'The Jerusalem Syndrome' to Star Larsen and Zagnit

The Jerusalem Syndrome, an official selection of the New York Musical Theatre Festival's 2008 Next Link Project, will feature the talents of Liz Larsen (Hairspray, The Most Happy Fella), Stuart Zagnit (Seussical, The Wild Party, Kuni Leml), Bruce Sabath (Company), Alan H. Green (Spelling Bee National Tour), Austin Miller (Grease: You're the One that I Want!, Hairspray Las Vegas and National Tour), Chandra Lee Schwartz (Damn Yankees, Gypsy, Hairspray-Las Vegas), Mary Gutzi (Les Miserables), Roger DeWitt (The Woman in White, The Adding Machine), Nick Verina (Altar Boyz-Chicago, That Time of the Year), J.D. Webster (Wonderful Town, Ragtime, Showboat), Vanessa Lemonides (Jewtopia), Ron DeStefano (How to Suceed…White Plains), Ronica Reddick (The Underwear Musical-NYMF), and Felicia Ricci (The Chocolate Tree-NAMT).

The Jerusalem Syndrome is an original musical comedy with book and lyrics by 2006 Kleban Award winners Laurence Holzman & Felicia Needleman and a score by Kyle Rosen.  This tuneful show brings to life the strange but real psychological phenomenon that makes ordinary tourists in Jerusalem come to believe they are figures from the Bible. When a host of characters including Noah, Jesus, God, and not one, but two Virgin Marys are led by Moses in an Exodus from the hospital psych ward, the result is a journey that is both hilarious and heartwarming.  The production will be directed by Annette Jolles, whose credits include Little by Little, That Time of the Year, Wall to Wall Sondheim at Symphony Space, and TV's "9/11 Memorial from Ground Zero," for which she received an Emmy Award.  David Snyder (Forever Plaid) will musical direct.   

The Jerusalem Syndrome will open on September 23rd at 37 Arts.  Tickets are on sale now to NYMF members and go on sale to the general public on September 1, 2008 at www.nymf.org. Performances will be Tuesday, Sept. 23rd at 8:00 pm, Wednesday, Sept. 24th at 1:00 pm, Friday, Sept. 26th at 9:00 pm, Saturday, Sept. 27th at 1:00 pm, Thursday, Oct. 2nd at 9:00 pm, and Saturday, Oct. 4th at 1:00 pm.

Laurence Holzman and Felicia Needleman's other collaborations include That Time of the Year, an original holiday musical revue that had its off-Broadway premiere at the York Theatre (original cast recording due out on JAY Records this fall); Wallenberg, a musical drama about Raoul Wallenberg which premiered at the New York Musical Theatre Festival in 2006; Suddenly Hope, an original musical comedy that played at the Denver Civic Theatre and the Stamford Center for the Arts; and a musical version of the 1942 film I Married a Witch, for which they earned ASCAP's Sammy Cahn Award for Outstanding Lyricists.

In addition to The Jerusalem Syndrome, Kyle Rosen composed music for the shows Suddenly Hope and That Time of the Year.  He also orchestrated the music for the NBC Movie-of-the-Week, A Child Lost Forever.   He is the recipient of the Milton Lyon Award for songwriting and is a former president of the Princeton Triangle Club.  

Hailed as "the Sundance of Musical Theatre," The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) exists to revitalize one of America's greatest art forms by discovering, supporting and promoting new musical theater artists, producers, and projects, and by introducing a diverse audience to the vibrancy of contemporary musical theater. Since its inception in 2004, the three-week annual festival has premiered more than 130 new musicals – many of which have gone on to award-winning productions in New York, in regional theaters and on tour in 38 states, and nine countries worldwide.  NYMF 2004 hit Altar Boyz has played well over 1,000 performances off-Broadway and is now in its fourth year at New World Stages; fellow NYMF alum [title of show] recently began performances at the Lyceum Theatre on Broadway.
 
Widely regarded as the essential source for new material and talent discovery, NYMF is the flagship program of The National Music Theater Network, a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit organization, and is presented in association with BroadwayWorld.com and TheaterMania.com, and is supported by amNewYork, Barnes & Noble Booksellers, BroadwayBox.com, BroadwayInsider.com, King Displays, Panasonic Astrovision, and TheMENEvent. NYMF is supported, in part, by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, and by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.  
 
Festival memberships are on sale now and can be purchased online at www.nymf.org or by calling (212) 352-3101; single tickets go on sale on September 1. For more information, visit www.nymf.org.

Photo by Linda Lenzi.

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