Tony Award-winners Carlin Glynn (The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, The Trip to Bountiful - film) and Cady Huffman (The Producers, Steel Pier, The Will Rogers Follies) will appear in two readings of Pure Country, a new musical, which will be presented September 25th and 26th at 3pm at Roy Arias Studios in The Times Square Arts Center (300 West 43rd Street, 5th Floor, NYC).
Pure Country (adapted from the 1992
Warner Brothers movie of the same name starring George Strait and
Lesley Ann Warren) "tells the story of country music superstar Del Hubbard (known to his fans simply as 'Rusty') who is cracking from the pressure of the endless show business grind. Then one day, something snaps, and Rusty 'takes a walk,' ditching his fans, fortune and career – to return to his Texas stompin' grounds, hoping to find the kind of life he'd only sung about," state press notes.
The soundtrack remains George Strait's best-selling recording, which includes two Top Ten Hits, "Heartland" and "I Cross My Heart." More than 7 million copies of the CD and more than 2 million videos have been sold.
The book of the musical is by Rex McGee (based on his screenplay) and
Peter Masterson. Music is by
Steve Dorff, who has been nominated for 3 Grammy Awards and 5 Emmy Awards. Additionally, Dorff has written nine #1 songs, including Kenny Rogers' "Through the Years" and songs for
Celine Dion,
Barbra Streisand, George Strait, and
Whitney Houston, among others. Lyrics are by
John Bettis, nominated 3 times for a Grammy, 2 times for an Emmy, and once each for a Golden Globe and an Oscar. Bettis was an original producer and writer for The Carpenters and has written for a wide variety of artists including Madonna,
Celine Dion, Conway Twitty, and
Michael Jackson.
The reading will be directed by
Peter Masterson, writer and director of
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, whose directing credits also include the film
The Trip to Bountiful. Starring with Glynn and Huffman will be
Jay Montgomery (
Falsettos),
Julie Foldesi (
Little Women, The Full Monty),
James Moye (
Urinetown, The Full Monty), and
Danny Rutigliano (
The Lion King, The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public). The cast also includes
Darrel Blackburn,
Heather Hawkins,
Nicolette Hart,
Ryan Link,
Zachary Prince and
Hollis Scarborough.
The readings are presented and produced by
Chris Presley and
Ellen Rusconi. Casting is by Stephen DeAngelis, and musical direction is by
Eugene Gwozdz.
For information, please call
Ellen Rusconi or
Chris Presley at (646) 205-1618 or email purecountry@stimpson.com
