“13-YEAR-OLD MICHAEL AUSIELLO PRESENTS: BEVERLY HILLS – A PRETEND SOAP OPERA PERFORMED BY REAL ACTORS” SETS STARRY NYC BENEFIT READING FOR SEPTEMBER 8
Press Contact:
Rick Miramontez
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212 695 7400
EMBARGOED: FOR RELEASE AT 2:00 PM ET ON THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2025
THAT’S WHERE I WANT TO BE!
“13-Year-Old Michael Ausiello Presents:
BEVERLY HILLS-
A PRETEND SOAP OPERA PERFORMED BY REAL ACTORS”
SETS STARRY NYC BENEFIT READING
ALL-STAR CAST TO FEATURE
BOWEN YANG, JIM PARSONS, BUSY PHILIPPS,
MICHAEL URIE, RACHEL DRATCH, ANA GASTEYER,
RENÉE ELISE GOLDSBERRY AND MITCH SILPA
TICKETS TO SEPTEMBER 8 READING NOW ON SALE
PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT THE ALI FORNEY CENTER
To download show visuals and head shots, click HERE
New York, NY (August 7, 2025) – Producers Jay Marcus and Michael Ausiello announced today that following its string of sold-out shows in Los Angeles, 13-Year-Old Michael Ausiello Presents: BEVERLY HILLS – A Pretend Soap Opera Performed by Real Actors will make its New York debut in a star-studded cold reading at the Newman Mills Theater at the Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space on September 8, 2025. Joining the ranks of celebrities and comedians who have already performed in the show will be Rachel Dratch, Ana Gasteyer, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Jim Parsons, Busy Philipps, Mitch Silpa, Michael Urie, and Bowen Yang. Tickets are now available via https://mcctheater.org/tix/13-year-old-michael-ausiello-presents-beverly-hills-a-pretend-soap-opera-performed-by-real-actors/book/128001/.
In the 1980s’ Golden Age of television (see: Dallas and Falcon Crest), back when Michael Ausiello was but a closeted gay teen doing his damnedest to get by in small-town New Jersey, he penned 517 episodes of an original soap opera called Beverly Hills. Miraculously, the future founder of TVLine and author of “Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies” saved every handwritten script, and for the past year has been staging sold-out cold readings of the episodes at Los Angeles’ iconic Dynasty Typewriter. Now, the daytime drama makes its New York debut with a one-night only performance to benefit the Ali Forney Center.
13-Year-Old Michael Ausiello Presents: BEVERLY HILLS – A Pretend Soap Opera Performed by Real Actors is written and created by 13-Year-Old Michael Ausiello and directed by 53-Year-Old Michael Ausiello. The show is produced by Jay Marcus and Ausiello, with casting by Henry Russell Bergstein.
The Newman Mills Theater at the Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space is located at 511 West 52nd Street. BEVERLY HILLS is not a production of MCC Theater.
For more details, visit @beverlyhillsfanclub on Instagram, and to purchase tickets visit the following link: https://mcctheater.org/tix/13-year-old-michael-ausiello-presents-beverly-hills-a-pretend-soap-opera-performed-by-real-actors/book/128001/.
BIOGRAPHIES
Michael Ausiello (Creator/Writer/Producer) is a best-selling author, producer and journalist. Ausiello began his publishing career in 1997 at Soaps In Depth magazine before moving on to TV Guide in 2000, where he debuted his signature, spoiler tinged “Ask Ausiello” column and established himself as a major player in the world of TV journalism. In 2008, he jumped to Entertainment Weekly, before launching his own site, TVLine, in 2011. His acclaimed first book, the memoir “Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies,” was released by Simon Schuster in 2017. It became an instant best seller and, in 2022, spawned an acclaimed film adaptation starring Jim Parsons and Sally Field. @michaelausiello
Rachel Dratch (Cast) is perhaps best known for her seven years on “Saturday Night Live,” where she created many memorable characters, including Debbie Downer.
Other television credits include “King of Queens,” “30 Rock,” “Parks and Recreation,” “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver,” “Broad City,” “Inside Amy Schumer,” and “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.” On the feature side, Dratch appeared in Adam Sandler films such as Just Go With It, Click, and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, and opposite Parker Posey and Amy Poehler in Spring Breakdown. Recently, Dratch co-starred on Broadway in Selina Fillinger’s POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great
Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive, directed by five-time Tony Award winner Susan Stroman. For her role, she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play.
