MY MOTHER'S ITALIAN, MY FATHER'S JEWISH... Starts Performances 10/12

Steve Solomon's international hit comedy My Mother's Italian, My Father's Jewish & I'm in Therapy! starts performances next week starring Tony Award-winning stage and television star Paul Kreppel. The hilarious show has a 12-week run at the Bathurst St. Theatre from October 12, 2011-January 1, 2012. (The media performance is Wednesday, October 19 at 7pm.). Tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster or www.italianjewish.ca.

My Mother's Italian, My Father's Jewish & I'm in Therapy! played for almost two years in New York City in the heart of Broadway at the Little Shubert Theatre and The Westside Theatre; and has toured nationally and internationally in more than 100 cities. Kreppel performed in the show for over a year in New York City which, during his run there, won Broadway.com's "Favorite New Play" Award.

Paul Kreppel is best known to TV fans as lounge lizard Sonny Mann in the 80's sitcom "It's A Living." His hundreds of other TV appearances include everything from "The Love Boat" to "ER" and as Jackie's Dad on "That 70's Show!" Kreppel's New York acting credits include Joseph Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival productions at the Public, Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont and Shakespeare in the Park's Delacorte Theaters. His on and off-Broadway acting credits include Godspell, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh!, The Proposition and Joseph Papp's productions of The Comedy of Errors, Agamemnon and Alice in Concert, and, of course, My Mother's Italian, My Father's Jewish and I'm in Therapy! - as well as starring in the national tour of Jerome Robbins' Broadway.

Kreppel's theatre directing credits include the Godspell national tour, Both Barrels, Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh!, God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, and world premieres of Zero Hour and Don't Hug Me. He won a 2007 Tony Award for co-directing/producing/creating Jay Johnson: The Two and Only!

Written by award-winning author Steve Solomon, the hilarious one-man comedy is based on Solomon's life growing up in a wacky family noted for its bi-ethnic diversity and aptitude for dysfunctional behavior. The author, whose mother is from Palermo and whose father is from Russia, grew up with his older sister (The Smoker!) in Brooklyn, NY.

Described as "One part lasagna, one part kreplach, and two parts Prozac," you don't have to be Jewish or Italian to love this show. All you need is to know what it feels like to leave a family dinner with heartburn and a headache!

Variety said it's "a little Alan King here, a pinch of Seinfeld there, with a smidgen of Don Rickles, Billy Crystal and George Carlin thrown in." Regis Philbin called it "Hysterically funny! Non-stop laughs all the way! I can't recommend this show enough, it's just great!" And Martha Stewart Living Radio raved that it was "as heartwarming as comfort food. Everyone can relate to this!" while Hadassah Magazine described it as a 90-minute laugh-fest!"

The production was awarded "Audience Choice Award - Favorite New Play" by Broadway.com and won the "Theater Fans Choice Award" for Best off-Broadway play on BroadwayWorld.com.

Solomon has written two sequels to his original hit: My Mother's Italian, My Father's Jewish and I'm STILL in Therapy and his hilarious holiday show My Mother's Italian, My Father's Jewish and I'm Home for the Holidays! All three are currently touring the United States starring either Solomon (who spends more than 40 weeks each year touring with his shows) or other actors he's trained to keep up with demand. The original show has played almost 1,900 times since its inception, making it one of the longest running one man comedy shows on record.

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