MTC's 'To Be Or Not To Be' Begins Previews 9/11; Tickets on Sale Now!

 Manhattan Theatre Club (Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director; Barry Grove, Executive Producer) presents the world premiere Broadway production of Nick Whitby's TO BE OR NOT TO BE. The play, based on the 1942 motion picture To Be or Not To Be, will be directed by three-time Tony Award nominee Casey Nicholaw (The Drowsy Chaperone, Monty Python's Spamalot).

Tickets are now on sale and available by calling Telecharge at 212-239-6200, or online by visiting www.Telecharge.com.  Beginning Monday, August 25, tickets will also be available by visiting the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre Box Office (261 West 47th Street). Ticket prices are $56.50-$96.50.

TO BE OR NOT TO BE will be the first production of Manhattan Theatre Club's 2008-2009 season. The limited engagement will begin previews at the soon to be renamed Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (261 West 47th Street) on Thursday, September 11 and will open on Thursday, October 2. As previously announced, the Biltmore Theatre will be renamed the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on Thursday, September 4.

At the Polski Theatre in 1939 Warsaw, Josef (Craig Bierko) and Maria Tura (Jan Maxwell) are about to open yet another smash with their theatrical troupe. As the German invasion gets underway, the theatre is closed by the censors, forcing the troupe to face desperate times. But when a handsome young bomber pilot enlists their help to catch a spy, what is a group of actors to do? This hilarious black comedy is an ingenious commentary on the World War II era and an inspired tribute to the timeless joys of the theatre.

The show will feature Peter Benson (The Pajama Game), Tony Award nominee Craig Bierko (The Music Man, The Long Kiss Goodnight), Robert Dorfman (The Drowsy Chaperone), Steve Kazee (Monty Python's Spamalot), Tony Awardâ nominee and Drama Desk Award winner Jan Maxwell (Coram Boy, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), Michael McCarty (Mary Poppins), Tony Awardâ nominee and Drama Desk Award winner Brian Murray (The Little Foxes, MTC's A Small Family Business, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead), two-time Obie Award winner Kristine Nielsen (Les Liaisons Dangereuses, MTC's Our Leading Lady), Brandon Perler (Broadway debut), Rocco Sisto (Iphigenia 2.0), Jimmy Smagula (Damn Yankees at Encores!), and Marina Squerciati (MTC's Beauty of the Father).

The creative team for TO BE OR NOT TO BE will include: Anna Louizos (Scenic Design), Gregg Barnes (Costume Design), Howell Binkley (Lighting Design), Darron L West (Sound Design), Wendall and Zak (Projection Design), Josh Marquette (Hair Design), and David Caparelliotis (Casting).

Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, MTC has become one of the country's most prominent and prestigious theatre companies. MTC productions have earned a total of 16 Tony Awards and five Pulitzer Prizes, an accomplishment unparalleled by a New York theatrical institution. Renowned MTC productions include Top Girls; From Up Here; Come Back, Little Sheba; The Receptionist; LoveMusik; Blackbird; Translations; Shining City; Rabbit Hole; Doubt; Proof; Kimberly Akimbo; The Tale of the Allergist's Wife; Love! Valour! Compassion!; Sylvia; Four Dogs and a Bone; Putting It Together; Lips Together, Teeth Apart; Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune; Crimes of the Heart; and Ain't Misbehavin'.

In 2003, MTC reopened Broadway's landmark, long-neglected Biltmore Theatre, soon to be renamed the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, following a two-year, $35 million capital campaign. In addition, MTC operates two theatres at New York City Center (131 West 55th Street), its Off-Broadway home since 1984.

During Meadow's sabbatical this season, Daniel Sullivan, a close associate of MTC and director of several Manhattan Theatre Club productions (Rabbit Hole, Brooklyn Boy, Sight Unseen, Proof, Psychopathia Sexualis), has been serving as Acting Artistic Director. Meadow will resume her full duties as artistic director in September and is consulting on the planning of the 2008-2009 season.

You can subscribe to MTC by calling (212) 399-3030, Monday - Thursday, noon - 6 PM and Friday, 10 AM - 2 PM, with a major credit card. Subscriptions are available online at www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com.

TICKET INFORMATION:

    * Via Telecharge.com: Single tickets to TO BE OR NOT TO BE will be available via Telecharge.com by telephone at (212) 239-6200, (800) 432-7250 outside the NY metro area and online at Telecharge.com. For group ticket information, call (800) 432-7780.
    * Via the Samuel J. Friedman Box Office (Starting Monday, August 25): Tickets will be available at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre box office (261 West 47th Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenue, Mon-Sat 12 PM - 6 PM, closed on Sunday). Tickets range in price from $56.50-$96.50. Student rush tickets are available the day of the performance at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre box office for $26.50.
    * MTC Subscriptions: You can subscribe to MTC by calling (212) 399-3030, Monday - Thursday, noon - 6 PM and Friday, 10 AM - 2 PM, with a major credit card. Subscriptions are available online at www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

    * THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 - SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14: Thursday through Saturday at 8 PM. Sunday at 2 PM & 7 PM (please note there is no Saturday matinee).
    * MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 - SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28: Tuesday at 7 PM, Wednesday through Saturday at 8 PM, Sunday at 7 PM. Matinees on Saturday and Sunday at 2 PM.
    * MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 - SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 23: Tuesday at 7 PM, Wednesday through Saturday at 8 PM, Sunday at 7 PM. Matinees on Wednesday and Saturday at 2 PM.

Photo Credit Linda Lenzi

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