Ana Gasteyer (Cast), the iconic comedic actress has made us laugh for countless years. She was recently seen on Broadway in Once Upon a Mattress as the hilarious Queen Aggravain. She lit up the small screen on the SNL 50th Homecoming Concert and Anniversary Special, reprising some of her beloved, iconic characters, including ‘Bobby Culp, ‘Margaret from NPR’ and ‘Martha Stewart’. Recent TV credits include Justin Spitzer’s critically acclaimed NBC workplace comedy “American Auto,” Apple’s “Loot,” reuniting with Maya Rudolph for season 2. Gasteyer wrote and executive produced and starred in the hilarious holiday film parody A Clusterfunke Christmas for Comedy Central with Rachel Dratch. On the big screen, Gasteyer can be seen in Mean Girls, Robot & Frank, What Women Want, The Women, Happiest Season, and Wine Country. She will next be seen starring opposite Lilly Singh in the indie comedy Doin’ It, being released in theaters this September. She’s currently filming the Amazon feature comedy You Deserve Each Other. Additional television credits: “Lady Dynamite,” “People of Earth,” “The Goldbergs,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “The Good Wife,” “Suburgatory,” and “Girls.” She also starred in 2 live musicals for Fox: GREASE LIVE! as “Principal McGee” and A CHRISTMAS STORY LIVE! as “Mrs. Schwartz”. Gasteyer stunned judges on FOX’s “The Masked Singer” as “Tree”. On stage, Gasteyer starred in the Encores! Off-Center production of A New Brain and has stunned on Broadway with celebrated performances in Rocky Horror, The Royal Family, The Threepenny Opera, and as “Elphaba” in WICKED. She also played “Fanny Brice” in Funny Girl at the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera and “Fosca” in Stephen Sondheim’s Passion at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, as well as ‘Ms. Hannigan’ in the beloved classic Annie at the Hollywood Bowl. She regularly tours with her cabaret show featuring songs for her albums I’M HIP! as well as SUGAR AND BOOZE.
Renée Elise Goldsberry (Cast) is best known for originating the role of Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton, for which she won Tony, Grammy, Drama Desk, and Lucille Lortel Awards, and received an Emmy Award nomination for the Disney+ filmed version. She will return to Broadway in Spring 2026 in David Lindsay-Abaire’s new play The Balusters at MTC, and her previous Broadway credits include the musicals The Color Purple, Rent, and The Lion King, and the plays Good People and All In: Comedy About Love. Her theater credits include Shakespeare in the Park’s The Tempest and Two Gentleman of Verona, plus The Baker’s Wife, Love’s Labor’s Lost, As You Like It, I’m Getting My Act Together and Taking It on the Road, and the national tour of Dreamgirls. On television, she most recently starred in the critically-acclaimed comedy series Girls5Eva, for which she earned multiple Critics Choice and Television Critic Association Award nominations. For film, she next co-stars in Kathryn Bigelow’s highly-anticipated feature, A House of Dynamite, and her past screen credits include The Good Wife, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Waves, She-Hulk, Altered Carbon, Albany Road and her two-time Daytime Emmy Award-nominated performance on One Life to Live. Her recently-released debut album, Who I Really Am, is available now on all streaming platforms.
Jim Parsons (Cast) Emmy and Golden Globe winner Jim Parsons most recently starred as the ‘Stage Manager’ in the Broadway revival of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town. Directed by Kenny Leon and also starring Zoey Deutch, Katie Holmes, Ephraim Sykes and Richard Thomas among others, the play was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play. Parsons was nominated for a Tony on behalf of his work in the world premiere of Paula Vogel’s Mother Play on Broadway opposite Jessica Lange and Celia Keenan-Bolger. He was nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award in the category of Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Play, the play also received a nomination along with nominations for Drama League and Drama Desk Awards. Parsons is currently in production on The Leader, the true-crime thriller inspired by the story of the infamous religious group Heaven’s Gate. He starred alongside Ben Aldridge in Focus Features’ Spoiler Alert based on Michael Ausiello’s acclaimed memoir of the same title. Jim’s That’s Wonderful Productions produced the film as well as the CBS hit “Young Sheldon” and “Call Me Kat.” In 2020, he starred in the Netflix movie The Boys in the Band. He previously starred in the Broadway production of the show as well. Parsons starred on Broadway in An Act of God, written by 13-time Emmy Award winner David Javerbaum and directed by Joe Mantello. Parsons starred in the Broadway revival of Mary Chase’s Pulitzer Prize winning play Harvey. He received a Theatre World Award and Emmy nomination for his debut Broadway performance as “Tommy Boatwright” in The Normal Heart, starring opposite Ellen Barkin, John Benjamin Hickey, and Joe Mantello. The Normal Heart won a Tony Award for “Best Revival of a Play” and was presented with the Drama Desk Award for “Outstanding Revival of a Play” and “Outstanding Ensemble Performance.” Parsons’ other stage performances include, The Castle, The Countess, The Tempest and As You Like It. Parsons’ breakout role was that of Sheldon Cooper from the CBS smash hit “The Big Bang Theory.” The show was the #1 comedy in America and in many parts of the world. “The Big Bang Theory” also made history as the longest running multi-camera sitcom ever with 279 shows.
