"SCARY MUSICAL… The Musical!", with Book by Richard Hochberg and Music and Lyrics by Richard Hochberg and Michael Paternostro, will be directed by Daniel Goldstein and produced by Kevin Spirtas in a workshop presentation slated for February 2013.
Scary Musical… The Musical, is a bloody and hilarious new musical adventure. Set in the coastal village of Hidden Secrets, USA, the night before the opening of the Vera Miles High School production of SCARY MUSICAL, local drama and prom queen, Drew Campbell, is slashed to death after being tormented on the telephone by a sadistic musical theatre trivia freak. As the Thespian Society tries to regroup and recast their leading lady, one by one, the students and teachers are gruesomely killed off.
With an original pop score by Richard Hochberg and
Michael Paternostro, and hilarious book by Richard Hochberg, it’s The Rocky Horror Show meets High School Musical and Glee. Scary Musical…The Musical - They sing! They dance! They die!!
Most recently, SCARY MUSICAL was presented in collaboration with
Stephen Schwartz and the
ASCAP Foundation as part of the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera/
Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama New Works Program. t was featured in the
ASCAP Foundation/Disney
Musical Theatre Workshop in Los Angeles. Followed by readings at the University of Northern Colorado, Theatre Row Studios in New York City and the Academy for New Musicals in Los Angeles.
Date, location, and cast for the workshop presentations to be announced closer to time of reading in February 2013.
Daniel Goldstein (DIRECTOR) is the director of the Broadway revival of GODSPELL (2011). His recent projects include ANNA CHRISTIE (Old Globe), GOD OF CARNAGE (
Huntington Theater Company), …
Samantha Brown (
Goodspeed Musicals), GOLDEN BOY (Juilliard), ANNIE (St. Louis MUNY), ARITFICIAL FELLOW TRAVELER by Ethan Sandler (
Williamstown Theater Festival, Black Dahlia Theater Open Door Theater), CLEAR (O’Neill National Music Theater Conference), TRUE WEST (
Williamstown Theater Festival), MISS MARGARIDA’S WAY (Bay Street Theater, with
Julie Halston), A NEW BRAIN at the Toho Theater in Tokyo, THE UNAUTHORIZED AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF
Samantha Brown (Broadway Across America developmental production), MARY’S WEDDING at the Two Rivers Theater, a highly praised revival of GODSPELL at the Papermill Playhouse, Sinan Unel’s THE CRY OF THE REED at the
Huntington Theater Company,
Beau Willimon’s LOWER NINTH at the Flea and SPF, the Off-Broadway commercial production of the hit Fringe Festival musical WALMARTOPIA, Kenny Finkle’s INDOOR/OUTDOOR at the DR2 and SPF, FALSETTOS and LES LIAISONS DANGEROUSES at the
Huntington Theater Company, BUT I’M A CHEERLEADER at the New York Musical Theater Festival and
Bathsheba Doran’s LIVING ROOM IN AFRICA at Gloucester Stage. He has served as the Associate Director for ALL SHOOK UP! and FULLY COMMITTED, and the Resident Director for the First National Tour of MAMMA MIA!. Daniel has also developed the work of playwrights
Peter Morris,
Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa,
Rob Handel,
John Shea,
Bathsheba Doran, Janet Neipris, Eliza Jane Scheider and
Jesse Eisenberg at the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, PlayPenn, and elsewhere. As a writer, Daniel was the recipient of an inaugural Calderwood Commission from the
Huntington Theater Company, for which he is writing an original musical with
Michael Friedman entitled UNKNOWN SOLDIER, which was developed this summer at the O’Neill National Music Theater Conference. With Michael, he is also the author of THE SONG OF SONGS, an adaptation of the Sholem Aleichem novella. He also wrote WINTER BIRDS, an adaptation of the Jim Grimsley novel. =CELEBRATION, the one person show he created with Ethan Sandler and Josie Dickson, was seen Off-Broadway as well as in New Haven, San Francisco and the HBO Aspen Comedy Arts Festival. They are currently in development on ARTIFICIAL FELLOW TRAVELER, a new solo play about The American Exhibition in Moscow in 1959. He is a graduate of
Northwestern University with a degree in Performance Studies.
