The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) and Seeing Stars the Musical Inc. present the original musical SEEING STARS, Music by Don Breithaupt, Lyrics by Jeff Breithaupt, Book by Shelley McPherson and directed by Jenn Thompson. Seeing Stars performances will take place on Wednesday October 7th at 8:00PM , Saturday October 10th at 5:00PM , Sunday October 11th at 4:00 PM , Tuesday Oct 13th at 9:00PM , Friday Oct 16th at 9:00PM and Saturday October 17th at 1:00PM at The Theatre at St. Clement's 423 West 46th St, between Ninth and Tenth Avenues. Tickets, priced at $20, can be purchased online at www.nymf.org/seeingstars or by calling (212) 352-3101. For more information, please visit www.NYMF.org/seeingstars or www.seeingstarsthemusical.com.
Seeing Stars, set in the rich milieu of New York's 1930s boxing scene, is a tough and tender romantic comedy centered on a love triangle that gets settled in the ring. This original musical tells the story of childhood friends Eddie "Bare Knuckles" McSorley and "Gentleman" Joe Sullivan; two rival boxers in love with Jean, a feisty reporter working at the World Chronicle. A black-and-blue romance with a bruising climax and a colorful cast of pugs, thugs and dames, Seeing Stars picks up where Broadway's mid-century giants left off with a larger-than-life landscape populated by tuneful palookas and palpable local color. Filled with laughs, style and memorable melodies, Seeing Stars explores the world of "boys being boys" and the women who love them.
Featuring music and lyrics by the Breithaupt Brothers - Don (composer) and Jeff (lyricist) - Seeing Stars was part of The York Theatre's Developmental Reading Series earlier this year, before being selected (in a double blind-jury process) as part of The New York Musical Theatre Festival's 2009 Next Link Project. Originally from Canada, The Breithaupt Brothers host a regular revue of their songs at New York's Joe's Pub at the Public Theater. Past performers include Tony Award-winners James Naughton and LaChanze, multiple Tony nominee Kelli O'Hara, Norm Lewis, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Carolyn Leonhart, Catherine Russell, Denzal Sinclaire, Rebecca Martin, Adam Brazier , BETTY, Jamie Leonhart, Sarah Slean, Patricia O'Callaghan, and recent Grammy nominee Kate McGarry, among many others. Their songs have been featured on Showtime's The L Word and have been recorded by Brent Carver, Dione Taylor, Adi Braun, Rikki Rumball, Denzal Sinclaire, Joe Coughlin, and Lorraine Lawson. Don, who last month was honored with a 2009 Emmy Award for outstanding theme song for the Canadian television show 6teen (Cartoon Network), is based in Toronto while Jeff resides in NYC. Book writer Shelley McPherson is a New York based performer and writer whose work has been seen at Joe's Pub at The Public Theater, Queen's Theatre in the Park, HERE, New York Theatre Workshop, E.S.T., The Rude Mechanicals, and The Workshop Theatre Company and many regional theaters around the country. Shelley played Donna in the award-winning film Fall Before Paradise.
Seeing Stars features a cast of 20 including Broadway leading man Kevin Earley, whose credits include A Tale of Two Cities, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and Les Miserables, as Champion boxer Eddie McSorley. Awards include LA Drama Critic's Circle Award (Rutledge, 1776), Joseph Jefferson Award (Balladeer in ASSASSINS), B. Iden Payen Award (Curly, OKLAHOMA), Three Robby Awards and Four LA Ovation Award Nominations. His debut CD entitled "Earley Standards" is currently available on iTunes and CDBaby. "Gentleman" Joe Sullivan, Eddie's rival inside and out of the ring, will be played by Michael Halling, who's many Broadway credits include: A Tale of Two Cities, In My Life, Pajama Game, The Boy From Oz, and The Scarlett Pimpernel. Most recently he originated the role of George Brush in the world premiere of Lee Blessing's adaptation of Thornton Wilder's Heaven's my Destination, at The Cleveland Playhouse. Other cast members include Margaret Nichols (Nat'l Tour: Les Miserables, Off-B-way's Bedroom Farce) as reporter Jean Barker, Jane Blass (B-way's Hair Spray) as sexy chanteuse Maxi as well as John Plumpis (Nat'l Tours: The Lion King, Barrymore and Laughter on the 23rd Floor), Richard Pruitt ( B-way's 42nd Street and On The Waterfront), Evan Thompson (B-way's 1776, City of Angels, Ivanov, An American Daughter), and Robert Stoeckle (B-way's It's So NIce To Be Civilized and The Canterbury Tales).
