Christine Dwyer, Eric Anderson and More to Star in Richard H. Blake's WHISKEYLAND! Concert, 9/15

From Last Call Theatricals, LLC, the producing company helmed by Broadway vets Michael Balderrama, Richard H. Blake and Sean Frank Sullivan, comes a night of songs from Whiskeyland!, a brand new rock fantasy telling the story of Boston in the last 24 hours of existence! WHISKEYLAND! THE CONCERT is set for Monday, Sept 15th, 2014 at 7:30pm at The Cutting Room, 44 E. 32nd St., NYC.

Created by Motown the Musical's Nik Walker, the piece hopes to shake up the musical theater world by injecting it with grit, violence, and a dash of chaos.

"I love musicals, but as a comic book kid, a Nolan, Scorsese and Tarantino kid, I was more drawn to what I call "guts-and-glory" theater," Walker, a Boston native, explains. "Why can't a musical have the emotional suspense of Topdog/Underdog, the caustic edge of The Pillowman, even the anarchy of The Dark Knight?" Director Joe Ricci agrees. "I don't come from the comic book world at all, but Nik has created incredibly complex, larger-than-life characters, and anyone can appreciate that. It's really fresh and surprising stuff."

And the story is certainly fresh. A put-upon young boy and disillusioned angel initiate a 16-year countdown till the end of the world, the final day of which they spend battling their town, themselves and each other for vengeance and, hopefully, acceptance. The concert will showcase a good portion of the Whiskeyland! catalogue, with rock styles ranging from soul and folk to hardcore Irish punk (lyrics by Walker, and music by Liam Nelligan and Walker).

The performers will be equally as diverse, featuring Christine Dwyer (Wicked) as the bartender Marianne, Eric Anderson (Soul Doctor, The Last Ship) as her brother, the alcoholic rockstar Juno, Adam Hose (Finding Nemo the Musical) as the angel Kid Kaymin, and Walker himself as the psychotic trickster, The Jester.

The concert will be directed by Ricci, with musical direction by Mark Fifer. "At the end of the day, this piece does what all the great musicals do- it moves you," Ricci promises. "Oh yea, there's hope here," adds Walker, with a smile. "But in Whiskeyland!, we ask you to brave a little more darkness before you get to the light."

For tickets, check out the spot on the Cutting Room website http://tickets.thecuttingroomnyc.com/event/651753-whiskeyland-new-york/.

For more information, feel free to sneak a peek at the Whiskeyland! Facebook page, "Whiskeyland: A Boston Fable", or follow on Twitter @Whiskeylandshow.