RICHARD HOCHBERG (BOOK, LYRICS AND MUSIC) Writing credits include TOWN WITHOUT PITY the love songs of
Gene Pitney (which has had productions in New York and Los Angeles), Good Bad But Beautiful the music of
Shirley Bassey,
Peggy Lee and Vicki Carr, and the musical revue R STREET. Regional directing credits include: RENT, DISNEY'S HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL, THE FULL MONTY, BEEHIVE, AN INSPECTOR CALLS, CURTAINS, CATCH A FALLING STAR, YOU'RE A GOOD MAN CHARLIE BROWN, LITTLE WOMEN THE MUSICAL, THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW. Los Angeles directing credits include: ONE WAY TICKET TO HELL (world premier musical), FRAZZLED (Victory Theatre starring
Caroline Aaron), A BICYCLE COUNTRY by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright
Nilo Cruz, COME BACK TO THE 5 & DIME JIMMY DEAN, ON THE OPEN ROAD, THE VENTRILOQUIST'S WIFE, CHRISTMAS WITH THE CRAWFORDS. His critically acclaimed production of
Larry Kramer's THE NORMAL HEART at the Hudson Backstage was nominated by GLAAD as Production of the Year and received a Drama Logue Critics Award for Directing. Also at the Hudson Avenue he staged HOUND DOG a hip hOpera nominated for 5 LA Weekly Awards including Musical of the Year and Direction of a Musical. During his tenure as co-artistic director of the
Powerhouse Theatre in Santa Monica he conceived & directed the musical GOOD BAD BUT BEAUTIFUL. It was nominated for 3 LA Weekly Awards including Musical of the Year at the Coast Playhouse. His stage production of
Mayo Simon's WALKING TO WALDHEIM received 8 Drama Logue Awards including Production and Direction. He directed a short based on it starring
Doris Roberts,
John Randolph and
Kaye Ballard. It has been screened in numerous Film Festivals including the Hollywood Film Festival, Palm Springs Film Festival and The American Film Institute. He is proud to have staged readings for GLASS and The Victory Fund, THE BOYS IN THE BAND with
Michael Jeter,
Bruce Vilanch,
Greg Louganis,
Mitchell Anderson,
Michael Kearns and VALLEY OF THE DOLLS with
Joely Fisher,
Sharon Lawrence,
Wilson Cruz,
Alec Mapa and
Chad Allen, Lorraine Newman,
Bruce Villanch, Doug Sills and
Donna Mills. Mr. Hochberg studied both as a director and actor with
Jose Quintero,
Elizabeth Swados,
Andrei Serban,
Wilford Leach,
Viveca Lindfors,
Estelle Parsons,
Julie Bovasso and
John Braswell. As an actor he has appeared in numerous plays and musicals including tours of THE HEIDI CHRONICLES, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, THE PERINES, and END OF THE WORLD PARTY (for which he won the first Pride Theatre Award).
Michael Paternostro (COMPOSER) Broadway: GUYS AND DOLLS (Rusty Charlie/crapshoot dancer), BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (LA, Lumiere/LeFou), SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER (DJ Monty), and original companies of FOSSE, SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS, DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS, and the 2006 Revival of A CHORUS LINE (
Gregory Gardner). Touring: WEST SIDE STORY(Action/Arab), and THE PRODUCERS (Carmen Ghia) and SHOWBOAT (Frank Schultz) at the Hollywood Bowl. At Musical Theater West: Carmen Ghia in THE PRODUCERS (Ovation Award), pianist/musical director of
Forbidden Broadway and RENT. Musical Director: Havok Theatre Company's KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN, STORY OF MY LIFE, and THRILL ME, and BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO at Cabrillo Music Theater, LIFE COULD BE A DREAM at the Hudson Mainstage (LADCC Award, Garland Award), and in NYC, Bernstein's TROUBLE IN TAHITI, and Guare's LANDSCAPE OF THE BODY. As a piano playing actor, Sidney Cohn in ON YOUR TOES and Oscar in 42ND STREET. Assistant Director: HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS, Old Globe San Diego.
Kevin Spirtas (PRODUCER)
Kevin Spirtas is a 30-year veteran of acting on Broadway, in films and on television. On Broadway he has produced the critically acclaimed revival of Finian’s Rainbow (Tony, Drama Desk and Drama League Best Revival Nominations), A Good Smoke (a one night reading at
The Public Theatre starring
Meryl Streep), the 2010 revival of Promises, Promises, Priscilla-Queen of the Desert…The Musical (Toronto and Broadway), and White Noise.
