Joy Franz and CHERYL STERN will join the cast of Saul Ilson's musical comedy revue "DON'T LEAVE IT ALL TO YOUR CHILDREN! at The Actors Temple Theatre, 339 West 47th Street, NYC on Wednesday, August 12th.
"DON'T LEAVE IT ALL TO YOUR CHILDREN!", written and directed by Mr. Ilson ("The Smothers Brothers Comedy hour") is a laugh-filled 90 minutes of music and comedy that celebrates the funny side of the Golden years.
Ms Franz and Ms. Stern join Steve RossI (of Allan and Rossi) and James Dybas (Sunset Boulevard) in the comedy revue. The two actresses will replace Marcia Rodd and Barbara Minkus who will return to the show later this year.
Joy Franz appeared in the original Broadway production of Into the Woods as well as on the PBS broadcast and in the national company. She also appeared in the original cast of Assassins, A Little Night Music and in the Broadway, London and national company of Company. Her other Broadway credits include Pippin, Musical Chairs, Open Admissions, Sweet Charity, Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant, and Leonard Bernstein's Mass. She also toured as Meg Boyd in Damn Yankees with Jerry Lewis.
CHERYL STERN appeared on Broadway with Cynthia Nixon, Jennifer Tilly and Rue McClanahan in The Women (Roundabout; filmed for PBS), Candide (NY City Opera) and was featured with Jackie Mason in Laughing Room Only. Off-Broadway, Cheryl recently starred in Being Audrey and as Alice B. Toklas in 27 Rue de Fleurus, She won critical acclaim as Mamie Eisenhower in the Drama Desk-nominated production of First Lady Suite at Transport Group. Other Off-Broadway credits include, Requiem for William (also at Transport Group), I Love You, You're Perfect, Game Show, That's Life! and The Immigrant. She has appeared in first national tours of A Grand Night for Singing, Les Miserables, Evita and Fiddler on the Roof.
Director/Writer SAUL ILSON was nominated for 5 Emmy Awards and won the Writer's Guild of
America Award for comedy during his hugely successful 40+ years in television. As partner of Ilson/Chambers Productions, Saul produced and wrote some of the most successful comedy-variety series and specials on television including the legendary Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. He began his career writing musicals for television in Canada in the early 60s - one introducing Robert Goulet which was directed by Norman Jewison. He subsequently moved to Hollywood working with Billy Crystal, Dick Van Dyke, Bill Cosby, Bea Arthur, Carol Channing, Frank Sinatra and many others. He won an International Emmy and a Juno Award, (Canada's version of the Grammy) for his score for "Rich Little's Christmas Carol" which aired in Canada, on HBO and in 27 other
countries. "Don't Leave It All To Your Children" is Saul's second stage production - he wrote and
directed a musical-comedy called "How The West Was Sung", starring Mel Tillis, which ran for more than two years in Branson, MO.
JAMES DYBAS made his Broadway stage debut playing Sergio Franchi's son in the Richard Rodgers/Stephen Sondheim musical Do I Hear A Waltz? His other Broadway credits include Sunset Blvd., 42nd Street and original companies of George M!, Via Galactica, Pacific Overtures and The Scarlet Pimpernel. A six time recipient of the L.A. Drama-Logue Award, he played featured roles in Travesties, Nine, That Championship Season, The King and I, Breaking Legs, Romeo & Juliet, Guys & Dolls, Plaza Suite and a host of other plays and musicals in theaters throughout the U.S. and Europe. Film and TV credits include Sins of the City, Miami Vice, Somebody's Daughter and Guilty As Charged with Rod Steiger.
