ARCHY & MEHITABEL to Play 2026 Philadelphia Fringe Festival

Up and coming independent producer, Jayson Borenstein will be producing archy & mehitabel, an often overlooked musical from comic legend Mel Brooks' extensive canon of work at the 2026 Philadelphia Fringe Festival. The one-night only performance will take place on September 19 at 7:30pm at the Ethical Society Auditorium, conveniently located at 1906 Rittenhouse Square.

Featuring a book by Mel Brooks (The Producers, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein) and Joe Darion (Man of La Mancha), who also provided the lyrics, alongside a "cool" jazz score by George Kleinsinger (Tubby the Tuba, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer) that remains one of the only examples of this genre in the musical theatre, archy & mehitabel is one of the most daring musicals of its time.

In a deserted office, a cockroach dives headfirst onto the keys of a typewriter, pouring out the ruminations of his soul. It's archy (he's too small to hold down the shift key), poet, philosopher, moralist and futile worshipper of mehitabel, the alley cat. This bizarre, highly original musical takes us into the streets of the big city as archy tries hopelessly to bring the toujours gai mehitabel off the back fence and into a respectable home as a housecat.

'Mel Brooks is one of, if not the greatest comedian who has ever lived, and is one of my personal heroes,' said Borenstein. 'As we celebrate Brooks' 100th birthday this year, it seemed like the right time to look back through his extensive body of work and pull out one of the pieces that never quite got the recognition it deserves. This show is also perfect for a Fringe setting, where audiences walk into the theatre, ready to see something bold, unique, and unlike anything they've likely seen before.'

The show is based on a popular newspaper column created by Don Marquis, which appeared in the New York Tribune beginning in 1916 and served as an allegory for New York City society in the 1910s and 20s. archy & mehitabel was first adapted as a 45-minute album in 1954, featuring Carol Channing and Eddie Bracken, and was presented in concert at Town Hall that same year. Two years later, the piece was reworked with the addition of Mel Brooks and retitled Shinbone Alley. It premiered on Broadway in 1957, running for only 49 performances and starred Bracken and Eartha Kitt (with Chita Rivera as her standby). Notably, the production was among the first Broadway shows to feature a fully racially integrated cast. The show was later adapted for television on Play of the Week in 1960, with Tammy Grimes, and became an animated feature film in 1971, reuniting Bracken and Channing.

In addition to producing, this production will be directed by Borenstein, who will also star as archy alongside Julia Germer as mehitabel. Rounding out the cast are Jordan Chall as Big Bill, Connor Shields as Tyrone T. Tattersall, Kevin Naddeo as the Newspaperman, and Alexa Gershon, Liv Scarborough, and Laisha Torres as the Ensemble.

The production will be music directed by Patrick Gardner, assistant directed and stage managed by Caroline Juelke, and choreographed by Scarborough.

Further, Borenstein will be partnering with SCOPE Productions. This rising Philly-based production company will help bring the world of Shinbone Alley to life through their expert lighting design and sound engineering. Working directly on this production will be Abrham Bogale as technical director and lighting designer and Benjamin Collins as audio engineer and A1.

'While SCOPE Productions usually works in video and audio/podcast production, we are very excited to work with Jayson on this project,' said SCOPE co-founders Abrham Bogale and Benjamin Collins. 'We have spent many years working as freelance theater professionals across multiple venues within the Greater Philadelphia region. At SCOPE we believe that the arts should be accessible to both creators and audiences.'