Mary Testa To Star in Reading of EVERYONE COMES TO ELAINE'S

New York Theatre Barn will present a reading of Everyone Comes to Elaine's, a new musical about iconic restaurateur Elaine Kaufman with Mary Testa (Oklahoma, The Gardens of Anuncia) in the title role. Directed by Tony nominee Jeff Calhoun (Newsies, Bonnie and Clyde, Big River), the reading will take place on December 16th, 2021 in New York City.

With book by writer-actor Asa Somers (Dear Evan Hansen, Next to Normal) and music/lyrics by Robert Morris, Steven Morris, and Joe Shane (Once Around the Sun, White Noise), Everyone Comes to Elaine's tells the untold story of Elaine Kaufman, fabled doyenne of NYC nightlife. A brassy, larger-than-life legend, Elaine ruled with an iron fist while also inspiring fierce loyalty among her regulars, who included literary giants, boozy locals, and nearly every A-list celebrity of the day, from Truman Capote and Jackie Kennedy to Andy Warhol and Woody Allen. This new musical is an insider's look at Elaine's famous saloon, while chronicling her struggles as an independent female business owner coping with challenges personal and professional.

The cast also includes Jill Abramovitz (Beetlejuice), Jillian Butler (Les Miserables, Wicked), Stephen Carlile (The Lion King), Stephen DeRosa (The Nance, Hairspray), Hannah Florence (My Fair Lady), Alex Joseph Grayson (Girl from the North Country), Cooper Grodin (The Phantom of the Opera), Mel Johnson, Jr. (Eubie!, Kiss Me Kate, Jekyll and Hyde), Mauricio Martínez (On Your Feet!), T. Oliver Reid (Hadestown, Once on this Island), and Paul Whitty (Come From Away, Once).

The reading has music direction by Rebekah Bruce Parker (The Lehman Trilogy, Mean Girls), casting by Eisenberg/Beans Casting (Daryl Eisenberg, CSA; Ally Beans, CSA), and the stage manager is Héctor Flores, Jr. The musical is based on A.E. Hotchner's book of the same name, with creative guidance from his son Timothy Hotchner (both regulars at Elaine's) and inspired by the late Tony Award-winning playwright Thomas Meehan (Annie, Hairspray, The Producers).

If you are interested in attending the reading, please contact Artistic Director Joe Barros at: joe@nytheatrebarn.org.