Newyorkers, the Manhattan-themed new musical revue that began Feb. 27 at Manhattan Theatre Club's Stage II, will open a week later than expected while the cast adjusts to three new songs being added to the show the weekend of March 9.
The show, billed as "a musical collage," was slated to open March 20, but will bow March 27 and continue its scheduled run to April 8, a spokesman said.
New York songwriters Stephen Weiner and Glenn Slater tackle the topical revue form by creating "a sometimes scathing, sometimes poignant and always funny look at the people, places and icons that make up the city of New York," according to production notes. Newyorkers is not to be confused with the 1930 Cole Porter musical, The New Yorkers, but is a cousin to such modern-life revues as Maltby and Shire's Closer Than Ever. The city and its personalities have been addressed in such revues as Urban Blight (seen at MTC in 1988) and Mayor (about New York City major Ed Koch).
The company includes Stephen DeRosa (Irma Vep, The Man Who Came to Dinner), Jerry Dixon (Once On This Island), Jesse Tyler Ferguson (On the Town), Pamela Isaacs (The Life), Liz Larsen (The Most Happy Fella) and Priscilla Lopez (A Chorus Line). Christopher Ashley (The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, The Rocky Horror Show, Communicating Doors) directs.
Designers are Derek McLane (set), David C. Woolard (costume design), Ken Billington (lighting), Brian Ronan (sound). Robert Billig is musical director and Robby Merkin handled orchestrations. Composer Weiner received the ASCAP Richard Rodgers New Horizons Award. He wrote the musical, Spittin' Image, with Laura Szabo-Cohen and Karin Kasdin, and is working on a new musical with Susan DiLallo called Once Upon a Time in New Jersey.
Lyricist Slater received the 1996 Kleban Award for lyrics, and, with Weiner, earned the 2000 ASCAP Richard Rodgers New Horizons Award. He is working on Disney animated film, writing with composer Alan Menken. He is an alumnus of the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop and is a resident writer with Musical Theatreworks. Slater also contributed additional lyrics to Broadway's A Class Act.
Tickets are $50. MTC Stage II in at City Center,131 W. 55th Street. For tickets, call (212) 581-1212. Visit MTC on the web at www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com.
— By Kenneth Jones
