Speakeasy Dollhouse Heads To Broadway
SPEAKEASY DOLLHOUSE
TRANSFORMS TIMES SQUARE’S
LIBERTY THEATER FOR
ZIEGFELD MIDNIGHT FROLIC
ZIEGFELD MIDNIGHT FROLIC
"An evening of
dark revelry” - The New York
Times
''Von Buhler infuses
the evening with a louche and lively glamour'' - The New Yorker
"Like being
inside a Baz Luhrmann movie" - TheaterMania
"A glorious
romp" - NY Daily News
"Thrilling and
unique" - TheaterMania
"A spangly,
slithering web of dreams" -
Talkin' Broadway
"Dizzyingly
elaborate" - Talkin' Broadway
"A creatively
altered universe" - Viewing
NY
"The darker side
of the American Dream" - Where NY
(March
5, 2015 – New York, NY) This spring, a former Broadway theater just off Times
Square will be resurrected as the lavish and risqué playground of Florenz
Ziegfeld and his Follies for SPEAKEASY
DOLLHOUSE: ZIEGFELD’S MIDNIGHT FROLIC, the third interactive show in
the Speakeasy Dollhouse series from author, artist and
playwright Cynthia von Buhler.
From
April 18 – May 9 at the Liberty Theater (accessible only through a
secret entrance located at the back of the Liberty Diner at 234 West
42nd Street), guests can step into a reimagining of Ziegfeld's 1920’s
extravaganza The Midnight Frolic, replete with showgirls, burlesque,
aerialists and – of course – plenty of spirits. At the center of the story is
the mysterious 1920 poisoning death of silent film star and Ziegfeld Girl,
Olive Thomas, and the subsequent destruction of her husband, movie star, Jack
Pickford. Inspired by Theodore Dresier's novel Sister Carrie, ZIEGFELD’S MIGNIGHT FROLIC explores
a starlet's transition from hopeful anonymity to disenchanted fame.
Audiences
will be free to follow the story on their own by wandering throughout an
expansive environment. Choose your corruption at Montmartre’s Cabaret du Néant
while a garish garcon regales you with tales of guillotines and deadly
bacteria. Sleuth the luxury suite at Hotel Ritz Paris where Pickford allegedly
tried to save the Follies’ star, after she drank poison. Take a gander at
the glories and gutters that created the American Dream.
In addition to Thomas,
Pickford and Ziegfeld, 1920s stars such as Fanny Brice, Josephine Baker, Eddie
Cantor, Billie Burke, Will Rogers, Marilyn Miller, Mary Eaton, Dorothy
Mackaill, Alberto Vargas, Mr. Gallagher, Mr. Sheen and the Ziegfeld Girls will
be represented in the cast. Guests will be entertained with dance, jazz,
silent films and magic – and as with all Speakeasy
Dollhouse experiences, guests are expected to ignore the advice their
parents gave them as children: they should be nosy and talk to strangers.
ZIEGFELD’S
MIDNIGHT FROLIC’s music arranger is Alphonso Horne, a member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center All-Stars,
the band that played nightly for the Broadway musical After Midnight.
Chris Pattishall and Jennifer Vincent are the co-music
directors of the show.
Cynthia von Buhler is the writer,
director and set designer of ZIEGFELD’S MIDNIGHT FROLIC. Von
Buhler's first play in the Speakeasy Dollhouse series, The
Bloody Beginning, has been running continuously in New York City since
2011. Chris Fink will
serve as associate director, in addition to playing Eddie Cantor. FX’s The
Americans star Alison
Wright will serve as Directorial Consultant. Delysia La
Chatte will be the choreographer for the dance and burlesque. Aerial was
choreographed by Anya
Sapozhnikova from House of Yes and Melissa Aguerre. Puppetry will be created and performed
by Erin Orr. Billy Butler, the silent film
explicator, will be writing original songs for the show, and Czech
photographer and filmmaker Bibiana is
creating silent films for the play that will feature the cast and the Liberty
Theatre.
Bespoke
cocktails will be created by Bootleg
Greg, mixologist at the Dean James Max farm-to-table restaurant Parallel
Post in Connecticut.
The SPEAKEASY
DOLLHOUSE series is produced by Smoosh & Smoosh Inc., which creates
unique experiences by applying audience immersion to theater, fine art, music,
events, and business. The company was founded in 2014 by husband and wife
duo Russell Farhang and Cynthia von Buhler.
SPEAKEASY DOLLHOUSE: ZIEGFELD’S MIDNIGHT FROLIC will be presented
every Thursday through Saturday evening, from April 18 – May 9, at the Liberty
Theater. To enter the Liberty Theater, guests must enter through the
Liberty Diner (234 West 42nd Street), where they will be escorted through
a back entrance in to the world of ZIEGFELD’S MIDNIGHT FROLIC.
Tickets must be purchased in advance and are priced as follows:
Dewdropper (General
Admission, 8pm) Dewdroppers wander and explore -- they don't need a seat. They
receive a role, a passport and an unforgettable experience. Please note: This
ticket level isn't guaranteed a seat unless they reserve the prix fixe dinner
with their ticket. You may reserve dinner by
emailing reservations@libertytheaterny.com
Bees Knees (VIP
Admission, 7:30pm) Showgirls escort you to VIP-only ''champagne orgy'' at ''The Hotel
Ritz in Paris.'' You receive a luxurious stage side reserved seat, a
celebrity role, a passport and an unforgettable experience. If you choose
the dinner option you enjoy your dinner at a premium table.
There
will be a separate $65 prix fixe dinner option for guests during the show
featuring traditional 1920’s American cuisine with pescetarian, vegetarian,
vegan and gluten-free options. The dinner includes an appetizer, a
salad, an entree, a dessert and a cocktail or wine. Reservations for dinner may
be made by emailing reservations@libertytheaterny.com. For questions about
dinner and the menu, call 212-997-0009 M - F from 10am - 5pm.
Tickets
are available by phone at 1-866-811-4111 or online at
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