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All Singing, All Dancing, All the Time

Written by Leslie (Hoban) Blake

The York Theatre Company

The Theatre at Saint Peter's
619 Lexington Avenue
yorktheatre.org

Watch our exclusive interview with York Theatre Company artistic director James Morgan!

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York Theatre Company artistic director James Morgan with TimesSquare.com correspondent Leslie (Hoban) Blake

When James Morgan first came to the York Theatre Company over 30 years ago, the company was still performing at the Church of the Heavenly Rest where it had begun in 1969. He was just out of drama school and soon became the company’s set designer par excellence. Over the years, he worked closely with the York’s founder, Janet Hayes Walker and in 1997, he became the company’s artistic director when she passed away.

Morgan was largely responsible for convincing Walker to change the York’s mission from revivals of dramas and comedies to producing only musical theater. Today in their home down under St. Peter’s Church in the Citicorp complex, the York is a hotbed of musical activity. They have presented more than 60 full-scale musicals, including such critically acclaimed world, American and New York premieres as "Fanny Hill"; "Thrill Me: The Leopold and Loeb Story"; "No Way to Treat a Lady"; "Jolson & Company" and "The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)." These and another twenty York original productions are currently available on CD.

In its never-ending quest for the next big musical, the York has also presented over forty readings of new musicals in its Developmental Reading Series. The York has helped develop such hit shows as "Avenue Q," "Adrift in Macao," "Children's Letters to God," "Bush Is Bad," "Souvenir" and "The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)." They also regularly host workshops of new musicals, several of which have received the prestigious Richard Rodgers Development Award, administered by The American Academy of Arts and Letters. The York is also the proud administrator of the Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theatre.

Among its roster of noteworthy musical revivals are "Little Me," "The Golden Apple," "The Grass Harp," "On the 20th Century," "A Doll's Life," "Lost in the Stars," "Carnival," "Merrily We Roll Along," and of course, "Sweeney Todd" which moved to Broadway as did the York’s version of another Sondheim classic, "Pacific Overtures." In addition to its full scale off-Broadway productions, the York has presented over 60 concert revivals of oft-forgotten musical theatre gems in its "Musicals in Mufti" series. "Mufti" means "in everyday clothes, without all the trappings of a large production," and each show is presented script-in-hand, with minimal staging.

Previous Muftis include "Wish You Were Here," "Fanny," "God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater," "Jumbo," "Carmen Jones" and "70, Girls, 70." This summer, “Musicals in Mufi” is presenting two works by Charles (Annie/Applause) Strouse: "It’s a Bird…It’s a Plane…It’s Superman!" (1966) and the New York premiere of "I and Albert" (1972), plus the very first Lerner And Lowe musical, "The Day Before Spring" (1945).

Be sure to watch our special video interview with James Morgan [above] and get a sneak peek at a rehearsal of "I and Albert."

yorktheatre.org

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