06880: The Musical and Two Others Play NYMF in Sept.

Three new musicals--06880: The Musical, Isabelle and the Pretty Ugly Spell and It Came From Beyond--will be presented as part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival.

06880: The Musical will play at the Beckett Theatre (410 West 42nd Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues) on September 26th at 4:30 PM and 8 PM (seating is very limited). The show, which will feature music and lyrics by Lawrence Rosen, "began as a vision of twenty-two students. It takes a peek into the lives of a group of teenagers coming of age in trendy Westport, Connecticut. Through a tragic occurrence, the audience is allowed to witness each individual's coming of age...Diverse characters (were) developed from the student's creative writing, improvisation and round-table discussions...Each student involved in the production invented their characters and gave each an honest voice while being guided by professionals to delve deeper into each character's mind and soul," according to production notes.

Jill Jaysen who is the founder of Center Stage Theatre Company in Westport, Connecticut and who directs the show, co-wrote the book with Rosen, who was formerly the composer in residence and musical director at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, and whose musicals include Company Man, Inside Out, and GoldenGate. 06880: The Musical will feature Kristin Errett, Brandon Floch, Arianna Glass, Mia Gentile, Samantha Goltzer, Britt Hennemuth, Zachary Hutton and others in its cast. Broadway performer Penny Ayn Maas (Cabaret, Damn Yankees) is the choreographer for the show, which is co-presented by Center Stage Theatre Company.

Isabelle and the Pretty Ugly Spell will be presented with Kaleidoscope Production, LLC, and will run at the Lion Theatre (410 W. 42nd St., between 9th and 10th Avenues) on September 23rd at 8:00 pm, September, 28th at 4:30 pm, September 29th at 8:00 pm, October 1st at 1:00 pm and October 2nd at 1:00 pm and 4:30 pm.

The show "is a new musical fairy tale about Isabelle, a lovable, but scatterbrained fairy godmother who goofs while casting a spell to help the Princess find true love and now has only three days to make things right. Izzy's clock-ticking, cliff-hanging, nail-biting journey leads the audience through hilarious high jinx to heart-warming moments, and underscores the lesson that looks don't matter-it's what's on the inside that counts. " After several readings and workshops, Isabelle won the National Children's Theatre Festival at The Actors' Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre (Coral Gables, FL) and received a full thirty-performance production on their mainstage in May of 2005.

Isabelle and the Pretty Ugly Spell features direction and choreography by David G. Armstrong. The music and lyrics are by Steven Fisher (who also provides the music direction) and the book is by Joan Ross Sorkin and Fisher. Featured as "Izzy" is Ruth Gottschall (The ­Music Man, Forum, The Goodbye Girl), as well as Bill Caleo, Jeff LaGreca, Erin Maguire, Meredith McCasland, Kevin B. McGlynn, and Jamie McGonnigal. The design team includes sets by Ken Goldstein, costumes by Cheryl McCarron, lighting by Paul Frydrychowski, and sound by Aaron Blank.

It Came From Beyond is described as "Grease meets War of the Worlds." Presented with Cornell Christianson, the show will run at the 45th Street Theatre (354 West 45th Street, (between 8th and 9th Avenues) on September 15 and 16 at 8:00, September 17 at 1:00 pm and 4:30 pm, September 21 and 24 at 1:00 pm.

Featuring original staging by Jeff Calhoun (Brooklyn, Big River, Grease), the show will feature a book by Christianson, and music and lyrics are by Stephen M. Schwartz (not to be confused with the Wicked composer) and Norman Thalheimer. It Came from Beyond is set in the 1950s and tells the story of a group of high school kids who go mad for a new comic book called It Came from Beyond. But is it just a comic book? Are secrets hidden inside this comic that can change the laws of science? When math wizard Harold sets out to crack the code, he finds himself in the fantasy world of Commie spies and creatures from outer space who threaten the American way of life."

The show will star Kevin Earley (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Les Miserables), Heather Marie Marsden, Todd Fournier, Stephen Breithaupt and Katherine Von Till.

Dedicated to discovering new work and new artists, The New York Musical Theatre Festival celebrates the diversity, creativity, and future of musical theatre. NYMF is a flagship program of the National Music Theater Network, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, and is America's largest annual musical theatre event. NYMF is produced in association with Virgin Megastores and proudly supported by amNewYork, Village Voice, WB11, Receptasign, King Displays, Rosco, Scharff Weissberg, TheaterMania.com, BroadwayWorld.com and Manhattan Living. For more information, visit www.nymf.org.

Tickets for all three shows are $15, and can be ordered by calling (212) 352-3101 or visiting www.nymf.org.