Lena Hall, Richard Kind, and Jason Schwartzman Lead KING OF COMEDY Musical Reading

Lena Hall has shared on Instagram that she appeared in a reading of a musical version of the Martin Scorsese film THE KING OF COMEDY at Ars Nova this past weekend.

Also appearing in the reading were Jason Schwartzman and Richard Kind.

The musical adaptation of KING OF COMEDY has music and lyrics by Stephen Trask (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) and a book by Chris D'Arienzo (Rock Of Ages).

In THE KING OF COMEDY, Rupert Pupkin (played on screen by Robert De Niro) is a failure in life but a celebrity in his own mind, hosting an imaginary talk show in his mother's basement. When he meets actual talk show host Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis), he's convinced it will provide his big break, but Langford isn't interested in the would-be comedian. Undaunted, Pupkin effectively stalks Langford -- and when that doesn't work, he kidnaps him, offering his release in exchange for a guest spot on Langford's show.

Lena Hall is a Tony Award-winner and Grammy Award nominee who recently received widespread critical acclaim for her performance of the title role in the feature film Becks, which took top honors at the LA Film Festival. Following her Tony-winning Broadway run in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Hall toured North America alongside Josh Groban on his "Stages" tour and portrayed the dual starring roles of Hedwig and Yitzhak in Hedwig in Los Angeles (LA Drama Critics Circle nomination) and San Francisco. She originated the role of Nicola in the Tony-winning musical Kinky Boots, and can be seen on HBO's Girls, Amazon Prime's Good Girls Revolt, and heard voicing the fan favorite role of Countess Coloratura on My Little Pony. Hall's most recent stage appearance was starring with Marisa Tomei in Lincoln Center Theatre's How to Transcend A Happy Marriage. Lena's two solo musical revues Sin & Salvation, which played the legendary Café Carlyle, and The Villa Satori: Growing Up Haight Ashbury, both received rave reviews and have spawned live albums. Her year-long album series Obsessed began in January with a new EP being released once a month for the entire 2018 calendar year. Up next, Hall will appear opposite Jennifer Connelly in TNT's science fiction epic Snowpiercer.

No word yet on future plans for the musical.