Lesli Margherita, Teal Wicks and More Set For Reading of THE PECULIAR TALE

Wally Dunn, Devin Ilaw, Lesli Margherita, John-Andrew Morrison, Lance Roberts, Joel Waggoner, Teal Wicks and more will lead an early-November private reading of THE PECULIAR TALE OF THE PRINCE OF BOHEMIA AND THE SOCIETY OF DESPERATE VICTORIANS with book and lyrics by BECCA BLACKMORE and Dan Marshall, and music by Julian Blackmore at Town Stages.

THE PECULIAR TALE OF THE PRINCE OF BOHEMIA AND THE SOCIETY OF DESPERATE VICTORIANS... is an off-beat, dark comedy adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's THE SUICIDE CLUB. A rock-influenced score, deadly high stakes, and a hilarious book make THE PECULIAR TALE... a unique and wildly entertaining night at the theatre.

When Prince Florizel learns that his father the King of Bohemia is dead, he seeks to escape the throne. He and his chaperone Colonel Geraldine are invited to join a secret society - The Suicide Club. Club members play a deadly card game nightly with higher stakes than the Prince has ever known. Realizing the deck is stacked against them, the Prince and Geraldine become inextricably linked to the club's members in a darkly hilarious new musical.

With direction by Scott Ebersold (THE VIEW UPSTAIRS), the reading stars: Lance Roberts (MY FAIR LADY) as The President, Nikil Saboo (MEAN GIRLS, THE BOY WHO DANCED ON AIR) as The Prince of Bohemia, Joel Waggoner (BE MORE CHILL) as Colonel Milos Geraldine, Lesli Margherita (MATILDA, DAMES AT SEA) as Fanny, Teal Wicks (THE CHER SHOW, FINDING NEVERLAND) as Prudence, John-Andrew Morrison (A STRANGE LOOP) as Joshua St. John Pendelbratton, Devin Ilaw (MISS SAIGON, LES MISERABLES) as Lord Rodgers, and Wally Dunn (HELLO, DOLLY!) as Major General Herbert Malphus, Colin Miyamoto (WATERFALL) as Mr. Jonesbury, and Sarah Pesek (KRIS KRINGLE) as Lady Tabitha of Dithershire. The Ensemble includes: Jordan Drakeford, Emma Flynn, Justin Haupt, and Jayke Workman.

With words and lyrics by Becca Blackmore (ACADEMIA NUTS, SNOW WAY OUT) and Dan Marshall (ACADEMIA NUTS, SNOW WAY OUT, SWISH) and original musical by Julian Blackmore (ACADEMIA NUTS, SNOW WAY OUT, SPANDEX), THE PECULIAR TALE OF THE PRINCE OF BOHEMIA AND THE SOCIETY OF DESPERATE VICTORIANS was an official selection of Goodspeed Musicals' 14th Festival of New Musicals in 2019 where is was presented by a talented cast of students from Boston Conservatory and the Hartt School with musical direction from Kevin David Thomas and direction from Scott Ebersold.

THE PECULIAR TALE... was initially written as a thesis project at NYU's Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program by Dan Marshall and Julian Blackmore, but sat dormant as they went on to collaborate with Becca Blackmore on other musicals. "I loved this show Dan and Julian had crafted, and I wanted to take a stab at it," said Becca Blackmore, "So I asked the fellas if I could play with their baby a bit, and we wound up greatly reworking the show, adding characters and fleshing out some plot points with new details and songs." Following the show's development at Goodspeed Musicals, the team has continued working on the material. The upcoming reading will be the first time the current draft will be heard aloud.

Photo Credit: Jennifer Broski