Fourteen musicals that have been invited to be a part of this year's New York Musical Theatre Festival have been announced. These shows will accompany the previously announced Next Link selections.
The Next Link productions were previously announced as
Desperate Measures, Emerald Man, Flight of the Lawnchair Man, Go-Go Beach, Have a Nice Life, Hot and Sweet, Journey to the West, Kingdom, Lunch, Oedipus for Kids, The Piper, Prozac and the Platypus, River's End, The Screams of Kitty Genovese, Smoking Bloomberg, Three Sides, and
Warrior. "Now
in its third year, NYMF exists to provide a launching pad for emerging
musical theatre writers, composers, lyricists and performers, and to
bring a new generation of work to new and diverse audiences. Each year,
18 of the festival's selections are chosen by a jury of theater
luminaries from open submissions to the Festival's Next Link Project.
This year's seven-member jury includes seven-time Joseph Jefferson
Award winner Gary Griffin, Tony winner David Henry Hwang, three-time Tony winner Thomas Meehan, Pulitzer Prize winner and two-time Tony winner Marsha Norman, Drama Desk nominee Anthony Rapp, Tony Award winner Phylicia Rashad and Tony-winning producer Michael Rego," state press notes.
The following invited shows will be presented alongside the Next Link selections.
Behind the Limelight features book, music and lyrics by
Christopher Curtis.
"Behind the Limelight explores the life and art of Charlie Chaplin, one of the world's most beloved performers, with one of history's most turbulent careers. Featuring three actors as Chaplin—the child, the tramp and the old man—[the show] takes us from his vaudeville days to his groundbreaking work behind and in-front of the camera, his first wife to his third, his American naturalization to the exile brought about by Hollywood's gossip mill and the House Un-American Activities Committee," state press notes.
The Children features book and lyrics by Stan Richardson, and music by Hal Goldberg. "
The Children is a new musical comedy based on the low-budget 1980 b-horror movie of the same title. A low-hanging cloud of radioactive waste turns a school bus full of children into second-rate zombies, who proceed to track down and zap their negligent parents one by one."
Gutenberg! The Musical! features book and lyrics by Anthony King and Scott Brown. "Anthony King and Scott Brown are the masterminds behind Doug Simon and Bud Davenport—two simple dolts who set out to musicalize quite possibly the least musical event in history: the creation of the printing press."
Having It Almost features a book by David Goldsmith and Wendy Perelman, music by John Kavanaugh, lyrics by David Goldsmith, with additional songs by
Jeff Blumenkrantz, Anne Kessler and Libby Saines, and
Stephen Schwartz. "A blackout maroons five women in their 40's at JFK Airport. This new musical addresses contemporary issues like infidelity, infertility, career vs. family, being single by choice (and not-by-choice), and the myths of motherhood as these women slowly open up to and learn from each other, ultimately changing one another's destinations for the better."
J.O.B. The Hip-Hopera features book and lyrics by Jerome Sable and Eli Batalion, and music by Jerome Sable, Eli Batalion & Joe Barrucco. The show is "The New York premiere of L.A.'s hit musical retelling of the book of Job."
The Man in My Head features a book by Thomas F. DeFrantz, and music and lyrics by Michael Wartofsky. "Drew Durango wants it all: a loving relationship with a rock-steady African-American man, solid friendships with Chelsea party boys and a way to share his world with his Granny in Indianapolis. But after seven years living in New York, he still hasn't quite figured it out, careening in and out of love and entanglements with a handsome but closeted attorney, a Zen-like children's basketball coach, a sister on a mission to find a husband, a hard-partying Harlem Hospital nurse and his nephew from the Midwest. A one-man rhythm-and-blues-laden tour-de-force starring Obie Award-winning actor
Darius de Haas."
Night of the Hunter features book and lyrics by
Stephen Cole, and music by Claibe Richardson. "Love and Hate co-exist in all of us, but when an evil West Virginia depression era Preacher with those words tattooed on his hands goes after $10,000 hidden in a little girl's doll, the eternal battle between good and evil becomes a musical thriller that takes a little boy on a coming of age journey."
The Paisley Sisters' Christmas Special features a book by Jim Ansart, Jill Benjamin, Brett Silverman and Steve Silverman, music by Bret Silverman, and lyrics by Jim Ansart, Jill Benjamin and Bret Silverman. "It's 1964. Kennedy's dead. The Beatles have arrived. And the Paisley Sisters (Connie, Bonnie, Lonnie, and Abigail) are airing a brand-new color-television holiday extravaganza that they hope will put them back in the Top 40. A book musical with 20 original songs wrapped in a send-up of early holiday television specials and the people who did them."
Party Come Here features a book by
Daniel Goldfarb, music by
David Kirshenbaum, and lyrics by
David Kirshenbaum. "A nervous groom, a statue of Christ, and a 500-year-old Jewish caveman converge to make miracles happen during a tropical storm on one magical night in Rio."
The Tragic and Horrible Life of the Singing Nun features a book by Blair Fell, and music and lyrics by Andy Monroe (additional lyrics). "The dark, dangerous and hilarious story of the ill-fated nun who sang the Grammy-winning 60's hit 'Dominique-nique-nique.' Told through the eyes of a nun named Sister Coco Callmeishmael, (the show) gazes through an irreverent pop-culture prism, pulling every candy-colored piece of Catholic Camp out of the box to recount Sister Smilie's uproariously funny, but ultimately tragic story of sky-rocketing face and meteoric decline."
This Could Be Love features book, music and lyrics by Brock Simpson. "He's a jingle writer; she's a full-time temp. Stood up and fed up, they decide to cheat fate and fall in love…whether they like each other or not. A quirky two-hander direct from Canada."
Virgins features book and lyrics by Dean Bryant, and music by Mathew Frank
"A musical threesome you'll want to join,
Virgins features teenagers touring their song-and -dance abstinence show, a burlesque look at the world of internet porn, and 'Refugee Idol.'"
What A Glorious Feeling features book, music and lyrics by Jay Berkow. "The true story of how the creators of 'Singin in the Rain' birthed what many consider to be the best musical comedy of all time."
White Noise features music, lyrics and book by
Joe Drymala, with additional songs by
Rick Crom, Glen Kelly, Laurence O'Keefe, Stephen Sisten and
Eric Svejcar. "It's better to be a star than to wear one. Adorable teen sisters Blanche and Eva, lead the band White Noise, which mixes irresistible harmonies… with white power rhetoric. Their controversial rise to fame parallels a growing white supremacist movement that threatens to engulf America, and Blanche and Eva prove themselves to be masters of the most terrifying and unstoppable form of racism in today's culture: Top Forty pop."
Visit
www.nymf.org for more information.
