Lynn University To Present Jerry Herman's Israel-Based Musical MILK AND HONEY

Producer Jan McArt, director of theatre arts program development, and Jon Robertson, dean of Lynn University's Conservatory of Music and Philharmonia guest conductor, today announced the upcoming collaborative staged concert version of Jerry Herman's first Broadway musical, Milk and Honey, about two different love stories during the early days of Israel.

"Milk and Honey promises to be as spectacular as our previous staged concert productions of Brigadoon and Kismet," says McArt. "We have a professional cast of singers and dancers in costumes with lights and the music of Jerry Herman performed by the 24-piece Lynn Philharmonia Orchestra. And with the 70th anniversary of Israel on May 14, this amusing and heart-warming show is particularly timely."

Much of Jerry Herman's 1961 musical is derived from Israeli folk music and dance. The songs are classics. "Chin Up, Ladies" is clever and funny. Other hits are "Shalom," "That was Yesterday" and "I Will Follow You." The underlying thread of the story is the fierce love Israeli pioneers have for their new freedom in the Promised Land. The story is unabashedly sentimental, extolling the virtues of life in Israel. There are two touching romances. One is between Ruth Stein, a mature American widow in Israel as a tourist, and Phil Arkin, a retired American businessman. He is visiting his daughter Barbara, who has married a young Israeli pioneer, the other romance. The story also centers on a busload of lonely American widows hoping to find romance while vacationing in Israel during its early days of independence.

• Saturday: 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday: 4 p.m.
• Jan McArt, director and producer
• Terence Kirchgessner, conductor, Lynn Philharmonia
• Arthur Barnes, musical director
• Jay Stuart, playing Phil Arkin, originally played by Robert Weede
• Rachel Klein, paying Ruth Stein

Location: Keith C. and Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center

Tickets: Individual tickets are $70 for Box, $55 for Orchestra and $50 for Mezzanine

Exclusive Production Sponsor: Elaine Johnson Wold

Tickets may be purchased in person at the Lynn University box office, located in the Wold at 3601 N. Military Trail, online at events.lynn.edu or by phone at +1 561-237-9000.

About Lynn University

Lynn University is an independent college based in Boca Raton, Florida, with approximately 3,000 students from 100 countries. U.S. News & World Report ranks Lynn as the top international university in the region. Lynn's NCAA Division II Fighting Knights have won 23 national titles, its Conservatory of Music features a world-renowned faculty of performers, and its nationally recognized Institute for Achievement and Learning empowers students with learning differences. The school's Dialogues curriculum and award-winning iPad program help Lynn graduates gain the intellectual flexibility and global experience to fulfill their potential in an ever-changing world. For more information, visit lynn.edu.

About the Keith C. and Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center at Lynn University

The 750-seat Wold Performing Arts Center, located on Lynn's campus in the heart of Boca Raton, is easily accessible by both I-95 and the Florida Turnpike. Recently ranked by Best Value Schools, an online publication, as one of the "25 Most Amazing University Performing Arts Centers," the Wold features superb acoustics, a modern lighting system, a large, light-filled lobby, and flexible space well-suited for dramatic productions, concerts and other cultural events. With an elegant salon, outdoor sunset terrace and intimate black-box studio, this new center is home to numerous concerts and events, including professional theatrical performances by the theatre arts program's Libby Dodson's Live at Lynn Theatre Series, the Live at Lynn American Songbook Series, and Jan McArt's New Play Reading Series, as well as performances from the Lynn University Conservatory of Music and the Drama Department in the College of International Communication. For more information, visit lynn.edu/events.