Shanley and Krieger Get 'Romantic' at MTC Starting TONIGHT, 9/30

ROMANTIC POETRY will begin performances tonight, September 30th 2008 at MTC at New York City Center - Stage I (131 West 55th Street). The limited engagement will open Tuesday, October 28.

The show will star Jeb Brown (Grease, Ring of Fire), Jerry Dixon (tick, tick… BOOM!; Once On This Island), Ivan Hernandez (Zhivago, The Fantasticks), Mark Linn-Baker (Almost An Evening, "Perfect Strangers"), Patina Renea Miller (Hair, "All My Children"), and Emily Swallow (High Fidelity, The Black Eyed).

ROMANTIC POETRY will feature book and lyrics by John Patrick Shanley (Doubt, Moonstruck), music by Henry Krieger (Dreamgirls), and direction by Shanley.

From the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Doubt and the two-time Tony Award-nominated composer of Dreamgirls comes this crackpot musical romance.

Connie of Woodmere has just married Fred of Newark, but her exes are back in the picture and not sure they approve of the union. Mary of Greenpoint climbs Frankie of Little Italy's fire escape with amorous erotic intent - but things go awry as she reaches for her dream.

They are all mad and they are all sane and they are all creating ROMANTIC POETRY. Genuine emotion and the excitement of living an ideal crisscross like a night of shooting stars. When you have the Academy Awardâ-winning author of Moonstruck writing the book and lyrics, and the two-time Grammy-winning composer of Dreamgirls collaborating, you know something delicious is coming from the kitchen.

The creative team for ROMANTIC POETRY will include: David Korins (scenic design), Laura Bauer (costume design), Donald Holder (lighting design), Brian Ronan (sound design), Devanand Janki (musical staging), Sam Davis (music director / vocal arrangements), August Eriksmoen (orchestrations), Howard Joines (Music Coordinator), and David Caparelliotis (casting).

For more information including ticket purchase and performance schedule please visit www.mtc-nyc.org.

Jeb Brown, Mark Linn-Baker, Emily Swallow, Ivan Hernandez, Patina Renea Miller and and Jerry Dixon

Jeb Brown, Mark Linn-Baker, Emily Swallow, Ivan Hernandez, Patina Renea Miller and and Jerry Dixon

Mark Linn-Baker, Ivan Hernandez, Emily Swallow, John Patrick Shanley, Henry Krieger, Patina Renea Miller, Jerry Dixon and Jeb Brown

Photos by Joan Marcus