More than 40 years after its creation, Dan Goggin and Robert Lorick's musical, Johnny Manhattan, had its world premiere in Goggin's home state, Michigan. Featuring a book and lyrics by Lorick, music by Goggin, and directed and choreographed by Mark Martino, Johnny Manhattan played a successful engagement at the Meadow Brook Theater (Rochester Hills, MI) in September 2017. Performance rights for the new musical are now available through Samuel French, the world's premier theatrical publishing and licensing company.
Johnny Manhattan is an exciting new musical set in a New York City nightclub when places like the Copacabana, The Latin Quarter and El Morroco were filled with socialites and glamorous showgirls. It's 1958 and Johnny, the owner of Johnny Manhattan's, has invited his closest friends to a private party for a big announcement. Unexpected surprises abound as relationships clash and secrets are revealed.
"Bob and I had the best time writing Johnny Manhattan, and I was always very proud of the work we did, but we were young and inexperienced when it came to the business and we didn't have the ability to take it to the next level," said Dan Goggin. "Other projects came along and Johnny fell to the wayside - until now. I am beyond grateful that Johnny will have a new life with theater companies everywhere, thanks to my friends at Samuel French."
"Over the past several decades, Samuel French has had much success with Dan's wildly popular Nunsense," said Bruce Lazarus, Executive Director, Samuel French. "Johnny is a fantastic show with a wide variety of roles available for every actor."
Johnny Manhattan, the musical was born in 1975 when writer / lyrist Robert Lorick (The Tap Dance Kid) teamed up with composer Dan Goggin (Nunsense) to create a new musical about NYC nightlife in the late 50's. The musical went on to have a 15-performance showcase in NYC starring Beth Fowler, Jana Robbins, Barry Pearl and others. Some forty plus years later, Goggin joined forces with producer Lyle Saunders, who also manages Lorick's estate, to finally bring the musical to life in a full production. In September 2017, Johnny Manhattan made its world premiere at the Meadow Brook Theater in Michigan. The cast included, Jim Ballard in the title role, Anne Brummel as "Rosie," Nathan Cockroft as "Mickey," George Dvorsky as "David," Tyrick Wiltez Jones as "Gary," Barbara McCulloh as "Dorothy," Ruth Pferdehirt as "Maxie," Jana Robbins (who also appeared in the original production) as "Rita," Lauren Sprague as "Lorraine," Scott Willis as "Edward," Janet Caine as "Francine," AlissaBeth Morton as "Gloria," Ian Turnwald as "George," and Dale White as "Paul."
For a sneak peek of Johnny Manhattan and to hear the songs, please visit: www.johnnymanhattanthemusical.com
To license Johnny Manhattan for a production, please visit: www.samuelfrench.com/p/64162/johnny-manhattan
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