Busy Philipps (Cast) is a New York Times best-selling author, actor, activist, writer, and host of the new series “Busy This Week,” which she executive produces with Caissie St. Onge and Michael Gleason. Philipps is best known for her iconic television roles on “Freaks and Geeks,” “Dawson’s Creek,” and six seasons starring opposite Courteney Cox on “Cougar Town,” for which she won the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. She can most recently be seen on Netflix’s critically acclaimed comedy “Girls5Eva,” executive produced by Tina Fey. Recent film credits include Mean Girls: The Musical, I Feel Pretty, The Gift, and the upcoming horror-comedy “Horrified.” Philipps is currently on her second season of her late-night talk show “Busy This Week” on QVC+, following her previous series “Busy Tonight” on E!. She authored the 2018 bestseller “This Will Only Hurt A Little” and co-hosts the podcast “Busy Philipps is Doing Her Best.” As an ACLU Artist Ambassador, she advocates for reproductive freedom through congressional testimony and grassroots activism. Originally from Illinois and Arizona, Philipps now lives in New York City with her two daughters.
Mitch Silpa (Cast) has appeared in the films Bridesmaids, Spy, The Heat, The Boss, The Happytime Murders, Welcome to Me, and Along Came Polly. TV credits include recurring roles on ALL RISE, CHAD, NOBODIES, GREY’S ANATOMY, GILMORE GIRLS, and DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, as well as roles on WILL & GRACE, THE MIDDLE, CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, 2 BROKE GIRLS, & RENO 911!. He created, wrote, and produced (with Jim Cashman) the FOX pilot AMY’S BROTHER and was nominated for a WGA Award for writing on SNL. On stage he co-wrote and starred in (with Drew Droege) the two person show IT’S MITCH & DREW AND WE’VE NEVER FELT YOUNGER! (in LA and NY). His solo show FIVE GAME SHOWS & A FUNERAL has been performed in multiple theaters in L.A., and most recently at the Rocky Mountain Madness comedy festival in Colorado. He’s a proud alum of the Groundlings Theater of which he was a main company member for 13 years.
Michael Urie (Cast) Emmy-nominated and Drama Desk Award-winning actor Michael Urie was most recently seen onstage in Broadway’s Once Upon a Mattress alongside Sutton Foster. Currently, he can be seen in Oh, Mary! as Mary’s Teacher; and upcoming, he takes on the titular role in a reimagined production of Shakespeare’s Richard II at The Astor Theatre. Other past Broadway credits include Spamalot, Chicken & Biscuits, Grand Horizons, Torch Song, and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. He has received Obie, Lortel and Drama Desk Awards for varied onstage roles, such as in the one-man show Buyer & Cellar, Homos, Or Everyone in America, The Temperamentals, and Angels in America. He is the co-founder of Pride Plays, an annual festival that celebrates LGBTQIA theater creatives. On the small screen, he can currently be seen in AppleTV+’s “Shrinking,” for which he won a 2025 Critics Choice Award and has been nominated for a 2025 Emmy Award. He’s also well known for his dynamic roles on “Ugly Betty” and “Younger,” and in the films Maestro, Single All the Way, and Goodrich. A graduate of Juilliard, he grew up in Plano, TX.
Bowen Yang (Cast) is an Emmy®-nominated comedian, actor and writer who has captivated audiences with his distinct wit and comedic style while breaking barriers across film, television and podcasting. He currently co-hosts the critically acclaimed podcast, Las Culturistas, alongside Matt Rogers. Yang and Rogers recently brought their Las Culturistas Culture Awards to television for the first time, which aired on Bravo on August 5 and is now streaming on Peacock. Las Culturistas was named Podcast of the Year at the iHeart Radio Podcast Awards in 2023 and 2025. Yang also stared in The Wedding Banquet, Andrew Ahn’s remake of the 1993 comedy, opposite Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran and Han Gi-chan, which premiered at Sundance and debuted in theaters on April 18. Previously, Yang starred in Universal Pictures’ Academy® award-nominated film Wicked as “Pfannee” and will reprise his role in Wicked: For Good, releasing November 21. As a main cast member on “Saturday Night Live” since 2019, he has received four Emmy® nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. His additional credits include Fire Island, Bros, Dicks: The Musical, and “Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens.” In 2021, Yang was featured in TIME’s 2021 100Artists list.
Jay Marcus (Producer) is an LA-based Tony and Emmy Award-winning producer. In his first season on Broadway, Jay co-produced Oh Mary! (Tony Award Nomination for Best Play), Sunset Blvd. (Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical), and the Olivier Award-Winning West End production of Titanique. This season, he is co-producing the incredible new musical The Lost Boys, directed by Michael Arden with music by The Rescues and the Broadway transfer of last year’s smash hit off-Broadway revival Cats: The Jellicle Ball. In film & TV, Jay co-produced the critically-acclaimed film The Hate U Give (2018); co-executive produced the film On The Come Up (2022); and executive produced the series The Crossover for Disney+, which won the 2022-23 Emmy Award for Best Young Teen Series. He is also the founder of LA’s Hollywood Theatre Club. @mrjaymarcus
The Ali Forney Center is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive provider of shelter and wraparound services dedicated to homeless LGBTQ+ youth. Last year, over 2,200 youth accessed services at AFC and AFC served over 375,000 meals. Committed to saving the lives of LGBTQ+ young people, our mission is to protect them from the harms of homelessness and empower them with the tools needed to live independently. @aliforneycenter https://www.aliforneycenter.org/
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