NYC return of Ben Rimalower PATTI ISSUES

BEN RIMALOWER “PATTI ISSUES” returns to New York City for two performances Friday and Saturday, November 21 & 22 Written and Performed by Ben Rimalower Directed by Aaron Mark “A tight hourlong monologue that pairs a well-honed script with an engagingly spontaneous delivery and a nose for sharp, observational comedy, Mr. Rimalower’s funny, tender reminiscence rides an infectious rainbow high.” – The New York Times “Meticulously scripted and executed, with poignant punch lines that deliver laughs, emotion and insight." – Time Out New York “Endearing, drolly written and performed with heaps of charisma." – The New Yorker PATTI ISSUES – the hit solo play hailed as “heartfelt and cleverly constructed” ” by The Boston Globe and called “spellbinding, one of the best (and now longestrunning) offerings of the year," by The Village Voice – is set to play a return engagement in New York City on Friday and Saturday, November 21 and 22 at 9:30 PM at The Duplex, 61 Christopher Street. PATTI ISSUES recently concluded its triumphant 14-month run in New York (initially starring author Ben Rimalower and later, two-time Tony Award-nominee Robin De Jesus) and has also played to packed houses in Australia (Official Selection, Adelaide Cabaret Festival), Boston, Berlin, Glasgow, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami Beach, San Francisco, San Diego, Berkeley, Baltimore, Provincetown and the Fire Island Pines, as well as being personally selected by Artistic Director John McDaniel for the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center' Summer Cabaret & Performance Conference, in addition to performances aboard RSVP Vacations’ “Divina” cruise to the Caribbean and the recent premiere regional production of PATTI ISSUES presented by the Richmond Triangle Players in Virginia. Since PATTI ISSUES opened in August 2012, it has become a must-see show around the globe, garnering great word-of-mouth from attendees such as Tony Kushner, Alan Cumming, Laurie Metcalf, Michael Kors, Charles Busch, Billy Eichner, Justin Vivian Bond, Perez Hilton and Ms. LuPone herself (“The show’s fantastic,” she said. “It’s really wonderful. I was moved.”)Included as “Best New York Theater of 2012,” The Advocate called the show “smart, poignant and dishy as hell,” while it was dubbed “brilliantly brash and funny” by Instinct Magazine. PATTI ISSUES received a special Bistro Award for solo play and won the M.A.C. Award for “Male Debut.” PATTI ISSUES is directed by Aaron Mark (Another Medea with Tom Hewitt). When Ben Rimalower was eight years old, his father came out of the closet and embarked on a drug-fueled tear that left his family in tatters. Amid the chaos of his young life, Ben found comfort—like so many gay boys before him and after—in musical theater, and specifically in the transportive voice of Broadway star Patti LuPone. PATTI ISSUES marks Rimalower's much heralded debut as a playwright and performer, after serving as the director of numerous Off-Broadway plays, concerts and all-star benefits (and writing for Playbill and the Huffington Post). With a mix of comic irreverence, stark candor and show-biz bravado, PATTI ISSUES poignantly explores the challenges facing LGBT parents and children while shining unique light on gay men’s time-old obsessions with divas. ALL TICKETS at www.PattiIssues.com BEN RIMALOWER is the author and star of Off-Off-Broadway’s long-running, critically acclaimed smash hit solo plays, Bad with Money and Patti Issues (M.A.C. and Bistro Awards, Official Selection: Adelaide Cabaret Festival and Eugene O’Neill Theater Center Summer Conference), which he continues to perform on land and at sea all around the world, while two-time Tony nominee Robin De Jesus played “Ben Rimalower” in Patti Issues in New York and the Virginia’s Richmond Triangle Players mounted the monodrama’s recent regional premiere. His “Do You Have Patti Issues?” PSA with Alan Cumming and Patti LuPone was a homepage selection on FunnyOrDie. Ben writes a weekly column for Playbill has also written for The Advocate, Time Out New York and the Huffington Post, and his short story, Little Old Sam, was published as part of My Dog, My Friend. Ben directed and produced the Off-Broadway plays Joy (Actors Playhouse, Out Magazine: “Top Ten Theatre”) and The Fabulous Life of a Size Zero (Daryl Roth/DR2 Theatre). He also directed Justin Sayre Is Alive And Well…Writing (Ars Nova), Project Lohan (La MaMa E.T.C.), Snoopy! starring Sutton Foster (Symphony Space), And/or (Hot Festival), Sodom the Musical (Kraine Theatre) and the all-star Night Of A Thousand Judys(Playwrights Horizons) as well as staged readings for Second Stage, The York, Dixon Place and Ensemble Studio Theatre. He conceived and directed Leslie Kritzer is Patti LuPone at Les Mouches (Time Out New YorkAward) and subsequently produced Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records’ long- awaited recording, Patti LuPone at Les Mouches (Billboard “Heatseekers” Chart), digitally restored from archival tapes of LuPone’s legendary 1980 performances. In venues such as Joe’s Pub, San Francisco’s Plush Room and Los Angeles’ Upright Cabaret, Ben has earned the title the “Midas of Cabaret” (The Advocate) helming a slew of solo shows for artists including Erin Markey, Alec Mapa, Cole Escola, Our Lady J, Natalie Joy Johnson, Lindsey Alley, Molly Pope, Wendy Ho, John Hill, Scott Nevins, Kate Pazakis and Lance Horne, in addition to producing and hosting the Laurie Beechman Theatre's recurring variety show, ”Saturday Night Underground.” As a performer, Ben has been featured on Bravo TV’s “Watch What Happens Live,” ABC’s “Extreme Makeover,” “Our Hit Parade,” Murray Hill’s Oscar Night show, Billy Eichner and Rachel Dratch’s “Halloween Adventure” and as both Patti LuPone and Elaine Stritch in “You Like Me.” Assistant Director credits include Lonny Price’s productions of A Class Act (Manhattan Theatre Club, Broadway and Tokyo) and A Little Night Music (starring Patti LuPone, George Hearn and Zoe Caldwell) as well as the Emmy-winning Sweeney Todd. Ben studied Theatre Arts at U.C. Berkeley where he was the founding Artistic Director of BareStage (now celebrating its 19th anniversary). Follow @benrimalower on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube and visit benrimalower.com. AARON MARK is a New York–based playwright, director, and filmmaker. His play Another Medea, starring Tom Hewitt, was last presented at the Cherry Lane Studio Theatre, and his other plays have been developed by New York Theatre Workshop, Theater for the New City, the Blank Theatre, and American Theater Group. Directing credits include The Mystery of Irma Vep for Berkshire Theatre Group, Ben Rimalower’s award-winning monodrama, Patti Issues, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch at New World Stages for BC/EFA. His independent feature films are Commentary, Random Unrelated Projects, Do Not Duplicate (upcoming) and the documentary Zbornik Developing. He is a NYTW Usual Suspect. Visit him at aaronmark.net.