Benjamin Scheuer’s Acclaimed Autobiographical Musical “The Lion” Will Play Off-Broadway This Winter
Contact:
Rick Miramontez / Molly Barnett/Michael Jorgenson/Patrick Lazour
rick@oandmco.com / molly@oandmco.com / michael@oandmco.com / patrick@oandmco.com
212-695-7400
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE
BENJAMIN SCHEUER’S
ACCLAIMED AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL MUSICAL
“ T H E L I O N ”
WILL PLAY OFF-BROADWAY THIS WINTER
DIRECTED BY SEAN DANIELS
LIMITED ENGAGEMENT BEGINS FEBRUARY 3, 2015
OPENING NIGHT SET FOR FEBRUARY 8, 2015
New York, NY (December 11, 2014) – Producer Eva Price announced today that The Lion, the gripping, autobiographical solo show written and performed by Benjamin Scheuer, will play an extended engagement Off-Broadway this winter, following an award-winning run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and sold-out productions at the Manhattan Theatre Club and London’s St. James Theatre. The Lion, directed by Sean Daniels, begins previews at the Lynn Redgrave Theater at Culture Project (45 Bleecker Street) on Tuesday, February 3, 2015, with an official opening night set for Sunday, February 8, 2015. The show is set to run through March 29, 2015.
“The Lion is one of those rare and unforgettable shows that disarms you, enthralls you, and then never leaves you; experiencing the show as an unknowing audience member was one of my all-time greatest theatrical experiences,” Price said. “Artists like Benjamin come along once or twice in a generation, so it is an honor to share this joyful new musical with New Yorkers looking to be inspired by this uplifting and extraordinary story.”
Called “an irresistible winner… deeply moving” by the Daily News, The Lion is Scheuer’s raw, true story of love, loss, family loyalty, and the redemptive power of music. From his complicated relationship with his father, to beating Hodgkins Lymphoma at 29 years old, The Lion is an inspiring coming-of-age story at its finest from a songwriter who, according to the New York Times, “gets to the heart of the matter.”
The Lion will play the following performance schedule: Wednesdays at 7:30 PM, Thursdays at 7:30 PM, Fridays at 8 PM, Saturdays at 5 PM & 8 PM, Sunday at 3 PM. Tickets are $26 – $75 and are now available via www.TheLionMusical.com.
To watch Scheuer perform from the show as part of the New York Times’ “In Performance” series, click here: http://tinyurl.com/p5pd3fg and for a look at the title song’s award-winning animated music video, visit http://vimeo.com/60453523.
Bios
BENJAMIN SCHEUER (Writer/Performer). Scheuer is the recipient of the 2013 ASCAP Foundation Cole Porter Award for songwriting and the 2013 Musical Theatre Network Award for Best Lyrics. He has performed his work at The Royal Albert Hall; Lincoln Center; City Center; Symphony Space; Merkin Hall; Joe’s Pub, 54 Below, Birdland; the Edinburgh Fringe Festival; Usher Hall; The St. James Theatre, London; and the Bluebird Café, Nashville. The animated video for Scheuer’s song “The Lion” (dir. Peter Baynton) premiered at the 2013 Annecy Film Festival in France (Special Jury Award for Best Commissioned Film), London’s 2013 Crystal Palace International Film Festival (Best Music Video, Best Animated Video) and the 2014 British Animation Awards (Public Choice For Best Music Video). With his band Escapist Papers, Scheuer has released two albums: “Escapist Papers” and “The Bridge” (produced by Geoff Kraly). Scheuer is currently working on the album “Songs from THE LION.” He has been a writer-in-residence at the Goodspeed Opera House and the Weston Playhouse, and is an alumnus of the Johnny Mercer Songwriters Project. With photographer Riya Lerner, Scheuer is the co-creator of the book “Between Two Spaces.” He lives in New York City. BenjaminScheuer.com, @BenjaminScheuer
SEAN DANIELS (Director). Sean has directed at Manhattan Theatre Club, The Kennedy Center (Washington, D.C.), St. James (West End, London), Actors Theatre of Louisville, Geva Theatre, Playmakers Rep, Cleveland Play House, Alliance Theatre, California Shakespeare, Dad’s Garage Theatre Company, Swine Palace, Neo-Futurists, Aurora Theatre, Crowded Fire and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He currently serves as the Artist-At-Large for Geva Theatre Center. He previously spent four years at the Tony Award-winning Actors Theatre of Louisville as the theatre’s Associate Artistic Director (where he directed 17 productions including five Humana Festivals). Mr. Daniels is the former Associate Artistic Director/Resident Director of the California Shakespeare Theater and before that spent a decade as the Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Dad’s Garage Theater Company in Atlanta. He has developed new work with the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, Ars Nova, PlayPenn, Lark, PlayLabs, Asolo Rep, Goodspeed Opera, Weston Playhouse, Bay Area Playwrights, Magic Theatre and was the first American director asked to attend the Baltic American Playwrights Conference in Hiiumaa, Estonia. Sean has been named “one of the top fifteen up & coming artists in the U.S., whose work will be transforming America’s stages for decades to come” & “One Of 7 People Reshaping And Revitalizing The American Musical” by American Theatre magazine. @seandaniels
EVA PRICE (Producer) was named one of Crain’s NY 40 Under Forty Rising Business Stars for 2012 as well one of Blouin Art Info’s Top 25 Under 35 Emerging Broadway Players. She is Executive Producer/EVP for Maximum Entertainment, a Producing and General Management company located in NYC. Current Productions: The Temptations & The Four Tops on Broadway, Found– a new musical, The Darrell Hammond Project, Hershey Felder As Irving Berlin. Past Broadway credits include: John Grisham’s A Time To Kill, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Lewis Black: Running on Empty, Annie, Peter and the Starcatcher (5 Tony Awards), Kathy Griffin Wants A Tony, Colin Quinn Long Story Short directed by Jerry Seinfeld (Drama Desk Nomination), The Merchant of Venice starring Al Pacino (Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critic’s Circle Nominations), The Addams Family (Broadway, Tour, and Australia), Carrie Fisher's Wishful Drinking and Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
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