Due to creative differences, director Pamela Hunt (The Musical of Musicals) has withdrawn from Dr. Sex, the new musical about Dr. Alfred Kinsey that began previews at off-Broadway's Peter Norton Space (555 West 42nd Street) and will open on September 20th.
While he is not officially the new director--the role has yet to be officially filled--Ethan McSweeny, who helmed Gore Vidal's The Best Man on Broadway, is currently helping out with the production. McSweeny "has joined the team to help out because of his affection for the
project and its long-term potential. Though
Mr. McSweeny will receive no official credit for this production, he
looks forward to being involved in its future," according to a press statement.
To allow for more rehearsal time, the September 13th has been cancelled, with performances resuming the next day.
Presented by Richard Ericson and Greg Young, Dr. Sex has a score by Larry Bortniker, with book by Larry Bortniker and Sally Deering. The show featues choreography by Mark Esposito, and musical supervision by Patrick Vaccariello. Brian Noonan (The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables) performs in the title role, while three-time Drama Desk nominee Jennifer Simard (Forbidden Broadway SVU, The Thing About Men) plays his devoted wife, Clara; Christopher Corts portrays
Wally--the boyfriend of both. Jared Bradshaw, Linda Cameron, David
Edwards, Christy Faber, Colleen Hawks, and Benjie Randall are also
featured in the cast."Dr. Sex is
the cleanest show about sex in the history of musical comedy," state
production notes. "Set in the 1930s and '40s in Bloomington, Indiana,
Dr. Sex explores the loving relationship between Dr. Alfred Kinsey, his
wife, Clara...and their handsome boyfriend (and lab assistant), Wally
Matthews. When Professor Kinsey, tired of cataloguing American gall
wasps, discovers his life's work in human sexual research, Bloomington
becomes a hotbed of science and sex. Fun, sweet and outrageously
screwball, with toe-tapping music and memorable lyrics, Dr. Sex is the new musical comedy for anyone who's ever had (or thought about having) 'you-know-what.'"
Dr. Sex' design team will include Rob Bissinger (sets), John Carver Sullivan (costumes), and Richard Winkler (lighting); the latter replaced Mary Jo Dondlinger. Dr. Sex
was developed at Lehman Engel/BMI workshop; Stages 2002, Theater
Building Chicago; and the ASCAP at Disney Workshop; it subsequently had
its world premiere at the Bailiwick Theatre, where it became the one of
the hits of the Chicago season.Dr. Sex will
run on the following performance schedule during its previews through
September 14th: Tuesday through Friday evenings at 8 pm, with Saturday
at 2 pm and 8 pm, Sunday at 3 pm and 7 pm. Beginning September 15th,
performances will be Monday, Wednesday through Friday evenings at 8 pm,
with Saturday at 2 pm and 8 pm, Sunday at 3 pm and 7 pm. Tickets for
all performances will be $70 and may be purchased by calling Ticket
Central at 212-279-4200 or online at www.TicketCentral.com. More information is available online at www.drsexthemusical.com.