ISLAND CITY STAGE KICKS OFF ITS 14TH SEASON WITH RUTHLESS! THE MUSICAL, THE KILLER OFF-BROADWAY CULT CLASSIC FEATURING COMEDY, AMBITION, STAGE MOTHERS, CHILD STARS, AND MURDER?

Buckle up for Ruthless! The Musical, the hilariously twisted comedy where the spotlight can be deadly, launching Island City Stage’s 14^thSouth Florida Season on November 6. Meet eight-year-old Tina Denmark—a pint-sized diva who knows she was destined to play Pippi Longstocking in her school musical, and if she has to knock off the competition to get the part? Well, that’s showbiz! This Off-Broadway cult favorite is a deliciously campy satire packed with sharp wit, outrageous twists, and over-the-top characters. The show will run through December 7.

The book and lyrics of Ruthless! The Musical are by Joel Paley, music by Marvin Laird, and the production is directed by Island City Stage’s Artistic Director, Andy Rogow.

“When people ask me about Ruthless! The Musical, I say, ‘Imagine a mash up of The Bad Seed, All About Eve and Gypsy,’ and they immediately start laughing,” said Rogow. “Every time Ruthless! The Musical has been produced in South Florida it has won Carbonell Awards because the roles in it are gold mines for musical theatre performers. Island City Stage has been fortunate to assemble a truly gifted cast chock full of award-winning South Florida musical theatre stars.”

Ruthless! The Musical opened at the Players Theatre in New York City’s Greenwich Village on March 13, 1992 and ran for 342 performances. The lead role of Tina was originally played by nine-year-old Laura Bell Bundy, best known today as a highly successful country music artist and TV, stage and screen actress. A bit of trivia: two other stars of tomorrow, Natalie Portman and Britney Spears, served as understudies for the original production. The show won the 1993 New York Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical. The show opened in Los Angeles in 1993, in Miami in 1995 and in London in 2002, among many other venues since then.

Island City Stage’s production of Ruthless! The Musical stars nine-year-old child actressDaisyTanner (Tina Denmark), Lindsey Corey (Judy/Ginger), Leah Sessa (Louise/Eve), Maribeth Graham (Miss Thorn/Reporter), Michael Ursua (Sylvia St. Croix) and Aaron Bower (Lita).

Daisy Tanner will be making her Wilton Manors debut at Island City Stage! She made her first appearance on stage at just 3 months old in Tony Finstrom’s Wave Your Flag opposite the legendary Jan McArt. Her credits include Marta in The Sound of Music (Lake Worth Playhouse), Little Cosette in Les Miserables School Edition and Bruce in Matilda Jr. (Performance Edge 2), and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (The Wick Theatre). Showbiz runs in the family of Tanner as Daisy is the daughter of stage veterans Amy Miller Brennan and Shane Tanner. Brennan won the Carbonell Award for Best Actress in a Musical for playing Judy/Ginger inRuthless! The Musical in 2013 at Actors Playhouse. Tanner is also a Carbonell winner.

Also making her Island City Stage debut is multiple Silver Palm Award and Carbonell Award-winner Lindsey Corey. Corey’s performance highlights include the pre-Broadway engagement tour of A Wonderful World, Jenna in Waitress (Actors’ Playhouse), Nancy in Oliver! (Maltz Jupiter Theatre), Aimee in The Humans (Palm Beach Dramaworks), Sally Bowles in Cabaret (Zoetic Stage) and Sukie in The Witches of Eastwick (Slow Burn Theatre Company). When not onstage, Corey works at Insight for the Blind, producing audio recordings and other accessible media for the blind through the Library of Congress and their Talking Books program. Originally from Chattanooga, TN, Lindsey currently lives in Fort Lauderdale with her husband, Matt.

Leah Sessa is thrilled to be back at Island City Stage where last she was last seen playing Vivenne in PULP. Sessa is a Carbonell and Silver Palm recipient most recently  seen playing Alice in Thinking Cap’s rock production of Lizzie!. Her past credits include Something Rotten, Witches of Eastwick, Heathers (Slow Burn) Harlowe (Theatre Lab), Minister’s Wife, Kings (GableStage) Dividing the Estate (Palm Beach Dramaworks) Anything Goes, Bye Bye Birdie, Beautiful, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (The Wick Theatre) Guys and Dolls, Disenchanted(MNM), One Man Two Guvnors (Actors Playhouse) and Tango Palace (Thinking Cap Theatre).

