Photo Flash: First Look at MARRY ME A LITTLE at DirectorFest 2019

The Drama League (Executive Artistic Director Gabriel Stelian-Shanks) opened DirectorFest 2019: The 35th Annual Directors Festival, the only festival in the United States exploring the art of Contemporary Stage directing, last evening with the musical Marry Me A Little, Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Directed by 2018 Leo Shull Musical Theatre Directing Fellow Kemar Jewel, with music direction by Josh Kight at New Ohio Theatre (154 Christopher Street). Festival programming, tickets and additional details are available at www.directorfest.org, or by calling (212) 244-9494.

The two-member cast of Marry Me A Little features Jordan Barbour as Man 1 and Jon-Michael Reese as Man 2. The Stage Manager isTyler Danhaus. Sound Design by Mike Tracey. Casting by Stephen DeAngelis.

Featuring songs by Stephen Sondheim, the master of the modern musical, Marry Me A Little has been reimagined by director and choreographer Kemar Jewel as the story of two queer men of color, searching for love in the city that never sleeps. Two strangers, alone in their apartments on a Saturday night, reveal their secret dreams and fantasies, never knowing that they're just one wall away from each other. With trunk songs from Anyone Can Whistle, Follies, Company, and more, this new production gives voice to love rarely seen on stage.

Kemar Jewel, an international director and choreographer from Philadelphia, became an internet sensation for his video Voguing Train (2014). Kemar's projects have garnered over six million views across social media platforms and have been featured by the Huffington Post, TIME, Fox News and in film festivals across the globe. In theatre, he recently directed Legendary for Underground Arts and Songs For Marsha at the Helen Mills Theatre. B.A., Temple University.

This production and fellowship are supported, in part, with funds from The Leo Shull Foundation for the Arts. Marry Me A Little is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.

Photo Credit: Lloyd Mulvey