Reichen Lehmkuhl to Lead MY BIG GAY ITALIAN WEDDING; Opens 5/5

Reichen Lehmkuhl, the "Amazing Race" winner will be getting married this spring... in the new comedy, My Big Gay Italian Wedding, by Anthony J. Wilkinson, Off-Broadway at St. Luke's Theatre, 308 West 46th Street (between Eighth & Ninth Avenues), beginning an open-ended ‘engagement' on May 5th, with Opening Night set for May 22nd.

Reichen Lehmkuhl is an actor of television/film/stage, a public speaker, a model, a flight instructor, a successful entrepreneur, a published author, a former Captain in the Air Force, and a Graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. Since winning CBS TV's "The Amazing Race 4," Reichen has caught the eye of several casting directors and has appeared on "Frasier," "The Drew Carey Show," "Days of Our Lives," and "The Young & The Restless." He has also performed in three movies including Ethan Greene, Partners, and The Scorned, as well as having appeared on his own television show, "The Reichen Show" on the Q TV Network. He is one of the stars of the E! television production "Kill Reality," and is now on the series "Dante's Cove" (as Trevor) on the Here! TV. He has hosted many other shows on a variety of subjects and on a variety of major and cable networks. Reichen is a published author of the book, Here's What We'll Say: Growing up, Coming out, and the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he tells the harrowing inside story of what happens at our nation's service academies when cadets who are committed to serving their nation's military figure out that they are in fact gay. Reichen continues to work as much as possible, now on the civilian side of life, to end the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy and its associated ban on the open/honest service our LGBT&Q military service members. Spending much of his time on the road, Reichen takes great interest in studying basic human rights and speaks to thousands of people each year at colleges, universities, and corporations on the subject of equal rights for all citizens. Reichen is the creator of a jewelry line called "Fly Naked" and continues to work as an entrepreneur. Ten percent of the gross proceeds of Fly Naked are donated to Service Members Legal Defense Network, the organization operating in our legal and political system to combat the continued ban on the open service of LGBTQ people in the US Armed Forces.

Planning a wedding can be hell... or a hell of a lot of fun! Two handsome grooms, one overbearing Italian mother, a jealous ex-boyfriend, the wedding planner from Hell, and an assortment of kooky family and friends all gather together for Off-Broadway's newest laugh-out-loud comedy with a heart.

When the original production of My Big Gay Italian Wedding premiered in 2003, the idea of GAY MARRIAGE was a fantasy. In 2010, the International debate on Gay Marriage reaches new heights: Gay Marriage is now legal in eight and a half countries (Belgium, Canada, Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Sweden and parts of Mexico) and five states in the US (Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and District of Columbia). So playwright Anthony Wilkinson has gone back to the typewriter and brought his acclaimed comedy into this new era of hope and optimism for same sex marriage. Except for that pesky mother and the ex-boyfriend...

My Big Gay Italian Wedding is presented by Anndee Productions. It is directed by Teresa A. Cicala, with wedding dances staged by J. Austin Eyer. Complete casting and design team will be announced later. Performances of My Big Gay Italian Wedding will be Wednesday thru Saturdays at 8:00pm at St. Luke's Theatre (308 West 46th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues). Tickets are $66.50, including $1.50 restoration fee, and are available through Telecharge.com or by phone at 212/239-6200.

For more information visit www.BigGayItalianWedding.com