Manhattan Theatre Club announce four productions of their upcoming 2008 - 2009 season

Manhattan Theatre Club announce four productions for their upcoming 2008-2009 season.

Two Broadway plays to be staged at the Biltmore Theatre: World premiere To Be Or Not To Be by Nick Whitby and Broadway premiere by The American Plan by David Grindley.

Two Off-Broadway prodeuction to be staged at the NY City Center - World premiere Romantic Poetry book & lyrics by John Patrick Shanley, with score by Henry Krieger, and Ruined by Lynn Nottage.

Specific production dates, casting, and the remaining three productions of the seven play season will all be announced at a later date.

Broadway's Biltmore Theatre:

• To Be Or Not To Be
  (World Premiere)
  by Nick Whitby, directed by Casey Nicholaw.

  Synopsis: At the Polski Theatre in 1939 Warsaw, Joseph and Maria Tura are about to open yet another smash with their theatrical troupe. As the German invasion gets underway, the theatre is closed by the censors, forcing the troupe to face desperate times. But when a handsome young bomber pilot enlists their help to catch a spy, what is a group of actors to do?

• The American Plan
  (Broadway premiere)
  by Richard Greenberg, directed by David Grindley.

  Synopsis: It is the Catskill Mountains in the early 1960s, and Lily Adler and her mother Eva are spending the summer across the lake from a bustling hotel where comics entertain and buffets overflow. When a handsome young stranger enters their world, the emotionally fragile Lily finds herself falling in love. But once her imperious mother learns of their relationship, lies are exposed, alliances are forged and Lily's one chance to escape her mother's control may be lost forever.

Off-Broadway's New York City Center:

• Romantic Poetry
  (World Premiere)
  . Book and lyrics by John Patrick Shanley, music by Henry Krieger and directed by John Patrick Shanley.

  Synopsis: Connie of Woodmere has just married Fred of Newark, but her exes are back in the picture and not sure they approve of the union. Judy of Westchester is being wooed by Arthur, a dishwasher poet of no particular address, while her husband is out of town. And Lily of Soho is climbing Wally of Little Italy's fire escape with amorous erotic intent.

• Ruined
  (World Premiere)
  by Lynn Nottage, directed by Kate Whoriskey. Presented in association with The Goodman Theatre.

  Synopsis: Set in a small mining town in Democratic Republic of Congo, the play follows Mama Nadi, a shrewd businesswoman in a land torn apart by civil war. But is she protecting or profiting by the women she shelters? How far will she go to survive? Can a price be placed on a human life?