Performances are on Sept 20th and 21st at 8 PM.
Little Red Light theatre will present a staged reading of a new musical comedy: Harry Reems Goes to Hollywood with book, music, and lyrics by John Verderber on Sept 20th and 21st at 8 PM at Ripley Grier performance space, 305 W 38th Street, room 312. Tickets are $15. The show is directed by Michael Blatt and Musical Directed by Sean Andrews.
It's 1976: a time of ever-changing social mores and show business trends. Harry Reems, the charismatic and egocentric star of Deep Throat leaves New York City (and hopefully, legal peril) behind him for the sunshine and stardom that Hollywood, California offers.
But will dark clouds resurface once he reaches La-La Land, or will old friends come to the rescue?
Composer John Verderber says: "A writer for the theatre needs a home for their work- not just for use of the hall, but for collaboration, support, and most importantly, belief. I am lucky and grateful that Little Red Light Theatre believes in my work through their continued development of Harry Reems Goes to Hollywood, and I'm delighted about this first production of the show. It's going to be terrific."
The cast includes Patrick Brady as the porn legend Harry Reems. Patrick is excited to be back with Little Red Light after appearing in their 2021 production of Thrill Me (Nathan). New York selected credits: Lucky Stiff (J2 Spotlight); Pre-Omega Point (Bedlam); Underground (NYMF); Bulldozer (The Triad). Tour: Curious George (national tour); featured soloist with Disney on Classic (Japan and Taiwan tours). Regional: Sense and Sensibility (Theatre Workshop of Nantucket); Curious George (North Shore Music Theatre); Cox and Box (Theatre at Monmouth); Les Miserables, All Shook Up (Cortland Rep); Twelfth Night (Camden Shakespeare). Patrick earned a B.A. in Drama from Vassar College. Proud AEA member. patricknbrady.com @patricknbrady
Also returning to Red Light Theatre is Joyah Love Spangler (They/She) as Judy De Winter. Joyah was last seen as the nurse in Red Light's inaugural production of Hello Again in 2019. Off-Broadway: The Office, Love Actually!, Kerrigan and Lowdermilk's The Bad Years. Regional: Williamstown (Songs for a Future Generation, Jonah), A.C.T.(Fields of Gold), NYMF (Ultimate man!, Held), Theatreworks Silicon Valley (Andrew Lippa's A Little Princess), Forestburgh Playhouse (Legally Blonde, Rocky Horror, The Sound of Music, West Side Story) Film/Tv: Do You Dance Miss Parker, The Following (Fox). Joyah is also an accomplished director/choreographer with credits including Trixie and Katya Live! (Radio City Music Hall), Meg4n (National Tour/Off-Broadway) Friends! (North American Tour/Off-Broadway), Wonderboy (NAMT) Bubble Boy (5th Floor) The Longest Road (The Tank) They are also a passionate advocate for educational theater, teaching at institutions including The National Theatre of Student Artists, Steelstacks Pittsburgh, the Flea, Reckless Theatre, Random Farms, and Inside Broadway. Proud member of AEA and SDC. www.joyahlovespangler.com @joyahlove
The supporting cast includes Nathan Cockroft* as Ted, Richard E. Waits* as Gerry, David William Klak as Caftan. Rounding out the Ensemble are Sean Zuckerman, Luke Bove, Samantha Cullifer* and Sarah Musicant.
Little Red Light is co-founded by Michael Blatt and David Carl with a mission to create an intimate theatre experience that is tailored for the smart NYC theatre goer. Our focus is to produce small, musicals and plays that are an alternative to traditional commercial theatre. We hope to shine light on the Jewish/Queer American experience
For tickets go to: Tickets to Harry Reems Goes To Hollywood
John Verderber (Book, Lyrics, Music): John is a musical theatre writer living in New York. Mr. Verderber's individual theatre songs have been showcased by the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop and Little Red Light Theatre, among other organizations. He has also written essays and commentary as incisive and intriguing as his work as a songwriter and dramatist, and besides being a multi-episode guest on the podcast Scene to Song (including a recent episode about Rodgers and Hart), his prose has been seen in New York (with co-author Jesse Green), Time Out, and Signature Theatre's Everything Sondheim.
Michael Blatt (Director): is a New York City based director, producer, and theatre educator. Michael is a co-founder of Little Red Light Theatre an Off-Off Broadway theatre company specializing in Jewish/Queer musicals and plays. He produced/directed Hello Again, Thrill Me: the Leopold & Loeb Story and An infinite Ache with Little Red Light Theatre.
As a Director, Michael has worked in Bergen, Norway where he directed a new Norwegian translation of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music. He directed/choreographed All Kinds of People for Inside Broadway which is a program to bring Broadway shows to NYC Public schools. Other directing credits include Fiddler on the Roof, Escape to Margaritaville at Woodstock Playhouse. Always Patsy Cline, Legally Blonde at Priscilla Beach Theatre. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and The Big Bang for Actors Theatre of Indiana and a world premiere devised play entitled Finding Home at Northern Michigan University. Michael is a member of The Playwriting and Directing Workshop at The Actors Studio. Michael is currently an adjunct Professor at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in NYC . MFA, Actors Studio Drama School, BFA Tish, NYU. AEA SAG/AFTRA SDC
Sean Andrews (Musical Director): Sean is a NY based music director/accompanist. He is frequently found playing auditions, masterclasses, rehearsals, and cabaret halls such as 54 Below and Green Room 42. Outside of NYC, he has worked at many regional theaters across the country including Stages St. Louis, Mac- Haydn Theatre and The Orlando Shakespeare Theatre. Sean is currently on the music staff at Broadway Artists Alliance in NYC and is the resident Music Director at Nightingale Bamford, which inspired the school featured in Gossip Girl. An avid traveler, Sean was fortunate to be the onboard MD/Conductor for Royal Caribbean, working on productions such as Hairspray, Mamma Mia!, and We Will Rock You.
*Equity Member appearing with permission of Actors' Equity Association without benefit of an Equity contract in this Off-Off Broadway production. This is an AEA Approved Showcase
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