Dee Hoty, Jay Armstrong Johnson, and More Set for BEYOND THE MUSIC Readings, 9/10-11

Beyond the Music, a new musical with original book and direction by Tony® Award winning producer Andy Sandberg (Hair; The Last Smoker in America) and a fresh and exhilarating pop-rock score by multiple Emmy Award-winner Cliff Downs and Katie Kahanovitz, will have invitation-only readings in New York on September 10th and 11th, 2012.

The cast will feature Rob Barlett (How to Succeed..; “Imus in the Morning”), Krystal Joy Brown (Leap of Faith; Hair), Andrew Call (American Idiot; Glory Days), Katie Rose Clarke (Wicked; Light in The Piazza), Jay Armstrong Johnson (Catch Me If You Can; Hands on a Hard Body) and three-time Tony® Award nominee Dee Hoty (Footloose; Mamma Mia) with Shelby Bartelstein, Jarid Faubel, Kevin Pariseau, Eliseo Roman, Chelsea Morgan Stock, Laura L. Thomas, Mariand Torres, and Alex Wyse.

Beyond the Music follows the journey of Casey, a fast-rising singer/songwriter, as she strives to make her way in the music business. Sacrificing her personal life for her career, Casey is finally making the right connections and paving her way to the top. She is on the verge of her first big break when she discovers it’s not so easy to separate her passion for music from her relationships, and she is betrayed by those she loves. Taking a look at the treacherous waters of the music business and its wide array of extreme personalities, Beyond the Music is a funny, contemporary, and inspiring story about finding oneself and overcoming the odds to achieve a dream.

Beyond the Music features additional material by Scott Elmegreen (Colin Quinn: Long Story Short) with music direction and arrangements by Fred Lassen (Porgy and Bess; The Last Smoker in America) The stage manager for the reading is Pamela A. Edington.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / Retna Ltd.