Orfeh, Andy Karl and Jeremy Kushnier are set to headline Prince Music Theatre's production of Paul Scott Goodman's pop musical Bright Lights, Big City from June 14th through July 2nd. The show will open on June 17th.
The Philadelphia staging of the rock musical will be directed by Stafford Arima (Altar Boyz) with choreography by Andrew Palermo. Orfeh (The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Footloose, Saturday Night Fever) will play Clara, Karl (Altar Boyz, Slut, Saturday Night Fever), who is married to Orfeh, will play Tad and Kushnier will take on the lead role of Jamie (Footloose, Rent, Aida tour). They will be joined by Kelli Barrett as Amanda, Marian Murphy as Mom, Jonathan Shade as Michael, Julie Toliver as Vicky, as well as Don Daniels, Alex Keiper,
Christopher de Prophetis and Alyse Wojciechowski. Based on the much-praised novel by Jay McInerney, the show is set in 1984. "Fresh
off the bus from Kansas, Jamie works as a
fact-checker for a major New York magazine. His wife, a
fast-rising super-model, just left him; he's still reeling from the death
of his mother a year earlier. He plunges into a New York night life of partying,
drinking, and drugs with his glib best friend, and as a result he's on the verge of getting fired," according to the theatre's website. "A uniquely
moving and touching coming-of-age story, Bright Lights, BigCity is set against the
backdrop of the excessive yet glossy chaos of the 1980's. "
A 1988 film version of Bright Lights, Big City, with a screenplay by McInerney, featured Michael J. Fox, Kiefer Sutherland, Phoebe Cates, Swoosie Kurtz and others.