Hearst-Davies Play THE CAT'S MEOW Set For Musical Debut Via Majestic Rep

Acclaimed theatre director/producer Troy Heard has teamed Steven Peros to write the book and lyrics with wunderkind composer, Brandon Scott Grayson (Musical Director, Utah Shakespeare Festival), for a musical adaptation of Peros' play, The Cat's Meow. Heard, who won recent Best Director awards from Broadway World for both Play and Musical, produced and directed a sold-out immersive run of Peros' stage play in 2016 through his own Table 8 Productions.

Published by Samuel French and produced in six countries thus far, The Cat's Meow involves a murder that may or may not have taken place in 1924 on board William Randolph Hearst's 220-foot yacht, Oneida, while celebrating the birthday of fading mogul, Thomas Ince. Among the passengers are Hearst's mistress, Marion Davies, Charlie Chaplin, and columnist Louella Parsons.

"Ever since directing an immersive production of The Cat's Meow, I always felt this experience could be taken further," says Heard. "The characters are so vividly drawn and the emotions so strong, that a musical version made sense. Fortunately, Steve agreed with me."

"I've been a fan of the innovative, edgy, and celebrated work that Troy has shepherded in Las Vegas' legit theater community," says Peros. "When he reached out and exposed me to Brandon's enormous musical talent, it all just clicked as a natural next step. Together, we'll not only reconceive my 1920's The Cat's Meow for the musical stage, but into sharp relevance for the 2020's."

The Cat's Meow is scheduled for a workshop production in Las Vegas mid-2022.

To download photos of Peros, Grayson, Heard: tinyurl.com/9usyyxyp

STEVEN PEROS - BOOK & LYRICS
A twice-published Samuel French playwright, Steven's Los Angeles stage debut, Karlaboy, received Drama-Logue's Critics Award for Outstanding Writing. His Film and Television career began by writing three episodes of AMC's Emmy-winning period comedy series, The Lot. An award-winning NYU Film School graduate, Steven's feature film directing debut, Footprints, was praised as "One of the 10 Best Films So Far This Year" by the President of the New York Film Critics Circle. He recently sold one-hour dramas to MTV and NBC/Universal, and has written Film and Television projects for talent as diverse as Jackie Chan and Dolly Parton.

BRANDON SCOTT GRAYSON - COMPOSER

Brandon's work has been heard at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, Creede Repertory Theatre, the Neil Simon Festival, and Southern Utah University. His major compositional works include Pizza Boy for Off the Cuff Comedy, Best Foot Forward! for Creede Repertory Theatre, As You Like It for the Utah Shakespeare Festival, Minutes: A Song Cycle for SUU Second Studio, and Heart of the West for the Lake Powell Playhouse.

TROY HEARD - DIRECTOR

Troy Heard is an award-winning Las Vegas-based theatre artist. He is the Founding Artistic Director of Majestic Repertory Theatre where he has directed world premiere musicals by writers ranging from Robert Taylor and Richard Oberacker (Broadway's Tony Award-winning Bandstand) to Amber Ruffin (Late Night with Seth Meyers). Through his company Table 8 Immersive, he has created large scale immersive theatrical events for clients including Cirque du Soleil, Jack Daniels, and MGM Resorts. He is married to a genuine Vegas showgirl and received an MFA from Savannah College of Art and Design.

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