'Bedbugs!!!' To Have World Premiere at NYMF Starting 9/16

The New York Musical Theatre Festival and Leschen, Mrozek & Sauter present the world premiere of BEDBUGS!!!, an official selection of the New York Musical Theatre Festival's 2008 Next Link Project.  80's rock excess meets the Creature Feature in this hilarious and extremely timely hard-rocking new musical by Paul Leschen and Fred Sauter directed by Samuel Buggeln.  BEDBUGS!!! runs September 16-27th, 2008 at the TBG Theater (312 West 36th Street, 3rd Floor).  Tickets are $20.00 and will be available at www.NYMF.org or by calling 212-352-3101.

It's 2012 and Carly, an exterminator hell-bent on avenging her mother's freak death, has accidentally mutated NYC Bedbugs into bloodthirsty killer Hair Metal Rock Gods. Sweet sidekick Burt has a plan, and troubled Canadian chanteuse Dionne Salon has stumbled onto the scene. But will Carly listen to them and save NYC-or be seduced by her own creation?

The fantastic cast includes: Celina Carvajal, rock and roll bad girl of MTV's "Legally Blonde the Musical: The Search for the Next Elle Woods," as the dark heroine, Carly (Broadway: Cats, Dracula, Tarzan, 42nd St; off-B'way: Radiant Baby; and her 80's hair rock band: Cocaine); Brian Charles Rooney as pop icon Dionne Salon (Broadway: Lucy Brown in The Threepenny Opera); Ryan Bogner (Jojo in Seussical: Theatreworks Nat'l Tour); Mark Fisher (Jimmy in Thoroughly Modern Millie: Fulton Opera House); Tracey Gilbert (...The Singing Nun: NYMF-Talkin' Broadway Best Supporting Actress); Chris Hall, Stephen Sheffer, and H. Wayne Williams.

BEDBUGS!!! is the brainchild of composer Paul Leschen (Drama Desk nominee for Twist! and pianist and arranger for international rock sensations Scissor Sisters) and book & lyricist Fred Sauter (MFA, NYU Musical Theatre Writing Program).  The madness was inspired in equal parts by NYC's current bedbug infestation and Leschen and Sauter's obsessions with 80's B sci-fi horror movies, rock icons like Meatloaf, Heart, and Whitesnake, and the awkward but endearing music and stage presence of Celine Dion. Samuel Buggeln brings his signature downtown hot-camp style to the stage direction (numerous downtown and regional credits; Fringe NYC: Go-Go Kitty, GO! Outstanding play, Outstanding sound design; "Crowd-pleasing perfection" -NY Times), Produced by Robert P. Mrozek.

Full MP3 Demos, Cast Bios, and Photos at: www.nymf.org/Show-863.html or www.bedbugsmusical.com

Photo Credit Quinn Batson