The Second Tosca June 8, 2007

WORLD PREMIERE OF THE SECOND TOSCA

A DELECTABLE COMEDY ABOUT WHAT REALLY HAPPENS BACKSTAGE AT THE OPERA…
“Put on an outrageous dress and raise the rafters” ~ from The Second Tosca

New York, NY – Producer Sorrel Tomlinson presents a limited engagement of The Second Tosca, a new play written by Tom Rowan and directed by Kevin Newbury. Performances will run from June 8th to July 1st, 2007 at The 45th Street Theater in NYC, located at 354 West 45th Street. Previews begin June 8th for a June 13th opening.

The Second Tosca is a contemporary comedy that takes place backstage at Opera California during rehearsals for Tosca. Meet a rising operatic star, her rivalrous brother, the controlling maestro who wants to marry her, a diva with a dog, an assistant with a dream, and a meddling singing ghost. Part romantic comedy, part ghost story and part juicy soap opera, The Second Tosca brings us smart, sexy highbrow humor in the spirit of Noel Coward and Moss Hart, and features music from the operas of Puccini, Verdi, and others. The Second Tosca was developed at the Ensemble Studio Theater.

The outstanding cast includes Rachel deBenedet (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Nine, Adrift in Macao), Vivian Reed (two-time Tony nominee; Marie Christine, Bubbling Brown Sugar), Jeremy Beck (Love’s Labour’s Lost and The Cherry Orchard with Kate Burton at the Huntington Theater), Tug Coker (The Cataract at The Women’s Project), Eve Gigliotti (The Bronx Opera in the title role in Carmen), Mark Light-Orr (Lortel Award-Outstanding Revival, Counsellor-At-Law), Melissa Picarello (Dog Sees God) and Carrington Vilmont (The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway).

Playwright Tom Rowan’s first play, Kiss and Cry, was nominated for a 2007 GLAAD Media Award and was published by The New York Theatre Experience in the anthology Plays and Playwrights 2007, edited by Martin Denton. Tom’s plays, Kiss and Cry, David’s Play and The Second Tosca were given staged readings at EST.

Director Kevin Newbury’s theater credits include Candy and Dorothy (Drama Desk Award nomination, GLAAD Award winner), and Kiss and Cry (GLAAD nomination). His opera credits include productions at New York City Opera, Minnesota Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Chicago Opera and Santa Fe Opera. NYTheatre.com named him one of 15 “most influential people in Off-Broadway theater.” Kevin is a member of the Lincoln Center Director’s Lab.

Producer Sorrel Tomlinson’s first production, Dog Sees God, was one of the breakout hits of the 2004 New York International Fringe Festival, winning an Excellence Award for Best Overall Production. The play was also chosen as one of Theatermania’s 10 Best Plays of 2004 and won the GLAAD Media Award for Best Off-Off-Broadway production. Following its successful Fringe debut, Sorrel shepherded Dog Sees Dog to Off-Broadway. She also produced the award winning 2006 Fringe show Broken Hands.

The production team consists of Charlie Corcoran (Scenic Design), Joanne Haas (Costume Design), D.M. Wood (Light Design), Jill BC DuBoff (Sound Design), David Gibbs/DARR Publicity (Press Rep) and Erika Creagh (Marketing).

Limited Engagement: June 8th - July 1st, 2007. Previews begin June 8th for a June 13th opening, which will be at 6:30pm. All other performances run Thursdays-Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 3pm. Please note that there will be an added performance on Tuesday, June 12th at 8pm and no performance on Sunday, June 10th. Tickets are $18 and can be purchased by calling 212-868-4444 or visiting http://www.smarttix.com. Direct ticket link is http://www.smarttix.com/show.aspx?showCode=SEC10. Appropriate for ages 16 and up. Trains: A,C,E,1,2,3,7,9,N,Q,R,S,W to 42nd Street.
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DARR PUBLICITY

Official Website: http://www.thesecondtosca.com