LITTLE ITALY SINGS! Series to Kick Off with THE FANTASTICKS, 9/8

The Little Italy Merchants Association and Little Italy, NYC has announced its first in a series of live performances featuring some of Broadway's very best shows and brightest stars. Little Italy Sings! will celebrate its opening performance featuring "THE FANTASTICKS."

NYC's longest running show will return to its downtown roots with a performance of some of the show's iconic songs. In celebration of The Fantasticks upcoming unprecedented 20,000th New York City performance on September 15th. Ralph Tramontana President of the Little Italy Merchants Association (L.I.M.A.) says "it's an honor to have "THE FANTASTICKS" for our first performance, Little Italy Sings! stems from the Italian traditions of "FAM" or family of Food, Art and Music, and to be apart of Broadway's longest running show's celebration makes it all the more special."

Little Italy Sings! a live monthly outdoor performance series. Starting noon on Sunday, September 8th at the corner of Hester and Mulberry streets. This is an endeavor by L.I.M.A., to expand its cultural impact on the historic district with live musical performances, but with a twist. It's not going to be opera; the shows will feature a diverse line up of both Broadway and Off Broadway musicals. "Little Italy is more than just a place for tourists to visit and understand Italian American history, it's a place for local New Yorker's, everyone to gather to not only enjoy a meal, but now see a show" says L.I.M.A. member Robert Ianniello.

The Fantasticks will perform in Little Italy, NYC, at the corner of Hester & Mulberry on Sunday, Sept. 8th at noon.

From cobblestone streets beneath the fire escapes of turn-of-the- century tenements, the sights, sounds and smells of Italian cuisine and culture emanating from every building. One of New York City's most beloved and historic neighborhoods has its own association the Little Italy Merchants Association (L.I.M.A.). With enormous pride in their heritage, and to preserve Little Italy's rich and colorful history, L.I.M.A. has done such things as create littleitalynyconline.com, a website boasting the neighborhood's history, comprehensive lists of the restaurants, bars, cafes, specialty shops, bakeries and shopping. L.I.M.A. also produces events, including Little Italy Sings! live performance series, live mural painting with the L.I.S.A. Project (Little Italy Street Art) go to lisaprojectnyc.org, and of course Christmas in Little Italy and the annual Feast of San Gennaro.

A modern twist on Romeo and Juliet, The Fantasticks (music by Harvey Schmidt, book, lyrics, and direction by Tom Jones) is the quintessential story of a boy and girl who fall in love and then quickly grow apart when they realize they want to experience the world. What follows is a hilarious and heartwarming story appropriate for all ages. The score, which includes the hit songs "Try To Remember", "Soon It's Gonna Rain" and "They Were You", is as timeless as the story itself.

THE FANTASTICKS plays at The Jerry Orbach Theater in the Snapple Theater Center, 210 West 50th Street at Broadway. The box office phone number is 212-921-7862. For more information, visit: www.SnappleTheater.com, www.FantasticksOnBroadway.com, and follow the show on Facebook: www.facebook.com/fantasticks and Twitter: www.twitter.com/TheFantasticks.

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