Von Essen, Oscar, & More to Lead Reading of A NEWER WORLD Directed by Jerry Mitchell

A Newer World, an original musical based on the Harvard Scandal of 1920, with a book by Grammy Award nominee Jonathan Sheffer, and score by Sheffer and acclaimed producer and songwriter Bruce Roberts [Barbra Streisand/Donna Summer duet "No More Tears (Enough is Enough)"], will have an invitation-only reading on Thursday, December 6 at Pearl Studios, 500 8th Avenue. With direction by two-time Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell (Kinky Boots, Pretty Woman), the reading will feature musical direction by Will Van Dyke (Pretty Woman).

In 1920, Harvard University formed a secret court to rid the University of a group of gay students whose dorm room parties exposed their secret lives. Nine students were expelled; three of them took their own lives. Nearly 100 years later, a dogged undergraduate journalist, Amit Paley, discovered and exposed the hidden records. With Harvard's world famous Hasty Pudding Show as a conduit, A Newer World traverses past and present - from Amit's modern day journey to uncover truth back to the Jazz Age when nine students' lives were forever changed. Their story is told through an original score blending the rhythms of the Charleston with hip-hop and pop in a thrilling and heartfelt new musical.

The reading will feature an all-star cast including: John Riddle (Frozen), Jake Odmark (Pretty Woman), Brad Weinstock(Aladdin), Ricky Schroeder (Kinky Boots), Howard McGillin (Phantom of the Opera), Tony Nominee Max von Essen (An American In Paris), Tony Nominee Brad Oscar (Something Rotten!), Seth Clayton (The Madrid at MTC), Claybourne Elder(Sunday in the Park with George), Elena Shaddow (The Visit), Chris Dwan (Finding Neverland), Nicholas J. Oliveri ("Boarding School"), Henry Gottfried (Waitress), and Mike McGowan (Priscilla, Queen of the Desert).

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos