Jordan Gelber to Star in Off-Bway Premiere of Elvis People

Casting is set for Robert A. Rush and Emilee MacDonald's recently announced Off-Broadway premiere of Elvis People, a new play by Virginia Playwriting Award-winner Doug Grissom. The show is directed by Katharsis Theater Company Artistic Director Henry Wishcamper (The Polish Play: A Conflation of Macbeth; Ubu Roi). Performances will begin June 6th, at New World Stages Stage 1 (340 West 50th Street, between Eighth and Ninth Avenues). Opening Night is Thursday, June 21st.

The cast features Jordan Gelber (Broadway and Off Broadway's Avenue Q), Jenny Maguire (Rattlestick's Stay), David McCann ("Sex and the City," "The Sopranos"), Nick Newell (Mill Mountain Theatre's Antigone), Nell Page (Harold Clurman Theatre's Coquina), and Ed Sala (Broafway's Scarlet Pimpernel). The show's creative team includes scenic design by Cameron Anderson, costume design by Teresa Squire, lighting designer Robert Robins, sound design by Graham Johnson, wig, hair and make-up design by Erin Kennedy Lunsford, video and projection design by Maya Ciarrocchi and properties design by Lorelei Esser.

"No performer before or since has had the impact of Elvis Presley," state press notes, "from that first groundbreaking appearance on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' to Las Vegas to Graceland; American Demographics reports that 84% of all Americans say their lives have been touched by Elvis in some way.  Now, in this new play by Doug Grissom you will meet some of the funny and touching cast of characters whose lives were forever changed by 'The King' as Grissom traces the influence of Presley on our culture."

Tickets for Elvis People are $41 (including $1 theater restoration fee). During previews, June 6th through June 20th; regular tickets will be $65 (including $1 theater restoration fee). Performances will be Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 8pm, with matinees Wednesday and Saturday at 2pm, Sunday at 3pm. Additional performances are Monday, June 18th at 8pm, Monday, July 2nd at 8pm, and Sunday, July 8th at 7pm. There is a special performance Thursday, August 16th, on the 30th anniversary of Elvis' death, with a post-show reception and talkback – all seats $99.00. To purchase tickets, visit Telecharge.com or call 212-239-6200. For more information, visit www.elvispeople.com.

Photo of Jordan Gelber by Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.