Janine LaManna Joins Cast Of HIGH SPIRITS As Elvira At York Theatre Co 6/12-14

The York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director) is pleased to announce Janine LaManna (Enter Laughing, The Musical; Sweet Charity) will be joining the cast of HIGH SPIRITS as Elvira. HIGH SPIRITS is the second of three Spring 2009 Musicals in Mufti staged concert presentations, playing June 12-14.

HIGH SPIRITS also features the following previously announced cast members: Tony Award-nominee Veanne Cox (Caroline, or Change; Company) as Ruth, Beth Glover (Take Me Along; Irish Rep.) as Mrs. Bradman, Academy Award-nominee Carol Kane (Hester Street, "Taxi," Wicked) as Madame Arcati, Daren Kelly (Crazy for You) as Dr. Bradman, Tony Award-nominee Howard McGillin (The Phantom of the Opera, Anything Goes) as Charles and Kirsten Wyatt (Grease) as Edith. The concert will be directed by Marc Bruni with music direction by Steve Freeman.

In the supernatural musical comedy HIGH SPIRITS, a happily remarried widower gets a surprise visit when a kooky medium mistakenly summons back his first wife from the "Other Side." Based on Noël Coward's Blithe Spirit (currently enjoying a hit revival on Broadway), this telepathic tuner was written by Hugh Martin (Meet Me in St. Louis) and Timothy Gray and competed for the 1964 Tony Award for Best Musical alongside Funny Girl and Hello, Dolly!. Theatre enthusiasts will remember the original production was directed by Coward and featured Beatrice Lillie, Tammy Grimes, and a young Christopher Walken in The Ensemble.

All performances will be presented at the Theatre at Saint Peter's (54th Street, just East of Lexington Ave), Friday, June 12 at 8 PM; Saturday, June 13 at 2:30 & 8 PM; and Sunday, June 14 at 2:30 & 7:30 PM. Audience talkbacks will follow both matinees. Tickets are $37.50. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.yorktheatre.org or call the York's Box Office at 212-935-5820.

‘Mufti' (pronounced MUFF' tee) means "in street clothes; without the usual trappings" and each show in the Series is presented script-in-hand, with minimal staging. To date, the York has presented over 70 Mufti concert revivals of musical theatre gems from Broadway, Off-Broadway and London, celebrating such writers as Richard Rodgers, George Abbott, Larry Grossman and Joseph Stein. The 2009 Spring Series began with The Grand Tour (May 29-31) and ends with Knickerbocker Holiday (June 26-28).

Notable Musicals in Mufti presentations have included Enter Laughing, The Musical (which inspired The York's record-breaking Off-Broadway production), Take Me Along, The Grass Harp, Carmelina, Plain and Fancy, Lucky Stiff, Darling of the Day, Mata Hari, Carmen Jones, Billion Dollar Baby and 70, Girls, 70. TIME Magazine listed York's Mufti version of Darling of the Day as one of the Top Ten Theatrical Events of 2005, and AM New York referred to the Mufti Series as "increasingly essential."

For ticket information visit www.yorktheatre.org or call 212-935-5820.
THE York Theatre Company in Saint Peter's Theatre
54th Street Just East of Lexington
E or V train to Lexington Avenue or 6 train to 51st Street

Spring 2009 Musicals in Muftis Series:

The Grand Tour May 29-31
High Spirits June 12-14
Knickerbocker Holiday June 26-28

Five performances each weekend: Friday at 8 PM, Saturday at 2:30 & 8 PM, and Sunday at 2:30 & 7:30 PM.

Audience discussions will follow all matinees. Tickets are priced at $37.50.

For more information or to purchase tickets visit www.yorktheatre.org or call the York's Box Office at 212-935-5820.