DEPRESSION: THE MUSICAL to Play FringeNYC, 8/10-24

Dancing pills??? A therapist named Joy! And a discovery that, hey, you might be an alcoholic and a lesbian after all! This August, Depression: The Musical, a darkly humorous pop-rock musical about falling apart and putting yourself back together, will get its world premiere as a part of FringeNYC running from 8/10-8/24 at the Flamboyán Theatre at The Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center (107 Suffolk St.). Presenting the difficult subject of depression in an ultimately uplifting manner, the musical offers an insider's guide to the issues that thousands of people with clinical depression face every day.

Featuring choreography from Broadway's David Eggers (who served as Kathleen Marshall's Assistant Choreographer on Nice Work if You Can Get It and Anything Goes), direction from award-winner Gretchen Cryer (I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It On The Road) and written by award-winning singer/songwriter Marianne Pillsbury, Depression: The Musical (A Depressed Girl's Guide To Depression) tells one woman's story of overcoming depression. Based on the life experiences of the author, a New York City singer/songwriter in her late 30s, the show is a dark comedy narrated by Marianne herself, backed by her 60s-girl-group-style Greek chorus. The cast will feature Marianne Pillsbury, Vanessa Theus, Hillary Maloney and Hayley Bridgewater.

The musical takes the audience through Marianne's life, candidly showing her attempts to conquer depression with therapy, medication, alcohol abuse, codependence, and the toll these attempts take on her relationships. The journey leads to Marianne discovering a way to live with depression by channeling her struggles into what she is most passionate about, songwriting. The show, produced by Kirsten Major, currently has a RocketHub crowd-funding campaign at http://rkthb.co/44524.

Depression: The Musical will run at the Flamboyán Theatre (107 Suffolk Street) as a part of The New York International Fringe Festival with performances on Sunday 8/10 @ 5pm, Saturday 8/16 @ 7pm, Sunday 8/17 @ 6:30pm, Friday 8/22 @ 2pm and Sunday 8/24 @ 4:45pm. Tickets, priced at $18, can be purchased online at www.FringeNYC.org beginning July 18.