Testa Stars in NAMT Sunfish Reading; Arima Directs

Tony-nominee Mary Testa, Alton Fitzgerald White, and Todd Buonopane will star in a 45-minute excerpt of Sunfish, the winner of the 2005 Jonathan Larson award, which will be presented as part of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre's Festival of New Musicals on October 9th.

Testa (42nd Street, See What I Wanna See), White (The Lion King) and Buonopane (Spelling Bee) will lead a cast of ethnically-diverse actors that also includes Ma-Anne Dionisio (Flower Drum Song), Ward Billeisen (Fiddler on the Roof, Curtains), Tommar Wilson (Lestat, Hairspray), Eric Bondoc (Pacific Overtures), and Marisa Echeverria (Jersey Boys / La Jolla Playhouse).  The presentation will be helmed by director Stafford Arima (Altar Boyz, Ragtime/London). Jesse Vargas (Bare) is the musical director.

Based on a Korean folk tale, "Sunfish is the magical story of Aheh and the fantastical lengths she will travel to restore her Blind Father's sight.  Aheh's adventures take her to the bottom of the ocean and beyond. This timeless story of love and sacrifice is given a touching and hilarious spin as a modern family musical," state press notes.

Sunfish features book and lyrics by Michael Cooper, with book and music by Hyeyoung Kim. Cooper and Kim are recent graduates of the NYU Musical Theater Writing Program, where Sunfish, which was their senior thesis, won the Jonathan Larson Award in 2005.

A 45-minute excerpt of Sunfish will be presented twice on October 9th at 10:00 am and 3:30 pm at New World Stages. Visit www.namt.org for more information.  Admission to the festival is by invitation only.