Marla Schaffel will join Ron Bohmer (The Woman in
White) and Richard Roland (of Broadway's Follies revival) in an equity
staged reading of The Man in the Iron Mask, a new musical (and not to be confused with the show of the same name that shuttered in London this past August).
The
reading will take place on Monday night, February 13th, 2006 at the
Lamb's Theatre (off Times Square). The Man in the Iron Mask is
composed by Jeffrey Campos with book and lyrics by Shad Olsen. Brian
Swasey will direct the reading with musical direction by Phillip
Kirchman.
Marla Schaffel will play the Queen Mother, Anne,
in this musical adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' classic novel. Ron
Bohmer will play Aramis (of the infamous Three Musketeers), and Richard
Roland will play D'Artagnan.
"The Man in the Iron Mask follows the story of Philippe, a
sheltered boy who has grown up in exile because he is the identical
twin to the king of France," according to the creators. "As a second
heir to the kingdom, he is considered a threat by the king and locked
into an iron mask to conceal his identity. The Three Musketeers, now
retired from duty, reunite to save Philippe and overthrow the
tyrannical king. In the short course of the mission, Philippe
experiences the world that has been kept from him, and he rises above
it as a man worthy of the crown," state press notes.Schaffel, who received a Tony Award nomination for her performance in Jane Eyre, was recently seen in A Broadway Diva Christmas. Other Broadway credits include Titanic and Les Miserables, and she also appeared in a recent national tour of My Fair Lady.
A previous reading of the first act of The Man in the Iron Mask was
presented in New York in May. Since then, the writers of the show have
been sharpening the piece, aiming for "the action and sweep of the
cinematic renditions," according to notes.