ImprovBoston presents T: An MBTA Musical June 30-July 9

From June 30-July 9, ImprovBoston presents T: An MBTA Musical, a musical comedy inspired by the trials and tribulations of taking Boston's favorite public transportation. With music and lyrics by Melissa Carubia, a book by John M. Manship, and directed by Jeffrey Mosser, T: An MBTA Musical will be ImprovBoston's fourth annual scripted summer musical.

T: An MBTA Musical chronicles the journey of three 20-somethings whose lives have been derailed by the MBTA's shortcomings. When they discover a secret map that will enable them to conquer the evil of the T, they set forth on a colorful journey that is part love story, part melodrama, part scavenger hunt, all one big transportation nightmare. The musical is written by two accomplished professionals and includes lovely moments like "The Shuttle Bus Song (We Can't Handle It)" and "The Bro Song."

T: An MBTA Musical runs Thursday 6/30 at 8PM, Friday 7/1 at 8PM and 10PM, Saturday 7/2 at 8PM and 10PM, Sunday 7/3 at 4PM, Thursday 7/7at 8PM, Friday 7/8 at 10PM, and Saturday 7/9 at 8PM and 10PM. Performances will be at ImprovBoston, located in Central Square at 40 Prospect Street, Cambridge. Tickets can be purchased on http://www.improvboston.com/showcase for $16 general admission, $12 with student ID.

"This is my first professional venture with ImprovBoston," says director Jeffrey Mosser, "and I'm so proud of the work we're doing. I get to work with some of the funniest people in Boston -- including our playwright and librettist Michael Manship and Melissa Carubia respectively. If you've ever taken the T, you need to see this collaboratively hilarious show!"

"I am thrilled to welcome Jeffrey Mosser to ImprovBoston," says ImprovBoston's Artistic Director Will Luera. "Many people don't know that in addition to world-class improv, stand-up, and sketch comedy, ImprovBoston has produced dozens of original scripted musicals. As a veteran theatre director, Jeff brings boundless expertise and enthusiasm to this project. We are delighted have him on board."

The world premiere production's cast features Emily Hecht, Timothy Hoover, Brett Johnson, Emily Laverdiere, Alex LeBaron, Heather Lobe, Josh Michel, Brendan Mulhern, Ray O'Hare, Patrick Parhiala, Katie Preisig, Brandon Rahhal, Eric Rehm, Deana Tolliver, Sarah Tupper, and Lynn Wilcott.

The production team includes Alli Engelsma-Mosser (Choreographer), Dana Beguerie (Costume Design), Josh Garneau (Light and Sound Design), Sam Sewell (Properties Design), and Meredith Wish (Graphic Design). Katie Drexel is the Stage Manager.

Composer and librettist Melissa Carubia is a composer and teacher living in Newton, MA. She holds a Masters in Composition from the Longy School of Music, where she was the recipient of the Creativity Foundation award and the winner of the annual Orchestral Composition Contest. She has worked with the Zeitgeist Stage Company as musical director, with ImprovBoston of Cambridge as a cast member and musician, and with the Fresh Pond Ballet of Cambridge as dancer and composer. She also plays keyboard and sings in various bands around Boston.

Book writer John Michael Manship is an experienced playwright who has completed over one-hundred functional theater pieces, ranging from more than a dozen short plays to five full-length pieces to a multitude of sketches and shorts, which have debuted with various ensembles in the Boston area. Four monologues from his full-length works and two of his short scenes for young adults have been published by Smith and Kraus Publishers. MOSAIC, the show which he co-created, runs regularly at ImprovBoston; In 2006, it was listed first by The Boston Globe in its article "Five Productions That Make a Strong Argument for Why Smaller is Better."

Director Jeffrey Mosser's local directing credits include Moving (Company One's Fringe Wars), Unspoken (Universal Theatre Festival), and Dearly Beloved (CoLab Theatre), among other gigs. He is a former Education Fellow at Actors Theatre of Louisville where he co-created and directed Theatre for Two: The Wedding Party, a site-specific piece inspecting the actor/audience relationship. Recently his play, Love, Death, and Latex, was accepted to the Source Festival in D.C. He is a member of the Rebels Without Applause improv troupe, a Senior Strategist for the Plays for Presidents Festival 2012, and can already tell we're going to be great friends.

Since 1982, ImprovBoston has entertained audiences in New England and around the country with a fresh, funny approach to improv comedy. Voted 2009-2010 "Best of Boston" by The Phoenix, The Improper Bostonian, and The Weekly Dig, ImprovBoston is dedicated to showcasing today's best performers and training tomorrow's stars. With a full calendar of the funniest shows in Boston and nationally-known education and corporate training programs, ImprovBoston is more than just a great Comedy Club-it's a recognized center for the evolving art of improvisation. ImprovBoston is a registered 501(c)(3).

 

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