SHINE! Gets Demo Album Featuring Andy Mientus

SHINE! The Horatio Alger Musical with a Book by Richard Seff; Music by Roger Dean Anderson and Lyrics by Lee Goldsmith continues with numerous activities.  Thomas Z Shepard, the renowned cast recording producer, saw the acclaimed musical and was extremely impressed.  This week he produced a 5 song demo recording with full orchestra and cast members featuring Andy Mientus.  Next week the musical has been invited to Florida for the Mainstreet Musicals Festival for presentations with Hal Linden.  This Sunday the show will be presented with 2010 NYMY Awards For Excellence:  EXCELLENCE IN OVERALL DESIGN - Shine! Michael Bottari & Ron Case; OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE - Andy Mientus, and Honorable Mention: Peter Flynn, For Direction.  The production was a Critics Pick from BackStage.

Thomas Z. Shepard is a prolific record producer who is known for his recordings of Broadway musicals, including the works of Stephen Sondheim and he is also a composer, music arranger and pianist.  He has won twelve Grammy Awards and produced the original cast recordings of many of the Sondheim musicals, including Sweeney Todd, Company, Merrily We Roll Along, and Sunday in the Park with George, among others. He also produced the original cast recordings of 1776, La Cage aux Folles, 42nd Street, Zorba, Dames at Sea, Dear World, No, No, Nanette, Candide (revival), The King and I, Ain't Misbehavin', A Stephen Sondheim Evening (83 concert), Victor/Victoria, Me and My Girl, Follies in Concert,  among over a hundred others. He has produced hundreds of classical music and popular music recordings.  Beginning in 1960, Shepard worked for fourteen years for Columbia Records, then he joined RCA Records in 1974 and later with MCA Records in New York. He is the recipient of the NARAS Governors' Award for Lifetime Achievement' Drama Desk Special Award "for preserving musical theater heritage on record; and two Emmy Award nominations.  Shepard has arranged music for Anna Moffo, Richard Kiley, the Norman Luboff Choir and Richard Tucker, among others and is the composer of two musicals, five operas, the score for the film Such Good Friends, and other compositions.

"Shine!" has been invited to the Mainstreet Musicals Festival in Tampa on November 13th and Sarasota on November 15th. Award-winning star Hal Linden joins in the presentations.  Mainstreet Musicals' mission is to introduce a selection of America's most promising new musicals to theatre lovers across America, to nurture the next generation of creative talent, and to stimulate the production of new works in more American cities.  Every year, three new musicals are selected for presentation as staged readings in Live Theatre Festivals - called Mainstreet Festivals featuring local actors and guest artists.

With a highly melodic, hummable and bouncy score with bright lyrics, "SHINE the Horatio Alger Musical", has tons of period atmosphere, nostalgic charm, comedy and entertainment. It follows the tale of Ragged Dick (Horatio Alger's first best-selling hero) in lower Manhattan (1876) as he rises from penniless bootblack to budding Wall Street entrepreneur. Dick's adventures with a little bit of luck, some charm and a whole lot of hard work bring him face to face with scheming ex-convicts, vicious comic villains, kind benefactors, and a world of colorful street characters in this charming rags-to-riches romp for everyone. NYMF Version Now Available! Published/licensed by Samuel French.  Winner of the Broadway USA Award.      www.shinethemusical.com

Richard Seff (Book) has spent a lifetime in the theatre as actor, playwright, columnist, critic, agent, librettist, investor and now memoirist. He first acted professionally in 1946 and took a 22 year leave of absence from the stage to become an agent representing artists in the musical theatre on Broadway.  Roger Dean Anderson (Composer) has been fortunate to collaborate with such legendary talents, Michael Smuin, Joe Layton, Wally Harper, Tony Walton, Vivian Matalon and Hal Prince. In 1979 he was paired with lyricist Lee Goldsmith, more than 30 years his senior; later composing the award-winning "Chaplin", followed by "Quality Street". Recent projects include "Ladykiller"; "Flying Tigers" and "Abe".  Lee Goldsmith (Lyricist) enjoyed an early career with National Comics scripting stories for The Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and The Flash. He adapted several projects for the stage, writing book and lyrics: "Come Back Little Sheba", "Golddiggers of 1633" and his ground-breaking Broadway musical "Sextet".

SHINE! was presented by Other Side Productions as part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival. Directed by Peter Flynn with choreography Devanand Janki; set and costume design by Michael Bottari & Ronald Case and the lighting design by Jeff Croiter. Greg Anthony served as the music supervisor, arranger, orchestrator; Annbritt duChateau was music director and associate musical directors were Danny Percefull and Sue Anschultz.  A cast of 19 made this one of the largest in the festival. The principals were: Andy Mientus (Richard Hunter); Michael Halling (Luke Gerrish); Meggie Cansler (Stacia Jane Hauser); Jimmy Ray Bennett (Gideon Chapin); William Ryall (Silas Snobden); Stanton Nash (Higgins); Philip Chaffin (Allen Carlisle); Tyler Merna (Rob Carlisle); Dan Lawler (Foswell); Evan Jay Newman (Mickey Maguire) and Katherine McGrath (Mrs. Mooney).  The Ensemble included: Jason Mills, Cheo Bourne, Todd Horman, Robert Mintz, Rachell Coloff, Jessica Vosk, Joy Hermalyn and Melissa Rain Anderson 
           

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