Dussault Is The Lady in Penthouse B Beginning July 25 at the York

By Andrew Gans
25 Jul 2008

Nancy Dussault in rehearsal for Penthouse B.
Nancy Dussault in rehearsal for Penthouse B.
Photo by Ben Strothmann

Veteran stage and screen actress Nancy Dussault, most recently on Broadway in the original production of Into the Woods, stars in the title role of the York Theatre Company's presentation of The Lady in Penthouse B, which begins performances July 25.

Penthouse B is part of the York's NEW2NY concert series, which presents staged concerts of musicals making their New York debuts. Performances continue through July 27. The series will conclude with In Transit, which is scheduled for Aug. 8-10.

Pamela Hunt directs Penthouse B with musical direction by Mark Hartman. Joining Dussault onstage are Stephen Bienskie (Cats), Michael Cone (La Bohème, Rags and Brigadoon), Gordon Stanley (Cabaret, Ragtime and Beauty and the Beast), JD Webster (Wonderful Town, Ragtime and Show Boat) and Sally Wilfert (Assassins).

All NEW2NY shows are presented at the Theatre at Saint Peters, and each show plays five performances: Friday at 8 PM, Saturday at 2:30 and 8 PM, and Sunday at 2:30 and 7:30 PM. Discussions follow the matinee performances.

The Lady in Penthouse B features music by Matthew Ward with book and lyrics by Peter Napolitano. The musical, according to press notes, asks, "What happens when a good-natured, struggling actress is forced to work for a bitchy, egotistical female gossip columnist? . . . The fun begins when Lady Susan, the aging, raging boss from hell, and Mel (Melanie) Mitchell, her downtrodden assistant, engage in a war of wills surrounded by a friendly choreographer, a vicious male columnist, an evil cat, a faithful dog and Mel's dead Aunt Maida."

Nancy Dussault played Maria in The Sound of Music on Broadway in 1962 and was twice nominated for Tony Awards for her work in Do Re Mi and Bajour. She was the first co-host of "Good Morning America" and appeared in television's "Too Close for Comfort," "The New Dick Van Dyke Show" and "The Love Boat."

The Theatre at Saint Peters is located at 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue. Tickets, priced $35, are available by visiting www.yorktheatre.org or by calling (212) 935-5820.