Maribeth Graham is an actor, singer and lyricist who divides her time and toothbrushes between South Florida and New York City. Her New York Off-Broadway credits include Secrets Every Smart Traveler Should Know (Cast Album), Romantic Fools (Lion Theatre) and, Chatting with the Tea Party (Robert Moss Theatre). Her regional credits include A Doll’s House, Part 2 (Waterfront Playhouse), The Dead (GableStage), Company (Palm Beach Dramaworks) and her original musical, See Jane Run (The Studios of Key West). A six-time Carbonell nominee, Graham has won the award four times including Best Actress for The Adding Machine and Best Supporting Actress for Ruthless!

Michael Ursua returns to Island City Stage after portraying Barry Manilow in the theatre’s production of Bette and Barry: From Bathhouse to Broadway. He’s also performed as Albin/Zazain La Cage Aux Folles in productions for both the Arizona Broadway Theatre and the MNM Theatre Co. Other performances include Tateh in Ragtime (The Garden Theatre),  Thomas Weaver in The Story of My life (The Studio Theatre), Archibald Craven in The Secret Garden(Slow Burn Theatre Co.),  Bernadette in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (freeFall Theatre), Anthony in End of the Rainbow (The Wick Theatre), Hysterium in Forum (The Barnstormers Theatre), The Baker in Into the Woods and many others. He is also a well-known musical director, Carbonell and Silver Palm Award winner and is the artistic director of the LPAC Broadway Series.

Aaron Bower has performed all over South Florida and traveled the US and Europe in five national tours, most recently as Marmee in Little Women. Some of her favorite roles include Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes and the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella (The Wick Theatre), Amanda inThe Glass Menagerie (Winnipesaukee Playhouse), Frau Kost in Cabaret (Maltz Jupiter Theatre), Domina in Forum and Sleeping Beauty Disenchanted (MNM) and Muriel in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Stagedoor). Originally from Kansas City, Bower calls Jupiter home with husband Ed and kids Lily, Archer, and granddaughter Violet.

Ruthless! The Musical  is co-produced by Robert Korn and Al Menendez; set sponsor is Glenn Goldberg; Lights and Sound Sponsor is Scott Bennett; and Costume Sponsors are Walter Boyd and David Santee.

Individual show tickets start at $50. A Mimosa Sunday Brunch sponsored by Murl Casey, Chuck David, Chuck Jackson & Steve Laskin will take place November 16 with tickets priced at $67. Women’s Night at the Theatre, sponsored by Leslie Fine, takes place on December 5 with tickets at $50. The show runs for two hours with an intermission.

From twisted tales to touching human stories, Island City Stage’s upcoming season invites you to expect the unexpected. Upcoming bold productions, each delivering unexpected twists, inventive storytelling, and unforgettable theatrical moments include  The Little Foxes by Lillian Hellman from January 8 – February 8;Everything Beautiful Happens at Night by Ted Malawer from April 2 – 26;Light Switch by Dave Osmundsen from May 21 – June 14andEureka Day by Jonathan Spector from August 20 – September 20. 

Island City Stage will also be offering two Flexpass options this season. The Flexpass5 ($225) offers five tickets that can be used all for one show or one for every show (no processing fees) and $5 off additional tickets purchased. The Flexpass3 ($136) offers three tickets that can be used all for one show or one for every show (no processing fees) and $5 off additional tickets purchased. Discounts are available for groups.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.islandcitystage.org, call (954) 928-9800 or email boxoffice@islandcitystage.org. Follow Island City Stage on Facebook at facebook.com/IslandCityStageFL and on Instagram at @islandcitystage1.

Founded in 2012, Island City Stage is a professional theater committed to sharing stories of universal interest, engaging diverse audiences with entertaining, challenging, and inspiring productions and programs, often exploring the LGBTQ+ culture. These shows are brought to life on stage through the talents of professional artists whose credits include Broadway, Off Broadway, national tours, major regional theaters, film and television. Island City Stage offers an intimate setting with six rows of stadium seating to foster a feeling of inclusion and participation in each theatrical event. Island City Stage is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization. It is located at 2304 N. Dixie Hwy in Wilton Manors. For tickets and more information, please call (954) 928-9800 or visitislandcitystage.org.