Deidre Goodwin, Peter Nelson, and Dylis Croman to Lead Reading of New Musical Inspired by Bob Fosse's Life

Broadway veterans are stepping into roles inspired by the lives of Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon, and the movement style that they developed in a choreographic presentation of part of a new musical at New York Theater Barn's Choreography Lab.

The musical is titled Lou In Lieu of Genius, and is penned by former CHICAGO cast member, Corey Wright. The piece is a new dance musical inspired by Fosse's life that will feature Fosse's style and explore themes of innocence, depression, creativity, and love.

As a dancer, Wright has performed in film and television, the U.S. and International Tours of Chicago, and the choreographic reconstruction endeavor of Bob Fosse's original works in connection with the Verdon-Fosse Estate and the Library of Congress. Wright hopes to bridge the gap between the classic and the contemporary worlds. He was recently selected as one of only 5 writers to be personally mentored by Aaron Sorkin in his Master Class. It was there that Sorkin praised the depth, identities, and originality in Corey's writing. "It was one of those moments when life tips its bowler hat to you, and says, 'You're on the right track. Don't you dare stop,'" says Wright.

When asked about his transition from dancing to writing, Wright seems to find little difference, and sees power and beauty in merging the two disciplines. "Dancers and writers are both storytellers. Dancers tell stories with their limbs. Writers tell stories with their pens. Using words and motion to tell the same story- That's why we're so moved by broadway musicals." With a pilot in production, a Head Writer credit on a season of an Amazon Prime series, an award for Best Production at last year's Los Angeles Theater Festival, and scripts accepted to film festivals across the country, it appears that Wright is on the right track, indeed. Lou In Lieu of Genius will be presented at New York Theatre Barn Choreography Lab Monday, Sept 26 at Pearl 500.

The Lab will feature Broadway veterans Peter Nelson (Chicago, Cinderella) and Dylis Crowman (Chicago, Oklahoma, Fosse, Sweet Charity, Movin' Out), along with Jenni-Kate Deshon, Evelyn Christina Tonn (Chicago) and more. There is an invite-only reading of the new musicals starring Deidre Goodwin (Chicago, A Chorus Line, Every Little Step), Peter Nelson, Thomas Bevan (The Last Five Years), Taylor Conant (Chicago, West Side Story), Brad Carnation, Wes Haskell (The Normal Heart), Anthony LaGuardia (Chicago, Beauty and the Beast), Clinton Roane (The Scottsboro Boys, Last Tiger in Haiti), Alfie Parker (Aladdin, Chicago, South Pacific), Nicole Benoit (Chicago), Lauren Gemelli (Drowsy Chaperone, Chicago), and Zurin Villanueva (Shuffle Along, Book of Mormon).

Tickets: NYCTheatreBarn.org.