Lesli Margherita and Max Crumm Come to NYMF in MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY VS. THE DEVIL
By: A.A. Cristi Jun. 27, 2017
Matthew McConaughey VS THE DEVILL: AN AMERICAN MYTH features a book by Emilie Landmann & Carrie Morgan; Music by Jonathan Quesenberry; Lyrics by Carrie Morgan & Jonathan Quesenberry; Choreography by Billy Griffin; Musical Direction by Kristin Stowell; and Directed by Tom Caruso.
It will play a limited engagement at at Off-Broadway's Acorn Theatre at Theatre Row (410 W. 42nd St., NY, NY 10036). Performances begin Monday, July 10 and continue until Sunday, July 16.
Matthew McConaughey VS. THE DEVIL: AN AMERICAN MYTH is a Faustian comedy that dares to ask the question, "How the hell did Matthew McConaughey win an Academy Award?" This show recounts how the RomCom starring stoner became an A-list award winner. Matthew has a loyal agent, his best friend Woody, and his beloved bongos. Now all he needs is to be taken seriously as an actor. Enter a demon with a deal from the Devil himself. Friendship, love and loyalty are all tested in this hell-raising adventure to win Matthew the Oscar...and save his soul.
The production stars Jennifer Blood (Matilda, Gentleman's Guide...) as Penny, Max Crumm (Disaster!, Grease) as Woody, Lesli Margherita (Olivier Award-Winner for Zorro The Musical,, Matilda) as Mephistopheles, Wayne Wilcox (The Normal Heart, Coram Boy) as Matthew, and the ensemble includes Cameisha Cotton, Koh Mochizuki, David Park, Frankie Shin, Riza Takahashi, and Nicole Vande Zande.
The production features scenic design by James Fenton, costume design by Daryl Stone, and lighting design by Zach Blane. Andrew Keister is the sound designer, Victoria Navarro is the production stage manager, Kassey Pratt is the assistant stage manager, Evan Bernardin is the general manager, Gwynne Richmond is the company manager, Michael Cassara is the casting director, and Kampfire PR is the publicist.
Tickets are $27.50 and are now available online at www.nymf.org or by calling 212-352-3101. Tickets may also be purchased in-person at theater ½ hour prior to performance Running Time: 90 minutes Website: matthewmcconaugheyvsthedevil.com
Thomas Caruso (Director) Thomas directed the critically acclaimed Off-Broadway musical, Southern Comfort. Other directing credits include new works at Rattlestick, NY Stage & Film, Bay Street, Penguin Rep, Williamstown, EST, Julliard, The Play Company, NYMF, SPF, Playwrights Horizons, Cherry Lane, Studio Arena Theatre, Goucester Stage, TheatreWorks, among others. Associate director credits include Mama Mia!, Follies and Master Class.
EMILIE LANDMAN (Book) is a theatre artist based in Portland, OR. She has worked on and off stage with companies such as Profile Theatre, Post5 Theatre Company, Portland Actor's Ensemble, Action/Adventure Theatre, Nutz-n-Boltz and Original Practice Shakespeare. Additionally, she was a member of the 2013-14 Portland Playhouse Apprentice Company, where she wrote and performed the solo show A Study on Outdoor Catholicism. She received her BA in Theatre Arts from Western Washington University.
Carrie Morgan (Book, Lyrics) is a theatre artist and educator based in New York, NY. Some of her favorite credits include: American Idiot (Triangle Productions), Carrie the Musical (Stumptown Stages), The Light in the Piazza, A Christmas Carol (Portland Playhouse), and A Chorus Line (Berkshire Theatre Group). As an apprentice at Portland Playhouse, she wrote and performed the solo show Party[girl]. She received her BFA from Samford University where she studied Musical Theatre.
Jon Quesenberry (Lyrics, Composer) is a musical director, composer, and actor in Portland, OR. He received his BA in Music from Warner Pacific College and spent some time in New York learning the craft of musical theatre writing from composer/lyricists Kirsten Childs and Joel Derfner through NYU's Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. In Portland he has worked with companies such as Portland Center Stage, Broadway Rose Theatre Company, Triangle Productions, Oregon Children's Theatre, and more. Jon has received many local accolades and nominations for his work as a theatre artist.
The New York Musical Festival nurtures the creation, production, and public presentation of stylistically, thematically, and culturally diverse new musicals to ensure the future vitality of musical theater. Now in its fourteenth year, the Festival is the premier musical theater event in the world. The preeminent site for launching new musicals and discovering new talent, the Festival provides an affordable platform for artists to mount professional productions that reach their peers, industry leaders, and musical theater fans. More than 90 Festival shows have gone on to productions on and Off-Broadway, in regional theaters in all 50 states, and in more than 24 countries worldwide. Festival alumni have received a wide array of awards including the Tony Award and the Pulitzer Prize. In 2013, NYMF received a special Drama Desk Award in recognition of its work "creating and nurturing new musical theater, ensuring the future of this essential art form."
NYMF is the flagship program of National Music Theater Network, Inc., a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization. 2017 NYMF is sponsored by The City of New York Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, PRG, TheaterMania, Clear Channel Outdoor and the Village Voice, and is supported, in part, in part, by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Videos