Casting Announced For FOR THE LOVE OF A GLOVE, AN UNAUTHORIZED MUSICAL FABLE ABOUT MICHAEL JACKSON AS TOLD BY HIS GLOVE

LA playwright/filmmaker Julien Nitzberg announced here today the complete cast of his new work for the theater, FOR THE LOVE OF A GLOVE, AN UNAUTHORIZED MUSICAL FABLE ABOUT THE LIFE OF Michael Jackson AS TOLD BY HIS GLOVE.

The 12 person cast and 20 original, life sized puppets will revisit the thrilling years of Motown and the rise of the Jackson 5, portraying the myriad of people who influenced young Michael and his brothers, including a stable of Motown artists, Dick Clark, Brooke Shields, and Donny Osmond.

Joining stars Jerry Minor, (Daily Show correspondent, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Dr. Martin Luther King in Netflix's Historical Roasts, SNL) and who plays Michael Jackson's glove THRHIL-LHA, and Eric B. Anthony (The Lion King on Broadway) who plays Michael Jackson, are, in alphabetical order:

Andrew Ableson (The Polar Express, Will & Grace), Ogie Banks (Monster High, Spider-Man TV), Trécey Dory (Wallis Studio Ensemble, Universal Studios Hollywood), Daniel Gaither (MADtv, Groundlings), Mark Jacobson (9-1-1, The Resident, Speechless), Pip Lilly (Second City Touring Company, Improv Olympic), Justin Anthony Long (Mutt House, Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat), Daniel Mills (Invisible, Four Horesman of the Funkpocalypse), Suzanne Nichols (My Name is Eartha, But You May Call Me Miss Kitty!) Terra Strong (Conversations in LA). Casting by Victoria Hoffman.

As with the hit Broadway musical AVENUE Q, and THE LION KING, the performers and puppets are equally visible in FOR THE LOVE OF A GLOVE. This show does not use "Muppet-style" puppets, but rather original, meticulously built Japanese Bunraku-inspired puppets designed by Robin Walsh and created with her associate puppet artists Adrian Rose Leonard and Ron Binion. Realistic and close to life size, these 20 all-original works of art portray all members of the Jackson 5, Donny Osmond, Emmanuel Lewis, Corey Feldman and Bubbles the Chimp.

For The Love Of A Glove opens January 25, 2020, the inaugural production of the Carl Sagan- Ann Druyan Theater on the ground floor of the Center For Inquiry (CFI-West) 2535 W. Temple Street at Rampart, adjacent to Hollywood and DTLA. Tickets: www.fortheloveofaglove.com

For the record, the show's producers are Leigh Crawford, Tony Jones, Julien Nitzberg, Sam Sarkar (CEO of Infinitum Nihil, which is not involved), and Betsy Zajko, and Burk Zanft, the sole investor.

For The Love Of A Glove is directed by Julien Nitzberg (The Wild And Wonderful Whites Of West Virginia, Mike Judge's Tales from the Tour Bus) who wrote the book and lyrics. Composers are Drew Erickson (who has worked with Tim Heidecker, Father John Misty), Nicole Morier (who has composed songs for Tom Jones, Britney Spears) and Max Townsley. Musical Director is Christopher Moscatiello (The Kennedy Center, National Geographic), assisted by Heather Marie Marsden. Casting director is Victoria Hoffman (A Noise Within, Boston Court). Production Designer is Andrea Keller (W Hotel Westwood, A Noise Within Theatre); costumes by Ann Closs-Farley (The Pee-Wee Herman Show on Broadway, Disney's Toy Story The Musical). Robin Walsh (SpongeBob Square Pants, Team America) is lead puppet designer and puppet director, with Ron Binion and Adrian Leonard serving as puppet design artists. Props Manager is Jill McGraw. The show's Media Manager is Michelle Hanzelova. Lighting Designer is Derrick McDaniel (NCAA and Ovation Nominee). Technical director is Michèal David Ricks (Sacred Fools Theatre). Production Manager is Amanda Bierbauer (Rogue Machine Theatre). Stage Manager is Sarah Dawn Lowry assisted by Dale Van Syke. Key Poster Art is by Ellen G.

Sparkling with allusion and a kind of reverence for such classics as Little Shop Of Horrors and The Book Of Mormon, For The Love Of A Glove takes an off-kilter approach to the life story of young Michael Jackson, who at age 10 catapulted to fame whilst being manipulated like a puppet by the forces around him. Yet he had his best friend- his glove- there to guide him. Using Michael's glove as the play's narrator, the show is a fresh look at the mix of cultural appropriation, racism, religious doctrine and sexual repression that shaped his young life. By re-telling true life events through the perspective of a glove which is also a musically talented alien trying to take over humanity, the show is comical and unflinching, its music infused with the spirit of his time.

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