Nikki Crawford, Claybourne Elder & More to Star in FALLING FOR MAKE BELIEVE Developmental Readings

Amas Musical Theatre and the Amas Musical Theatre Lab, will present developmental lab readings of Falling For Make Believe: The Life and Songs of Lorenz Hart, with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Lorenz Hart, book by Mark Saltzman at Pearl Studios (500 8th Avenue - NYC). There will be three (3) performances: Monday, January 22nd @6:00pm and Tuesday, January 23rd @1:00pm and 4:30pm. Seating is limited. For further information, visit www.amasmusical.org.

The true story of Lorenz Hart is presented for the first time – his struggle with the closet and the bottle, his tortured relationship with his songwrting partner Richard Rodgers, and most poignantly, his ability to capture love in his lyrics, but not his life. Featuring 21 Rodgers and Hart classics, including “The Lady is a Tramp,” “Bewitched,” and “This Can’t Be Love.”

“Rodgers and Hart were the original odd couple and their partnership lasted over 25 years,” says Donna Trinkoff, Artistic Producer of Amas Musical Theatre. “They made magic together. Lorenz Hart was a conflicted soul, a genius with words that came from a deep well of unhappiness. Falling for Make Believe shows both of these amazing collaborators from behind the curtain.”

Directed by Jeff Calhoun (Newsies, Jekkyl & Hyde), the cast features Nikki Crawford (Fat Ham – Tony nominee), Claybourne Elder (Company, Sunday in The Park…), Ben Fankhouser (Newsies, Mack & Mabel - Encores), Nicolas King (Hollywood Arms, A Thousand Clowns), Susan Mosher(Hairspray, The Line Up) and Jeff Woodman (Cymbeline). The Music Director is Keith Harrison Dworkin. The stage manager is Thom Gates. Assistant to the Author is Matt Stolfi.

Bios

Richard Rodgers 

(Music) was one of the most successful and celebrated composers of the 20th century. His partnerships with lyricists Lorenz Hart (1895-1943) and Oscar Hammerstein II (1895-1960) resulted in dozens of hit musicals for the stage and screen, from Babes in Arms to  The Sound of Music. A published songwriter by the age of 17, he began collaborating with Lorenz Hart in the 1920s. Between 1920 and 1943 they wrote dozens of musicals for the New York stage and Hollywood movies, including The Boys of Syracuse and Pal Joey. In 1943 Rodgers teamed with Oscar Hammerstein II to write Oklahoma!, a box office smash and a landmark in the history of musical theater. Rodgers and Hammerstein went on to write and produce hit musicals such as Carousel, State Fair, The King and I and The Sound of Music, all of which were adapted for the movies. After Hammerstein's death in 1960, Rodgers continued composing, sometimes writing his own lyrics. Rodgers was known for his catchy melodies and ability to incorporate other musical styles into popular tunes. Many of his songs, such as "My Funny Valentine" and "The Lady is a Tramp" have become jazz standards.

Lorenz Milton Hart 

(Lyrics) was an American lyricist best known for his collaboration with composer Richard Rodgers. Born on May 2, 1895, in Harlem, New York City, Lorenz (Larry) was the elder of two sons born to Jewish immigrant parents of German background. Both sons found careers in theater with Larry's brother Teddy becoming a comic actor. Larry received his early education from Columbia Grammar School and later attended Columbia University. Hart’s career in musical theatre began when he met Richard Rodgers at Columbia in 1919. Their partnership, which lasted more than 20 years, resulted in the creation of music and lyrics for 26 Broadway musicals. Their most enduring shows, often referred to as the “big four”, were Babes in Arms, The Boys from Syracuse, and On Your Toes and Pal Joey, which became a motion picture starring Frank Sinatra. Hart’s lyrics were known for their clever wordplay and emotional depth. In addition to the songs heard in Falling for Make Believe he and Rodgers wrote "There's a Small Hotel," "Glad to be Unhappy," "Little Girl Blue", "Isn't it Romantic," and many more that are to this day in the standard repertoire for singers and jazz instrumentalists.

