Alysha Umphress, Capathia Jenkins & More Will Take Part in Readings for New Musical, THE OUTRAGEOUS SOPHIE TUCKER

In-person readings of the new musical The Outrageous Sophie Tucker will be held on Saturday, July 31. Two presentations are scheduled for 4PM and 8PM at Open Jar Studios (1601 Broadway).

Alysha Umphress (On the Town, American Idiot) plays the title role alongside co-stars Drama Desk Award nominee Capathia Jenkins (Newsies), Phillip Attmore (Shuffle Along) and Stephanie Gibson (Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella). The reading's cast also features Saint Aubyn (Ain't Too Proud), Hannah Corneau (Wicked), Anne L. Nathan (Once), Mark Price (All Shook Up), two-time Tony Award nominee Christopher Sieber (Company), Ryan Vasquez (Hamilton), Gabriel Amato (Cinderella National Tour), and Christine Sienicki (Radio City Rockettes).

Before Judy Garland, Fanny Brice, and Mae West...there was Sophie Tucker. The Outrageous Sophie Tucker is the story of a turn of the 20th century immigrant girl and how she became the Last of The Red Hot Mamas. The show chronicles her early years as a singing waitress at her family's restaurant in Hartford, and spotlights how a first-generation full-figured Jewish girl partnered with Black performers Bill "Bojangles" Robinson and Molly Elkins to revolutionize American entertainment, onstage and off. The musical features the classic songs "I'm the Last of the Red Hot Mamas," "Nobody Loves a Fat Girl (But Oh How a Fat Girl Can Love)," and "Some of These Days."

The Outrageous Sophie Tucker is directed and choreographed by Shea Sullivan featuring original Sophie Tucker songs and a book by Susan and Lloyd Ecker. The creative team also includes Sam Davis (orchestrations), Stephanie Prugh (dramaturgy), Harrison David Rivers (script consultant), Ted Arthur (music director), Tara Rubin (casting), Jen Bender (line producer), Victoria Navarro (stage manager), Amina Robinson (associate director), and Lisa Dozier of LDK Productions (general manager).

To post a comment, you must register and login.