A press release emailed to us today:
The Talk of the Town
Book, Lyrics and Music by Ginny Redington and Tom Dawes
Directed by Dan Wackerman
Performances at the Oak Room in the Algonquin Hotel
59 West 44th Street, Between 5th and 6th Avenues
SCHEDULE:
Performances begin Monday, May 23rd and will run every Monday until August 22nd. Performances are at 8:30pm
ABOUT THE SHOW:
The Peccadillo Theater Company is pleased to announce the return of their production of The Talk Of The Town, which is about the Algonquin Round Table, fittingly at the Algonquin Hotel.
The Talk Of The Town tells the story of the ten-year friendship of the wittiest literary lights of the 1920’s, including Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, George S. Kaufman and Alexander Woollcott. Loaded with their legendary quips, critiques and put-downs, this delightful period musical traces the legendary skirmishes (both romantic and otherwise) around the famed Algonquin Round Table.
Audiences and critics enthusiastically enjoyed Talk when it opened on November 8th at Bank Street Theatre. Brian Siebert of The New Yorker said, "…Ginny Redington and Tom Dawe’s well-crafted period-style songs are genuinely clever, and the classic quips, briskly deployed throughout, still crackle." David Pumo of The New York Theatre Experience wrote that, "this playfully glowing gem deserves a long and healthy life of its own after this run." Elyse Sommer of CurtainUp wrote that The Talk of the Town, "resourcefully and enjoyably brings most of these fascinating personalities to life." Michael Dale, writing for BroadwayWorld, praised the musical’s "cleverness, sophistication and period tunefulness," going on to say that, "We need stuff like this on Broadway." And Judd Hollander of the Epoch Times wrote that Talk "makes for a very enjoyable evening and one hopes the show will have a life elsewhere after this initial run."
Ginny Redington and Tom Dawes come from successful careers in the music business as singers, songwriters, musicians, arrangers and producers. Ms. Redington wrote songs for well-known artists such as Gladys Knight and Sarah Vaughan, as well as performing her own material. Mr. Dawes was a member of the rock group The Cyrkle (best known for their hits "Red Rubber Ball" and "Turn Down Day"); he also produced a number of records for other artists, including two gold albums for the British blues group Foghat.
The Peccadillo Theater Company was founded in 1994 with the goal of producing forgotten American classics – "forgotten" in the sense that most of the work the company does is rarely revived, and "classic" in the sense of enduring theatrical value. Peccadillo has produced the work of such Algonquin Round Table authors as George S. Kaufman and Marc Connelly (Beggar on Horseback) and Dorothy Parker (The Ladies of the Corridor). The company recently presented a highly acclaimed revival of John Colton’s The Shanghai Gesture and its widely praised production of Counsellor-At-Law, starring John Rubinstein, moved to the Theatre at St. Clement’s in January and won two Lucille Lortel Awards (Outstanding Revival and Outstanding Lead Actor). Counsellor was also nominated for three Outer Critics Circle Awards and a Drama League Award.
The Talk Of The Town begins performances on Monday, May 23rd at 8:30pm and will continue on every Monday through August 22nd. Tickets are $55 with a 2 drink minimum and may be purchased by calling (212) 840-6800.