Mark Saltzman 

(Book) began his career in New York with the Muppets. His Sesame Streetsketches and songs (including “Caribbean Amphibian”) earned him seven Emmy Awards, but behind Bert and Ernie’s back, Mark was writing shows for Soho Rep, 13th Street Theater, and the Village Gate, where he co-wrote the long-running revue A, My Name is Alice. Mark collaborated with Jerry Herman on the Emmy-winning CBS holiday movie Mrs. Santa Claus starring Angela Lansbury. For the movies, he wrote The Adventures of Milo and Otis, Three Ninjas Kick Back and screenplays for SONY, Universal, and Disney. His TV movie, The Red Sneakers, directed by and starring Gregory Hines, was nominated for a Writers Guild Award. In 1997, Mark’s playwriting career began when The Tin Pan Alley Rag opened at The Pasadena Playhouse and received five Ovation Award nominations, including Best Musical. It went on to play at many venues, including New York’s Roundabout Theater. Other stage works: Clutter: The True Story of the Collyer Brothers Who Never Threw Anything Out (Colony Theater, L.A.) and Mr. Shaw Goes to Hollywood (Laguna Playhouse), now optioned for a film. Most recent production: The Off-Broadway musical Romeo and Bernadette which had its NY launch at Amas Musical Theatre and became a Drama Desk nominee and a New York Times "Critic's Choice." The original cast album will be released later this year. Mark's newest musical, Alice, Formerly of Wonderland, will have its world premiere at Santa Barbara's Ensemble Theater Company on June 1, 2024. Mark is a graduate of Cornell University. More information at Mark-Saltzman.com.

Jeff Calhoun

(Director) Broadway: Disney’s Newsies (Tony Award Nomination for Best Director), Bonnie & Clyde, Jekyll & Hyde, Grey Gardens, Deaf West’s Big River (Tony Award Nomination for Best Revival of a Musical), Brooklyn, Annie Get Your Gun, Grease (Tony Award Nomination for Best Choreography), Tommy Tune Tonite, Bells Are Ringing and The Will Rogers Follies. Off-Broadway, Tour, and Internationally: Between the Lines, Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 (US National Tour, London, Australia) and Disney’s High School Musical 1 & 2. Currently he’s developing an original musical for Deaf West as well as a musical based on the life of theater impresario John Kenley. Mr. Calhoun is an associate artist at Ford’s Theater in Washington D.C. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Covenant House Latin American, a non-for-profit helping youth experiencing homelessness in Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico City.

Keith Harrison Dworkin 

(Arranger/Music Director) received a Jeff Award nomination for his adaptation of Rodgers & Hart’s The Boys from Syracuse less than a year out of college. His many stage and screen credits since include Netflix’s The Prom, Amazon’s Cinderella, Disney’s The Hip Hop Nutcracker, Million Dollar Quartet (original Chicago company), and McCoy Rigby’s Singin’ in the Rain (Ovation Award nomination).

Amas Musical Theatre 

(Donna Trinkoff, Artistic Producer) is a non-profit, multi-ethnic theatrical organization founded in 1968 by Ms. Rosetta LeNoire. Amas (“you love” in Latin) is devoted to the creation, development and professional production of new American musicals, the celebration of cultural equity and minority perspectives, the emergence of new artistic talent, and the training and encouragement of inner-city young people. Amas celebrates its impact in pioneering multi-ethnic casting in the American Theatre and reiterates its commitment to this reflection of our diverse society. In recent years, Amas has emerged as a leading not-for-profit laboratory for new musicals, most recently The Gospel According to Heather, Hip Hop Cinderella, Romeo & Bernadette: A Musical Tale of Verona and Brooklyn, ¡Americano!, Broadway and the Bard, starring Len Cariou and Red Eye of Love, which was awarded the Joseph A. Callaway Award for Outstanding Choreography. Its production of The Other Josh Cohen received six 2013 Drama Desk nominations including Outstanding Musical, a 2013 Lucille Lortel nomination for Outstanding Musical, and a 2013 Off-Broadway Alliance nomination for Best New Musical. Other shows that Amas has developed include Distant Thunder, Triassic Parq, Wanda’s World, Shout! The Mod Musical, Lone Star Love, From My Hometown, Zanna, Don’t!, 4 Guys Named Jose and Stormy Weather: Reimagining Lena Horne. Amas education programs include the Rosetta LeNoire Musical Theatre Academy, Lens on Live Theatre and in-school theatre arts residencies designed in partnership with elementary, middle, and high schools.