Feinstein's Presents MOSTLYNEWMUSICALS With LA Premiere Of Brett Ryback's JOE SCHMOE SAVES THE WORLD

LA's newest monthly musical series, Feinstein's Presents mostlyNEWmusicals, returns Monday, November 4, 2019 with Brett Ryback's JOE SCHMOE SAVES THE WORLD, directed by Christian Barillas.

Set amidst the 2011 Arab Spring, JOE SCHMOE tells the parallel stories of an indie rock duo in America and a pair of Iranian students in Tehran. Raging against conformity, fear, and the status quo, the two young women at the center risk everything in an attempt to change the world through their art.

The cast will feature former Miss California Ari Afsar (Eliza in HAMILTON Chicago, "American Idol" semi-finalist; in LA: WE ARE THE TIGERS), Lana McKissack (Film: COUNTDOWN, TV: "Transformers," "Dark/Web"; in LA: THE LAST BREAKFAST CLUB, UMPO Series at Rockwell), Jonah Platt (Broadway: Fiyero in WICKED, TV: "JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR Live," regional: world premiere of A WALK ON THE MOON at ACT), and Amir Talai (TV: "LA to Vegas," "Kung Fu Panda"; film: HAROLD AND KUMAR 2; in LA: MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG at the Wallis, ANNIE at the Hollywood Bowl). Additional vocals will be performed by Robin DeLano, Benny Lipson, Brett Ryback, and Zoe D'Andrea. The JOE SCHMOE band will be Brett Ryback (piano), Benny Lipson (bass), Emily Rosenfield (guitar), and Greg Sadler (drums).

JOE SCHMOE SAVES THE WORLD was developed with help from Oregon Shakespeare Festival's BLACK SWAN Lab, IU-Bloomington, and the ASCAP/Dreamworks Musical Theatre Workshop lead by Stephen Schwartz. It was presented in the 2016 NAMT Festival of New Musicals in New York City.

Brett Ryback is an actor, composer/lyricist, and writer. He is the recipient of the ASCAP Foundation's Cole Porter Award. His works include: PASSING THROUGH (Goodspeed); NATE THE GREAT (Licensed by TRW); JOE SCHMOE SAVES THE WORLD (NAMT, ASCAP/Dreamworks Workshop); THE TAVERN KEEPER'S DAUGHTER ("Best Musical," Pasadena Weekly); and LIBERTY INN (LA Ovation Award nomination, Best Music/Lyrics). His award-winning plays WEÏRD and A ROZ BY ANY OTHER NAME are both published in "The Best American Short Plays 2007-2008." As an actor he originated the role of Marcus Off-Broadway in MURDER FOR TWO, and has performed at numerous regional theatres including Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Theatreworks Silicon Valley, South Coast Rep, The Ahmanson, Mark Taper Forum, La Jolla Playhouse, Milwaukee Rep, and Geffen Playhouse. Film/TV appearances include "Modern Family," "How I Met Your Mother," and HAIL, CAESAR! Brett is currently developing a narrative musical podcast called "In Strange Woods." He created the online accompanist site PlayThisForMe.com, and he teaches musical theatre at the University of Southern California. Please visit www.brettryback.com.

Feinstein's Presents: mostlyNEWmusicals is a new monthly series featuring a variety of exciting new musical theatre in concert in the heart of Studio City. Each edition will focus on the work of a single writer or writing team - or present a new musical in concert! mostlyNEWmusicals is curated and co-produced by Amy Francis Schott, producer of the popular, long-running cabaret series (mostly)musicals.

Tickets are $25/general admission and $35/VIP and available at www.feinsteinsatvitellos.com Doors open at 6:30pm for dinner and drinks, showtime is 8pm. Feinstein's at Vitello's is located on the upper level of Vitello's Restaurant at 4349 Tujunga Avenue, Studio City, CA. Valet and street parking are available. A minimum of $20.00 is required per person while inside the showroom. Dining in the restaurant or any of our bars does not apply to the showroom minimum. Service fees apply to all tickets purchased via Eventbrite, at the door, and/or at the Box Office. Valet parking available with validation for $6. Guests requiring accessible seating should book directly by calling 818-769-0905. Parties of 7 or more must be booked directly with the venue by calling 818-769-0905. Large group seating is not guaranteed.

Feinstein's at Vitello's is home to a roster of local jazz, musical theater, comedy acts and welcomes some of today's most celebrated performers when they come to town. The popular supper club brings an eclectic mix of entertainers and spirited, one-of-a-kind performances to the San Fernando Valley's favorite Italian restaurant. Feinstein's at Vitello's is Michael Feinstein's first location in Southern California, joining his other nightclubs, Feinstein's/54 Below in New York and Feinstein's at the Nikko in San Francisco.

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