Sherwood, who is also the author of "The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud," will be on hand following the 2:30 PM performance of the new musical, which features music by Richard Isen and a book and lyrics by Erik Haagensen.
A cemetery in the Bronx is the unlikely setting for A Fine and Private Place, which will play the York through May 21. In the story — based on Peter S. Beagle's 1960 novel — Jonathan Rebeck is a recluse who lives in a Bronx cemetery. His companion there is a talking raven who flies in stolen food. Rebeck's unofficial job is to assist "newly arrived ghosts to accept death. Once these ghosts no longer remember what it is to be alive, they vanish. Michael and Laura are two such ghosts. Each has a conflicted past, not fully remembered, and takes different approaches to this new state of 'living.' A ghost at only 34, Michael wants to live, while Laura is ready to leave the world of the living."
The cemetery is based on the famous Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, a place where may theatre icons are buried.
Joseph Kolinski is Rebeck. Glenn Seven Allen is Michael and Christiane Noll is Laura. Also in the cast is Evalyn Baron. Gabriel Barre directs.
The York Theatre Company is located at Saint Peter's Theatre in Citigroup Center at 619 Lexington Avenue. Tickets are available by visiting www.smarttix.com. For more information go to www.afandpp.com or www.yorktheatre.org.
