Michael Donald Edwards, "Luckily we have been very interested in David Bell's new intimate Fanny Brice musical for some time and are thrilled to be able to produce this hilariously entertaining look at a truly iconic American entertainer." Fanny Brice, America's Funny Girl is a spectacular reworking of Maltz Jupiter Theatre's 2009 hit production Fanny Brice: The Real Funny Girl. Writer and Director David H. Bell modified the script and is bringing Asolo Rep the most inspiring version yet. TCPalm raved, "the show is entertaining...the change of wardrobe on stage is brilliant", WJTW FM said "what really brought the audience to its feet for a standing ovation; however was the finale...it doesn't get any better than that."

Asolo Rep is the first theatre in the country granted the rights to independently produce Love, Loss, and What I Wore. The show will be directed by Karen Carpenter, who helmed the smash-hit original Off-Broadway production. Love, Loss, and What I Wore will complete the season, running June 22- July 15 in the Harold E. and Esther Mertz Theatre. Time Out New York called it "Best of the year!", Vanity Fair said, "[Love, Loss, and What I Wore] is Witty and Wise!", and The New York Times wrote that Love, Loss, and What I Wore is "funny, compelling...[and] brought down the house." Both shows have played to critical acclaim and promise to bring some of the nation's most talented stars to Asolo Rep.

Fanny Brice, America's Funny Girl
Written and directed by David H. Bell
May 23- June 10 in the Harold E. and Esther M. Mertz Theatre
Previews are Sunday, May 20 at 7:30 p.m. and Tuesday, May 22 at 7:30 p.m.
Before there was a Lucy or Ethel, Gracie Allen or Imogene Coca, Fanny Brice was the female comic superstar. At a time when the business was dominated by men, her gift for comedy and expressive singing made her one of the most beloved celebrities of the American theatre. From vaudeville to variety, burlesque to Broadway, the Ziegfeld Follies to film, and finally radio to television, she triumphed everywhere she appeared. Yet her personal life wasn't as successful, as heartache and betrayal followed her at every step. Recreating the spirit of ballyhoo, flim-flam and artistic genius of the early Broadway era, this brilliant new musical showcases Fanny Brice at her best and worst: creating laughs for her adoring public and singing the songs that made her an American icon while also working tirelessly to keep her personal relationships from disintegrating.

Love, Loss, and What I Wore
An intimate collection of stories by Norah Ephron and Delia Ephron
Based on the book by Ilene Beckerman
Directed by Karen Carpenter
June 22-July 15 in the Harold E. and Esther M. Mertz Theatre
Preview, June 21
For every woman who has stood in front of her closet uttering in desperation, "I have nothing to wear!" Asolo Rep presents the perfect theater-going experience. Written for the stage by sisters Nora and Delia Ephron, this comic gem has been the toast of New York since opening Off-Broadway in 2009. The Ephron sisters have either written or adapted screenplays for some of the greatest feel-good movies of this generation, including: You've Got Mail (co-adapted by Delia and Nora Ephron), The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (adapted by Delia Ephron) and Sleepless in Seattle and When Harry Met Sally (written by Nora Ephron). Five actresses present 28 hilarious and poignant vignettes about life's journey and the clothes we wear along the way. From purses and prom dresses, bra fittings, what was I thinking purchases and struggles with our mothers, connections are drawn between what we wear and who we are. With a message that goes straight to the heart of all women (and the men who love them), in Love, Loss, and What I Wore, fun comes as One Size Fits All.

Both shows will run in the Harold E. and Esther M. Mertz Theatre. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling 941.351.8000. If you have already purchased Tommy Tune Presents: Pulse tickets or hold a season subscription, please contact the Asolo Rep box office beginning at 10 a.m. on Monday, November 7, 2011.

Now in its 53rd season, Asolo Repertory Theatre is widely recognized as one of the premier professional theatres in the Southeastern United States. One of the few true repertory companies in the nation, Asolo Rep presents a diverse repertoire of newly commissioned plays, bold reinterpretations of contemporary and classical works, and provocative new musical theatre experiences each season. With its ambitious theatrical offerings and groundbreaking education, outreach and audience development programming, Asolo Rep is more vibrant and its work more relevant than ever before. A theatre district in and of itself, Asolo Rep exists to present a diverse mix of theatrical work of the highest artistic standards and enthusiastically engage its audiences, continually ensuring its lasting legacy for future generations.

Asolo Theatre, Inc. (AKA: Asolo Repertory Theatre) is funded in part by the State of Florida, National Endowment for the Arts, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, and is paid for in part by Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax revenues, the Gulf Coast Community Foundation and the Shubert Foundation, Inc. Funding is also received through the efforts of various support groups and the generosity of individuals, corporations and foundations.

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