Broadway Sings Blood Rock: The Musical - Bonus Edition, a special edition EP comprised of 7 songs from the acclaimed 2018 stage play Blood Rock: The Musical created by Michael Berns, has received a worldwide release exclusively on iTunes and Apple Music.
This special edition EP, released exclusively on iTunes and Apple Music, features previously unreleased performances from the show's 2020 release by four top Broadway stars: 2019 Tony Award nominee
Damon Daunno (Curly in Broadway's Oklahoma!); 1987 Tony Award nominee
Robert Torti (Greaseball from "Starlight Express");
Andy Mientus (Broadway's Les Misérables and the Pied Piper on the CW series The Flash); and Jennifer DiNola (Elphaba in Broadway's Wicked). Pop singers Aaron Durr and Jennifer Fertado also lend their sensational vocal talents to earn featured roles on the album.
Broadway Sings Blood Rock: The Musical - Bonus Edition is currently under consideration for
Record Of The Year 2022 Grammy Awards with the songs Thomasina (performed by Damon Daunno) and A Thousand Years (performed by Robert Torti and Aaron Durr). Also a
Song of the Year consideration for The Light Inside, which is performed by show creator Michael Berns and Jennifer Fertado.
With original music by Michael Berns, and with lyrics by Berns and Peabody Award winner Ralph Pezzulo (whose books include Jawbreaker and Inside SEAL Team Six), Blood Rock: The Musical is being retooled with plans for an entirely new and larger Los Angeles production. During the pandemic hiatus, Berns has continued to work with his creative team, and produced the special edition of this EP, which includes original songs from the Blood Rock 2018 theatrical presentation in Los Angeles - along with a brand new song for the show The Light Inside.
Participating in the production of the EP along side Berns were the play's new team members, including director/choreographer
Kay Cole (an original cast member of A Chorus Line on Broadway); production designer
Andy Walmsley (The
Buddy Holly Story, American Idol); and producer Conwell Worthington (Disney's Beauty and the Beast World Tour).
Berns said, "I am thrilled with this new project, which has its roots in our 2018 stage show. I've assembled a truly remarkable new team to both rework the original show and to produce this new, seven-song edition of the Broadway Sings EP,
James Walsh,
Matt Smith,
Kay Cole and Conwell Worthington and I all co-produced these songs over Zoom calls, FaceTime conversations, and via direct feeds from the two studios (NYC and Las Vegas) where the actors were physically located while recording. Given the current COVID environment, this virtual recording set-up allowed us to produce something unique - something that we are all very proud of!"
Blood Rock The Musical tells the story of two rival vampire gangs that have been living secretly in the city of Philadelphia for hundreds of years. Producers said, "The new show is akin to West Side Story, with vampires. Blood Rock is a great deal of fun - and jam packed with humor and irresistible songs. At our initial Los Angeles engagement, Blood Rock was enthralling for audiences of all ages."
The recording studio personnel for the album consisted of Michael Berns and
James Walsh - the duo jointly produced the majority of the record from the site of Walsh's Threshold Studios located in New York City (with Berns remaining in Los Angeles) along with sound engineers Derek Rusinek and Andrew Yanchyshyn. Additional vocal performances were recorded at Adrenaline Studios in Las Vegas, with
Matt Smith as sound engineer and again with Berns stationed in Los Angeles.
