SHARKS Extends In NYC Before LA And Miami Run

There is a serious buzz building up around Jay Alvarez' new play which is extraordinarily entitled " BE CAREFUL! THE SHARKS WILL EAT YOU! "

Directed by Theresa Gambacorta, its sold-out run has been extended at the new STAGE LEFT STUDIO (214 West 30th Street - between 7th and 8th Avenues on the 6th floor) through May 17th after which it will receive a special by-invitation-only presentation at The Players (16 Gramercy Park South - between Park Avenue South and Third Avenue) on May 18th; open at CASA BACARDI at the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies at the UNIVERSITY of MIAMI (1531 Brescia Avenue, Coral Gabels, Florda) on May 25th for one night only; return to STAGE LEFT STUDIO from June 1st through June 11th and then Premiere in Los Angeles on June 16th at the THEATRE of NOTE (1517 North Cahuenga Boulevard) where it will play through June 26th.

Mr. Alvarez is also in negotiations with Florida's FIU THEATRE and AREA STAGE for runs this FALL.

The show is a stunner; written by a man who experienced his father's unimaginable courage in the face of crushing historical events that rendered an entire nation of people indescribably helpless.

These are the parallel stories of Mr. Alvarez' beloved island; the glitz and glamour of Havana nightlife and what was about to bring it all crashing down thunderously on the world's stage.

The sultry beats of the spectacularly celebrity-drenched-mob-controlled-money-laundering-Internationally-infamous TROPICANA in the 1950s, the danger of Fulgencio Batista's fall and Fidel Castro's rise to power, a political revolution and a CIA attempt to separate 14,000 Cuban children from their parents, the longing for a better life that propels people to throw themselves under the cover of a moonless night into the unknown Atlantic Ocean; THESE ARE THE EVENTS THAT SHAPED Jay Alvarez' FAMILY'S ESCAPE FROM CUBA in 1964.

General Batista and his army had taken over the Cuban government by force, smothering the Cuban Constitution as they diabolically built a capitalist Shangra-la in Havana.

A plan that went so far south that on January 1st, 1959 Cuba woke up to the reports of General Batista's midnight escape on a plane that flew out of Havana carrying his cronies and over $300 million dollars.

Within 24 hours Fidel Castro and his rebel army came down from the Sierra Maestra Mountains.

Five years later, on Monday, March 16th, 1964 after excruciatingly innovative strategizing, HUMBERTO ALVAREZ set sail in a boat that just barely held 25 members of his family and life-long friends.

After 30 determined hours navigating the Caribbean Sea, HUMBERTO ALVAREZ delivered his precious cargo to our American shores and freedom.

I guarantee you will be enchanted by this EVENT of a show.

ENCHANTED.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
"In Honor of Chiqui and Humberto, on whose shoulders I stand!"

Jay Alvarez (Playwright/Actor) is a bi-coastal actor whose Los Angeles theatre credits include: "Havana Bourgeois" opposite Tony Plana, (Haywood Theatre), "Noblesse Oblige" (Stages Theatre) and the Ovation Nominated play "The Shelter" (The Odyssey Theatre) TV credits include: the unforgettable French Waiter on Fox's "Til Death" with Brad Garrett and Joely Fisher and "The Soprano's" as well as national commercials for American Express and McDonald's. In addition to NYC and LA theatre, Jay has worked in Washington DC at The Shakespeare Theater, Kennedy Center Studio Theater and Gala Hispanic Theatre, among others. With "Be Careful! The Sharks Will Eat You!," Jay embarks on a completely different and new experience, honoring his parents and their journey to America. Jay has performed "Be Careful! The Sharks Will Eat You!" to sold out audiences at Stage Left in NYC as well as Nuyorican Poets Cafe, Area Stage in Miami and The Players Club in NYC. Jay would also like to thank his mentor and Master Teacher, Mr. Wynn Handman. An integral part of American theatre history, Jay credits Wynn for his development as an actor and bestowing on him the confidence to stand on this stage today. Jay's web site: www.sharkswilleatyou.com

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

THERESA GAMBACORTA (Director) is a NYC actress, playwright and director. "Be Careful! The Sharks Will Eat You!" marks Theresa's seventh solo play that she has either written and/or developed and directed. Solo shows written by Theresa include Her latest solo play, THE VEGAS PROJECT ran at Stage Left Studio in Feb. 2011 her Off-Broadway hit "La Magnani!" about Italian actress Anna Magnani, which ran for six weeks at The Arclight Theatre enrapturing audiences that included Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson and her hilarious solo play "Breaking The Glass", directed by Cheryl King, which premiered at Stage Left and was also a part of Estrogenia Solo Voce Festival 2009. She has also developed and directed "Emergency Used Candles" by Chiara Montalto ( Cherry Lane Theatre) and the solo plays " Dress Kiss Me" and "Just Back From Dreaming", both by Marlene Nichols. Recent directorial credits include "Terranova" (Fringe Festival & Fringe Encore 2009) and "Rum Boogie" (The Looking Glass Theatre). She is a Master of Arts candidate in Educational Theatre at New York University. www.theresagambacorta.com

THE PLAYING SCHEDULES

Stage Left Studio
214 West 30th Street Sixth Floor
(between 7th & 8th Avenues)

APRIL 27, 28 MAY 4, 5, 11, 17
JUNE 1, 5, 8, 10, 11

TICKETS $20
www.StageLeftStudio.net
All shows at 7:30pm
With the exception of June 5th matinee at 2:00pm

The Players
16 Gramercy Park South
(between Park Avenue South and Third Avenue)
MAY 18 7:30pm
www.ThePlayersNYC.org

CASA BACARDI
INSTITUTE FOR CUBAN and CUBAN-AMERICAN STUDIES
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI
1531 Brescia Avenue Coral Gabels, Florida

MAY 25 7:30pm
http://casabacardi.iccas.miami.edu

THEATRE of NOTE
1517 North Cahuenga Boulevard
Hollywood, CA
June 16, 21, 25, 26

TICKETS $15
323-856-8611
www.HollywoodFringe.com

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