Tony Award-nominee Gavin Creel (La Cage aux Folles, Thoroughly Modern Millie), 7-time MAC Award-winner Karen Mason (Mamma Mia!) and Kenita R. Miller (The Color Purple) have joined the cast of Become, a
one-night-only showcase of music by up-and-coming writers Benj Pasek
and Justin Paul, which will be presented at Joe's Pub on Sunday, May 14th.
Both the 7:30 performance and the additional 9:30 performance that evening are completely sold out, but a third performance to be held this summer will be announced shortly.Presented by Jamie McGonnigal (The Secret Garden, Pippin, Children of Eden
concerts), "the evening will feature some of Broadway's best,
performing the music of some of musical theatre's most promising new
songwriters," according to press notes.In addition to Creel, Mason and Miller, the cast features Celia Keenan-Bolger (Tony Award-Nominee for …Spelling Bee), Todd Buonopane (…Spelling Bee), Cheyenne Jackson (United 93, All Shook Up), Chelsea Krombach (Wicked Nat'l Tour), Steven Pasquale (FX's "Rescue Me," Man of No Importance), and Billy Porter (At the Corner of Broadway and Soul) andJersey Boys'Daniel Reichard. Also featured in the performance will be Whitney Bashor, Nick Blaemire, Anderson Davis, and Rebecca Soler. The concert will feature music direction by Jonah Speidel (Natalie Joy Johnson at Joe's Pub).
Benj Pasek and Justin
Paul are rapidly emerging as a new songwriting team with a fresh voice
in contemporary musical theatre. Collaborating since their freshman
year, Pasek and Paul are Musical Theatre majors at the University of
Michigan. In the spring of 2005, the team premiered a revue of their
work entitled Edges.
Originally billed as a one-night event at the University of Michigan,
the material was enthusiastically received, spurring performances in
Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Connecticut, and New York City in
venues such as The Kimmel Center and the June Havoc Theatre. Edges
has since been performed over 20 times across the country, produced at
various locations including The Boston Conservatory, Carnegie Mellon
University, and New York University, with upcoming debuts at the
Universities of Virginia and Miami. Currently, Pasek and Paul are
collaborating with Lonely Sky Theatre Company in New York City to a
produce a workshop and a full-length production, slated for the summer
of 2006.
Professional productions of Edges
are also planned with Chicago's American Musical Theatre Project in
conjunction with Northwestern University, and with theatres in
Washington, D.C., Michigan and Ohio. Songs by Pasek and Paul have been
featured in numerous concerts, showcases and cabarets and they are
currently working on a new book musical. Sheet music and a professional
recording by the original cast of Edges can be purchased though the team's website, www.pasekandpaul.com.A
portion of the proceeds from the evening's concert will benefit Wylie's
Day Foundation. Wylie's Day Foundation provides funding for research
towards a cure of Pediatric Brain Tumors so that one day, no child need
suffer from such a difficult journey. WDF also funds programs such as
Ronald McDonald House and other organizations which improve the
day-to-day life of suffering children from less-fortunate backgrounds.For more information, visit www.joespub.com.
