Cast and Creatives Set For New Off-Broadway Musical KAFKAESQUE!

The cast and creative team have been announced for Kafkaesque!, a world premiere musical comedy featuring book, music and lyrics by James Harvey (Prime Day, The Bald Faced Truth, The Crack in the Ceiling) and directed by Ashley Brooke Monroe (Hamilton national tour, Life of Pi; The New Group: All of Me). The production will play October 18-November 11, 2024 at 154 Christopher (formerly the New Ohio Theatre). Opening night is Monday, October 21.

Alongside the previously announced James Harvey as Franz Kafka, the production will star Alexandra Nader (“The Story Pirates,” “America's Got Talent”) as Greta, Josh Nasser (Wicked Frozen, PharmaBro: An American Douchical) as Michael, Emily Olcott (Prime Day, OutofTouch, The Mysteries) as Karen/Josephine, and Curry Whitmire (The Tower, An Axemas Story) as Gregor.

Franz Kafka may never have intended for his name to become an adjective, but nevertheless, Kafkaesque! celebrates his body of work by layering predicaments from his stories onto one contemporary American family. The result is horrifying bodily transformations, artistic eating disorders, and cancel culture run amok, all under the dark umbrella and relentless grind of late-stage capitalism. This hilarious and genre-bending musical was one of the hits of the 2023 New York Theater Festival.

The creative team includes choreographer Sara Gibbons (Becky Nurse of Salem, Indecent), set designer Taylor Friel (Beyond the Horizon, Where Women Go), costume designer Maggie Walsh (Everyone Is Doing Great) and lighting designer Bentley Heydt (How to Dance in Ohio, Life of Pi).

BIOGRAPHIES

ALEXANDRA NADER (Greta). TV: “The Story Pirates” (PBS), “America's Got Talent” (NBC). Commercial: Clairvee, Northwestern Mutual (Nationwide). Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Toronto. Semi-finalist “Forbes 30 Under 30.” Digital sketches with Broadway Video, Mashable, and Elite Daily. Featured comic on WhoHaHa, a digital platform co-founded by Elizabeth Banks. Alex's sketches have been featured on Funny or Die, Occupy Democrats, and The Huffington Post. She is currently a house team member on Maude Night at UCB.

JOSH NASSER (Michael) is a NYC-based actor and stand-up comedian. His comedy has been featured on Comedy Central's YouTube Channel. Vulture and onmogul.com have both named Josh as one of the best up-and-coming comedians in NYC. Josh previously hosted the NY Times-recommended comedy show, Oh, Such a Huge Show, Oh at the Bell House, currently hosts the Jezebel-recommended comedy show, The Trash King at UCB, and has written episodes for the Story Pirates Podcast, which adapts children's stories into musical comedy sketches. You can find his previous work at joshnasser.com. And of course his favorite food is plain cheese pizza. He knows that's a boring choice and he will work on it.

EMILY OLCOTT (Karen/Josephine). Theatre: James Harvey's Prime Day (54 Below), OutofTouch (The Tank), The Mysteries (The Flea), Comedy Artist Maker's Program Residency (Ars Nova). Comedy: Live Laugh Love (Ars Nova, original solo show), Downtown at the KC Cabaret (The Kennedy Center, opening for Amber Ruffin), Henry Koperski's Upstate/Downstate Cabaret (Bard Music Festival), Spirit Night (Joe's Pub), Dear Kiko (Lincoln Center, The Bell House), Shiz (UCB). Directing credits: The Story Pirates National Tour (Just for Laughs Toronto). Featured vocalist on The Story Pirates Podcast, the #1 Kids and Families Podcast. Extensive commercial work (NJ Lotto, Care.com, Paycom). Recently released an original music video with comedy partner Gaby Hornig called “Hot Ghost” and co-hosts a podcast about spirituality with Kiko Soirée called Savior Complex. BA Northwestern. @emilyolcott.

CURRY WHITMIRE (Gregor) is an actor, improviser, illustrator, and obsessive dog-dad. Fave theatre credits include: The Tower (HERE Arts), That True Phoenix (Access), and, most recently, An Axemas Story (Players Theatre). You can see Curry unscripted, improvising musicals regularly across the city with Your Love Our Musical, Undressed: The Improvised Musical, Zodiac Improv, and Baby Wants Candy on occasion. currywhitmire.com or on Instagram at @currywhitmire!

SARA GIBBONS (Choreographer) is a New York-based performer and choreographer with a Master's in Clinical Nutrition. In the last few years, she has worked as the Assistant Director on Sarah Ruhl's Becky Nurse of Salem (Lincoln Center Theater), as the Associate Choreographer on the Broadway, Off-Broadway, Huntington Theatre (Boston), Ahmanson Theatre (Los Angeles), and Menier Chocolate Factory (London) productions of Indecent, and as a performer for Heidi Henderson, among others.

TAYLOR FRIEL (Set Designer) is a Brooklyn-based designer for theatre, dance, opera, music videos, and more. Selected credits include the upcoming world premiere of Nicolas Flagello's operatic adaptation of Beyond the Horizon (La Mama), Aging Prelude (Chameckilerner/The Chocolate Factory), Where Women Go (HERE Arts Center), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Double Feature Plays), and the music video for Dakota Jones' “Break it Down.” MFA from New York University. See more at taylorfrieldesign.com or on Instagram @tay.friel.

MAGGIE WALSH (Costume Designer) most recently designed two seasons of the comedy series “Everyone Is Doing Great,” the feature film Project Child: Perfect Knight, and the short comedy film Mr. Marty Pants, written and directed by Patrick Trettenero. Theatre credits include Sexual Perversity in Chicago at LA's Theatre of Arts. Career highlights include costume assistant on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Charlie Wilson's War. She appeared on the third season of the Amazon series “Making the Cut.” Maggie's credits also include work as a stylist and tailor for print campaigns and magazines, as well as a film producer, production manager and AD.

Bentley Heydt (Lighting Designer) is a NYC-based, limb different Korean-American lighting designer. Select design credits: The Color Purple (Geva Theatre/Theatre Latte Da); you don't have to do anything (HERE Arts); Romeo and Juliet (Nebraska Wesleyan); Rock of Ages (Music Theatre Wichita); (no)man (IMGE Dance); Yerma (Vibrancy Theatre); A Number (A.R.T./NY-Drama League); The Seventeenth Chapel (A.R.T./NY- Drama League); I Dream of Hornets (Boundless Theatre); Cubic and Quartet (Born Dancing); The Weak and The Strong and Resistance (Planet Connections Theatre/14th Street Y); Anthony Ramos Album Release (Rough Trade). Broadway: How to Dance in Ohio (ALD); Life of Pi Broadway (DMC) (Tony Award). Assistant/Associate: All of Me (The New Group); Dreamgirls (McCarter Theatre); Mr. Holland's Opus (Ogunquit Playhouse World Premiere); Rent 25th Anniversary National Tour (Work Light Productions); A Christmas Carol (Indiana Rep). MFA, Ohio University. bentleyheydt.com.

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