Mandy Patinkin to Present a Trio of Concerts at Public Theater

Tony Award winner Mandy Patinkin will be heading back to his old stomping grounds at the Public Theater in December with a two-week series of three of his most popular concerts: Mamaloshen December 12, 17 and 21, Celebrating Sondheim December 11, 15 and 19 and Dress Casual December 8, 9, 13, 16 and 20. The concerts, featuring Paul Ford at the piano, will run in repertory for the first time ever, honoring the 20th anniversary of Patinkin's first concert at the Public. "I long to sing again in the house that Joe built," Patinkin said in a statement, referring to his mentor, the late Joseph Papp.

Dress Casual, first performed in 1989 during Patinkin's run in The Winter’s Tale, includes music by Rodgers and Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim and Harry Chapin, among others. The concert later transferred to Broadway. Mamaloshen, a collection of traditional, classic and contemporary songs sung entirely in Yiddish, played on Broadway in 1998. The piece was followed on the Rialto by Celebrating Sondheim, a journey through the music and lyrics of the legendary composer, in 2002.

Patinkin made his Public Theater debut in 1976’s Rebel Women, going on to star in the company’s productions of Henry IV Part 1, The Knife, The Winter’s Tale and The Wild Party. He won a Tony Award for playing Che in Evita and received Tony nominations for Sunday in the Park with George and The Wild Party. Patinkin recently concluded a run as Prospero in The Tempest at Classic Stage Company. Film credits count The Princess Bride, Yentl, Daniel, Ragtime Dick Tracy and True Colors. A TV veteran, Patinkin won a 1995 Emmy Award for his performance on the series Chicago Hope, and has appeared on shows including Criminal Minds and Dead Like Me.

Following his concert run at the Public, Patinkin will return to London to star in Mandy Patinkin: In Concert at The Duke of York’s Theatre for a nine-performance limited engagement running January 8-18, 2009.