The Berkshire Musical Theater Workshop, BMTW, will present its inaugural staged reading of the new musical, Sense & Sensibility, at Shakespeare & Company's Elayne P. Bernstein Theater, 70 Kemble Street, Lenox, MA on Saturday, May 9, at 2 P.M and 7:30 P.M.
Sense & Sensibility, with music by Neal Hampton (The Chimes) and book and lyrics by Jeffrey Haddow (Scrambled Feet, Chekhov in Yalta), has been developed in the prestigious BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop in New York and will be directed by Sam Scalamoni (Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Lestat) and music directed by Amy Lieberman (Director of Choral Activities, New England conservatory of Music). Sense & Sensibility will star Broadway veterans, up and coming New York performers, and local Berkshire actors.
Sense & Sensibility tells the story of the Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne, who are as different as can be. Elinor is reserved, self-possessed, and rational to a fault, and Marianne is wildly romantic, emotionally uninhibited, and disdainful of half-measures. They struggle to cope with reduced circumstances and the pressure to marry well. Ecstasy, deception, dashed hopes, and near-tragedy lead them to discover profound truths that bring them closer together and ultimately put them within reach of true and lasting happiness. The lush, romantic score brings alive the repressed feelings, soaring emotions, and signature wit of Jane Austen in a totally new and exciting way.
The cast includes Piper Goodeve (Anne of Green Gables) who will play Elinor, and Deborah Grausman (A Stoop on Orchard Street) who will play Marianne. Elinor's romantic interest, Edward Ferrars, will be played by Zachary Prince (Jersey Boys) and Marianne's dashing young suitor, John Willoughby, will be played by Josh Young (Les Misérables). Todd Alan Johnson (Aida, It's a Wonderful Life) will play the grave, good-hearted Col. Brandon, and Russell Arden Koplin (Les Misérables, James Joyce's The Dead) will play the calculating, manipulative Lucy Steele. Alison Cimmet (A Tale of Two Cities) and Jamison Stern (By Jeeves) will play Fanny and John Dashwood, and Jan Neuberger (Wicked, Gypsy, Big, Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas) will play the duel roles of the kindly Mrs. Dashwood, and the cold-hearted and severe Mrs. Ferrers. J.B. Adams (Annie, Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Parade, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) will play the bluff country squire, Sir John, and local actress, Peggy Pharr Wilson, will play the gossipy matchmaker, Mrs. Jennings. Other members of the cast include Eleni Delopoulos (A Stoop on Orchard Street) and local actor, Michael Pizzi.
Berkshire Musical Theater Workshop is an organization founded to help new musicals make the leap from page to stage. Its mission is to provide the writers of new musicals with a creative, supportive, and serene environment in which to collaborate with actors and directors to breathe life into their work. The weeklong workshop culminates in two staged readings, with an opportunity for audience feedback so that the writers can further develop their work.
The presentation is free to the public. However, reservations are required and can be made by emailing tix@bmtw.org, or by calling (413) 637-3353. For further information or to make a tax-deductible donation to BMTW please email info@bmtw.org, or visit www.bmtw.org. Sense & Sensibility is a work in progress, and at this time, is not open to review. However, members of the media are welcome to attend. Early ticket reservations are strongly encouraged as public seating is limited.
