FOR THE LOVE OF A GLOVE Announces Extension And Cast Additions

Bazalaam Beats Productions has announced a second extension of the cult-hit musical FOR THE LOVE OF A GLOVE, now playing at the Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan Theater in Los Angeles. Having been previously shuttered by the coronavirus pandemic in March of 2020, the musical reopened in February of 2023 for a limited engagement of twelve performances. After selling out all of these performances and a further month-long extension, the team behind this smash hit are delighted to extend the run once again and to add four brilliantly talented actors to our cast.

Beloved LA theater icon Jesse Merlin, whose credits include writer/director Julien Nitzberg's The Beastly Bombing and Dr. Hill in Stuart Gordon's Re-Animator: the Musical, joins the cast in the roles of evil alien glove Vikh-Tah, Michael Jackson's manager Frank DiLeo and Dick Clark. Joining the cast as Donny Osmond and Brooke Shields is Jackson Janowicz, most recently seen as Young Walter in the regional premiere of The Inheritance (Parts 1 and 2) at the ZACH Theatre in Dallas, Texas.

Also joining the cast are Parnell Marcano and Dennis Renard as Berry Gordy and Michael's glove Thrihl-Lha, respectively. Renard has appeared on NCIS (CBS) and Book of Queer (Discovery+); Marcano has been a touring singer for thirty years who performed with Motown legends like Mary Wilson and Thelma Houston.

Merlin will begin performances the weekend of April 28, while Marcano, Renard, and Janowicz will join the cast at a later date.

FOR THE LOVE OF A GLOVE takes a decidedly off-kilter approach to telling the life story of Michael Jackson, the most famous entertainer of our time. Using Michael Jackson's glove, a sentient, extraterrestrial named Thrihl-Lha as the play's narrator, this show gives audiences a freshly revisionist look into the strange forces that shaped Michael and the scandals that bedeviled his reputation.

Using a combination of life-sized puppet and real actors, this original comic musical uses Michael Jackson's life as a way to address the incendiary trifecta of race, religion and sexuality that were always controversial undercurrents in Michael's story.

Deeply researched, it also puts at its center the Amadeus/Salieri relationship that existed between Michael and Donny Osmond and suggests this as the key to understanding much of Michael's life.

Critics have compared the show to Book of Mormon, Mel Brooks and Avenue Q. NPR proclaimed it "Raunchy, surreal and absurd," while The LA Weekly called it, "wryly brilliant... Nitzberg takes the timeline of Jackson's life, based in well-documented music history, and expands the story into surreal absurdity even while consciously weaving in sociological, political and religious commentary." The LA Times said the remount, "is a wild ride full of comedic jabs ... and packs a punch." Yahoo! Entertainment said, "for ... all its humor, much of the show deals with serious issues like racism, religious hypocrisy, and cultural appropriation.

Writer/director Julien Nitzberg is best known as the producer and director of the acclaimed documentary feature The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia, produced by Johnny Knoxville and distributed theatrically by Robert DeNiro's company Tribeca Film. Other works include the controversial comic operetta The Beastly Bombing, or A Terrible Tale of Terrorists Tamed By The Tangles Of True Love. Nitzberg is currently fulfilling a two season order from Tubi for his adult animated series Breaking Bear, a crime parody about meth-peddling grizzly bears that is produced by Blink-182's Tom DeLonge and Stan Spry.

The music was composed by Coco Morier, Drew Erickson and Max Townsley. Coco Morier is a songwriter, artist, and producer. Morier's best known work includes songs recorded by Britney Spears, Selena Gomez, Ellie Goulding, Tom Jones and Demi Lovato. Drew Erickson has produced and written songs for Lana Del Rey and has contributed to recordings of myriad other artists including Florence + the Machine, Father John Misty, Mac Demarco, Weyes Blood and Tim Heidecker. Max Townsley is a Dallas-based multi-instrumentalist, composer, songwriter and singer. He has toured the globe as a guitarist with the bands Midlake and Neon Indian. He composed and performed the music for the feature film Song Of The Cicada, and as a songwriter he has penned songs for Keith Urban and Sabrina Claudio.

Choreographer Cris Judd started his illustrious career as a lead dancer for Michael Jackson's HIStory Tour. His choreography has been featured on the MTV VMA's, Super Bowl Halftime Shows and in numerous Netflix productions.

Producers are Leigh R. Crawford, Tony Jones, Betsy Zajko and Burk Zanft, with Heather Marie Marsden serving as Consulting Producer. Creative team includes Andrea Keller (Production Design), Chris Moscatiello (Music Director), Ann Closs-Farley (Costume Design), Derrick McDaniel (Lighting Designer) and Victoria Hoffman (Casting).

Tickets to FOR THE LOVE OF A GLOVE are on sale today at https://www.fortheloveofaglove.com. Reach the production on Instagram and Twitter at @fortheloveofaglove and on Facebook at "For the Love of a Glove."

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