“Randy yet ingenuous; it’s like a very bawdy Disney movie, with hummable pop music to match… smartly plotted and irrepressible.” — Time Out
“High-spirited… its nonjudgmental approach to sex and disability, and its brash desire to entertain, are winning. ” — The New York Times
“If I could fill this review with synonyms for ‘brilliant’ it still wouldn’t be enough, or do justice to just how good ‘Bastard Jones’ is…Run now, before you have to go on a wait list to see it on Broadway where it will surely find a deserving, long-term home.” — Stage Buddy
“Full of sexual innuendos, talented singers, and debauchery, Bastard Jones is a heck of a good time… This a wonderful way to spend an evening.” — Theater Is Easy
“Incredibly clever, zany and sexy… will bring such joy to your heart and a ‘tingle’ to everywhere else.” — BroadwayWorld
“I was impressed, delighted and amused by this highly creative, bawdy and effervescent musical… as much or more fun than most Broadway fare including ‘Hello Dolly.'” — eMusings
nancy manocherian’s the cell (Artisitic Director, Kira Simring) announces an extension of the World Premiere of BASTARD JONES, a rock musical comedy based on Henry Fielding’s bawdy 18th century novel, The History of Tom Jones. With book, lyrics, & direction by Marc Acito (Broadway’s Allegiance); music & lyrics by Amy Engelhardt (Grammy nominees The Bobs); and choreography by Joe Barros (Hard Times), performances will continue through July 16 at the cell.
BASTARD JONES is a rollicking adventure of deception, misunderstanding and bed-hopping. It centers on Tom Jones, a bastard-born charmer with a heart of gold and a knack for trouble who’s looking for love in all the wrong places. Tom gets banished from the only home he knows simply for expressing his true self, leading him to conscription in the army, a half-naked romp at a country inn and a stint as the boy-toy to an aristocrat whose machinations make Dangerous Liaisons look like child’s play.
The groundbreaking, diverse nine-member cast of BASTARD JONES stars Evan Ruggiero in the title role. Ruggiero, who was recently featured on “Ellen: The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and starred in The Toxic Avenger at Pittsburgh CLO, becomes the first amputee to star in a musical in New York. The production also features Elena Wang, who went on for Lea Salonga in Allegiance; newcomer Alie B. Gorie, who is legally blind; Crystal Lucas-Perry (Little Children Dream of God at Roundabout), Rene Ruiz (Toxic Audio); Cheryl Stern (Broadway’s La Cage Aux Folles opposite Kelsey Grammer); Tony Perry (National Yiddish Theater Folksbiene’s Shpiel! Shpiel! Shpiel!), Matthew McGloin (CasablancaBox) and Adam B. Shapiro (The Golden Bride). The production team features Matthew Liu (musical director), Gertjan Houben (lighting), M. Florian Staab (sound), Siena Zoe Allen (costumes), Bethany Mullins (costume associate), Louisa Pough (production stage manager), Kayla Santos (assistant stage manager), and Chris Steckel (production manager).
Because BASTARD JONES is about young people being banished simply for being themselves, 100% of the production’s proceeds will benefit Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors Fund. To support the fundraising campaign, please visit http://www.gofundme.com/celljones.
BASTARD JONES runs through July 16; Tuesday – Friday at 8pm and Saturday at 4pm & 9pm and Sunday, July 16 at 2pm.
the cell is located at 338 W 23rd St, between 8th & 9th Avenues — accessible from the C & E trains at 23rd Street. Tickets are $40 for general admission, $60 for reserved seating, available at 800-838-3006 or http://www.thecelltheatre.org.
Malini Singh mcdonald 