Sign-up for Next TWO Readings

The sign-up pages for PROMISES, PROMISES (4/26) and ANYONE CAN WHISTLE (6/21) are both now online. Plenty of roles still open for April (and I added a slot for Ensemble signups, which I must have missed when I first posted it).

Photos from 'Syracuse'

Last night marked the first time we got over 30 people into a room together for this simple (but fun) act of reading through a musical. Our reading of THE BOYS FROM SYRACUSE proved, once again, there is a true wealth of talent and enthusiasm for musical theatre in this community. With little or no rehearsal, our self-appointed cast navigated the skillfully crafted book and score with a combination of well-timed humor and sincere grace. By all accounts, the highlight of the evening was the perfectly harmonized "Sing for your Supper" as sung by Melinda Carlson, Athena McElrath, and Louise Stinson (encores and all!). A very special thanks to all of our participants.

THE BOYS FROM SYRACUSE Reading is Tomorrow

Our reading of THE BOYS FROM SYRACUSE is tomorrow. Here are a few details about our reading for those planning to attend:

SCRIPTS AND SCORES - Please plan to bring your own copies. If you need to know where to get your own copy, email us.

OPEN ROLES - There are still a few unclaimed roles. If you would like to claim one, please do so here or I will assign whatever remains open on Sunday.

PRE-READING REHEARSAL - While we do not have a formal rehearsal, anyone who wishes to come in advance of the 7pm reading start time to review a song or two should feel free to do so. KJ will be on hand starting at 6pm to help you through difficult sections or harmonies that you wish to review.

TIME, PLACE, and HOW TO GET IN - The reading will take place in the recital hall at Sherman Clay Pianos, located at NW 13th and Davis. The store closes at 5pm, so we MUST USE THE SIDE DOOR ON DAVIS. The door is locked from the outside, so you need to be let in. Someone will be monitoring the door between 5:30pm and 7pm. If you arrive after 7pm, YOU NEED TO CALL OR TEXT ME AT 914-522-9363 TO BE LET INSIDE.

WHY WE ARE DOING THIS - The goal of Entr'acte is to educate and enrich our collective knowledge of this art form, but also to network with fellow practitioners. We have a wide range of knowledge and experience among our participants. Please come with an open mind and willingness to both learn and share.

Questions? Don't hesitate to ask.

Entr'acte Sign-ups Online

Our casting sign-up page is now online for the MONDAY, April 26th reading of PROMISES, PROMISES. To sign up, please go here.

ALSO... There are still 4 open roles for THE BOYS FROM SYRACUSE. If you are interested in participating, or know someone who is, please go here.

Boys & Girls Needed for "BOYS"

There are still a few roles open for the March 28 reading of THE BOYS FROM SYRACUSE (including one choice lead female role that just opened up).

a) Please sign up here

b) Tell your friends about us

c) Come participate

d) Bring your friends

Spring '10 Reading Titles

First things first: Our next two readings will be on MONDAYS (not Sundays) April 26 and June 21 at 7pm.

Now on with the shows: If you find yourself in New York City this April - you can see both of these on stage with names like Sutton Foster, Donna Murphy, and Kristin Chenoweth. But if you don't have any plans to be in the Big Apple, then consider joining us to read PROMISES, PROMISES (April 26) and ANYONE CAN WHISTLE (June 21). (NOTE: our June date was originally announced as June 14, but a scheduling conflict at the venue required that we move to June 21.)

Based on Billy Wilder's film, "The Apartment," this 1968 musical was written by Neil Simon, Burt Bacharach, and Hal David. The story revolves around Chuck, a young, ambitious, likeable, charming bachelor, loans his apartment to his company's executives for their "extra curricular amatory pursuits" and Fran, a waitress in the company restaurant whom Chuck has admired from a distance (but who is involved with one of the company executives).

The show originally starred Jerry Orbach and Jill O'Hara (who was later replaced by her sister, Jenny). Two popular hits came from the show: "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" and "Promises, Promises." It was produced at New York City Center's Encores! featuring Martin Short and Christine Baranski, and is now being revived on Broadway with Kristin Chenoweth and Sean Hayes (who did a workshop reading of the show with Anne Hathaway back in 2008).

This legendary 1964 musical is a wacky, intelligent, highly unconventional musical satire. An absurdist fantasy by Arthur Laurents and Stephen Sondheim (who had worked together on both WEST SIDE STORY and GYPSY), ANYONE CAN WHISTLE tells the story of a corrupt mayoress who fakes a miracle to revitalize her bankrupt town and the ill-fated romance between the rational nurse out to expose the fraud and the easy-going doctor determined to enjoy the chaos it brings.

The original production, which starred Angela Landsbury, Lee Remick, and Harry Guardino, struggled to overcome criticism about its structure and message, and closed shortly after opening on Broadway. Since then it has established a cult status and several concert revivals (and full productions) have been mounted around the country (Carnegie Hall w/ Madeline Kahn, Bernadette Peters, and Scott Bakula; Ravinia Festival w/ Audra McDonald, Michael Cerveris, and Patti LuPone) with various script revisions. The upcoming Encores! concert will feature Donna Murphy and Sutton Foster (no other casting has been announced yet).

Cast sign-ups for both shows will be posted soon.