*PRESS RELEASE* FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: 4/27/2022 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Contact: Andrew Rothman From: Chagrin Valley Little Theatre 40 River Street Chagrin Falls, OH 44122 Phone: 440-247-8955 E-mail: cvlt@cvlt.org Website: www.CVLT.org <http://www.cvlt.org/> Chagrin Valley Little Theatre to present ELLIOT & ME, a new musical comedy Subhead: CVLT hosts a special engagement featuring professional NY actors CHAGRIN FALLS, OH - The stage at Chagrin Valley Little Theatre will be hosting a limited run of ELLIOT & ME - a new musical comedy written by Steven Willensky and Scott Coulter, with music composed by Elliot Willensky and arranged by Michael Holland. Performances will be at 40 River Street in Chagrin Falls on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM, Sundays at 2 PM, from June 10 - June 25, 2022. Tickets, available at CVLT.org <http://CVLT.org>, are $21 with a $4 discount for students, seniors, and military. Based on the Willensky brothers' real lives and their powerful bond, ELLIOT & ME is a two-man musical filled with humor, colorful personalities, unexpected situations, and uplifting moments. It follows the adventures of Steven, the younger and more business-minded sibling, and Elliot, the charming, free-spirited ladies' man overflowing with songwriting talent, joie de vivre, and a knack for driving Steven crazy. The score features pop songs that the real-life Elliot Willensky wrote for stars like Smokey Robinson, Tony Orlando and others, as well as several never-before-released compositions that have been adapted for the production. The Willenskys reflect on the volatile ups and downs of their shared experiences: from their raucous "wonder years" growing up in Bayonne, NJ; to the painful conflict when Elliot defies the expectations of his traditional middle-class Jewish family and drops out of medical school to write pop songs; to Elliot's rise to stardom writing hits for the likes of Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston and Steven’s starry-eyed admiration for his Hollywood lifestyle; and eventually to their role reversals when Elliot’s career hits a few bumps in the road leading him to rely on Steven for help. CVLT audiences will be treated to professional actors Eric Briarley as 'Elliot' and Drew Seigla as ‘Steven.’ Briarley and Seigla, under the direction of Michael Bias, premiered ELLIOT & ME just across the river from Manhattan at Hudson Theatre Works in late 2021. "Both men showcase not only stunning voices but also superb acting chops," said a review of the production from NJArts. Eric Briarley has traveled the world playing iconic characters such as 'Rhett Butler' in a musical adaptation of /Gone With The Wind/, and 'Sam Carmichael' in the international musical sensation, /Mamma Mia!/ Briarley's other credits include: /Les Misérables/ (Broadway National Tour), /My Fair Lady/ (Royal National Theatre - USA Tour), /A Little Night Music/ (Goodspeed), /Show Boat/ and /Man Of La Mancha/ (Westchester Broadway Theatre), and /Ben, Virginia and Me/ (New York Music Festival). Drew Seigla made his Off-Broadway debut as 'Matt; The Mute' in /The Fantasticks/ where he continued for a solid two-year stint. He gained his second NYC credit after joining the cast of /Sweeney Todd/ as their Standby 'Anthony/Tobias/Beadle' at Barrow St. Theatre. Regional Theatre highlights include /Kiss Me Kate/ at Flat Rock Playhouse and 'Jack' in /Into the Woods/ at Barksdale Theatre. Before returning to NYC in 2014, Mr. Siegla made his opera debut with Lyric Opera Virginia, where he sang 'Gastone' and covered 'Alfredo' in /La Traviata/. He was last seen as 'Pertshik' in /Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish/ at Stage 42, directed by theater legend and Cleveland native, Joel Grey. He holds a B.M. from The Juilliard School, and studied Music Theatre at Elon University. Chagrin Valley Little Theatre is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded through individual and corporate contributions. Our programming is made possible in part by the citizens of Cuyahoga Country through Cuyahoga County Arts and Culture and by state tax dollars allocated by the Ohio Legislature to the Ohio Arts Council (OAC). The OAC is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically. ###