On Monday, April 4, 2016, acclaimed musical theater writer Drew Fornarola (COLLEGE: THE MUSICAL, STRAIGHT, CLAUDIO QUEST) presented his first full-length concert of his work in Los Angeles at Bar Fedora at Au Lac. Check out photos from rehearsals and the show below!
Produced by amy francis schott (A LITTLE NEW MUSIC, (mostly)musicals) with music direction by Ovation Award-winner Gregory Nabours (THE COLOR PURPLE, THE TROUBLE WITH WORDS), the cast of (MOSTLY) DREW FORNAROLA included: Casey Ford Alexander ("House of Cards"), Marina Nicole Dompke, Juliana Hansen (NBC's "Grease: You're The One That I Want"), David Hull (THE BOOK OF MORMON, "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend"), Anne Letscher (FIDDLER ON THE ROOF), Daniel May (FLOWER DRUM SONG), Alli Miller (Cherry Poppins), Eric Petersen (SHREK: THE MUSICAL, "Kirstie"), Lisa Marie Petersen, Christopher Renfro, and Kyra Selman - plus special guests Leslie McKinnell and Matt Leisy from the national tour of A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER.
Drew Fornarola is a songwriter and playwright from New York City. He is currently developing a stage musical for DreamWorks. Film: VEGGIE TALES NOAH'S ARK (2015) starring Wayne Brady. Theater: STRAIGHT (New York Times Critics' Pick, currently running off-Broadway); CLAUDIO QUEST (dir. John Tartaglia, winner of six 2015 NYMF Awards for Excellence); Molly Shannon's TILLY THE TRICKSTER (Atlantic Theater Company, collaboration with Saturday Night Live's Molly Shannon); THUCYDIDES (winner, Samuel French Play Festival); VOTE FOR ME: A MUSICAL DEBATE (London Theatre Workshop); COLLEGE THE MUSICAL (MTV Award winner, Richard Rodgers Award finalist); and two musicals for children. Concerts of Drew's work have been presented at Lincoln Center, 54 Below, London Theatre Workshop, and Broadway au Carre, Paris, among others. Graduate of Princeton University and the BMI Workshop. For more about Drew, go to www.drewfornarola.com.
Be sure to mark your calendars for Thursday, May 19, when (mostly)musicals will present (mostly)Rosser & Sohne at Bar Fedora.
Photo Credit: amy francis schott
Drew Fornarola, Juliana Hansen, and Gregory Nabours in rehearsal
Daniel May rehearses
Drew works with Casey Ford Alexander
Marina Nicole Dompke works with Drew and Greg
Drew, Matt Leisy, and Greg in rehearsal
Christopher Renfro and Alli Miller work on their song
Drew starts off the show with 'Global Warming Song,' accompanied by music director Gregory Nabours
Kyra Selman sings 'Middle East Disney,' also from VOTE FOR ME
Juliana Hansen sings Drew's award-winning stand alone song, 'Eight and Five'
Christopher Renfro and Alli Miller each wonder if the other is 'Good Enough for Now' (from COLLEGE: THE MUSICAL)
Casey Ford Alexander sings the popular stand-alone 'All of My Friends'
Matt Leisy performs one of Drew's newest songs, 'Didn't Do'
David Hull sings about the plight of the little brother, in 'Player #2' from CLAUDIO QUEST.
Marina Nicole Dompke and Lesley McKinnell continue with CLAUDIO QUEST, realizing 'There's More Than One Way To Be a Princess'
Drew sings Greg Nabours' original, 'Waiting Up,' from RAINDOGS
Lisa Marie Petersen and Eric Petersen find true love in 'Pirate Secretary' from UNCLE PIRATE
Lisa and Eric sing about the challenges of parenting in 'Where Did We Go Wrong' from Molly Shannon's TILLY THE TRICKSTER
Anne Letscher has a technological obsession in 'I Can't Help My Selfie'
Daniel May sings a love song in the midst of political upheaval, 'Doesn't Know I'm There' from TIANANMEN
To close the show, members of the 2008 NYMF and workshop productions of COLLEGE: THE MUSICAL (Casey, Juliana, Damon Gravina, Kyra, Eric, and Anne) have a reunion, with Drew on piano, to sing 'Generation Meh'
The company of (mostly) DREW FORNAROLA (photo by Casey Ford Alexander): Eric Petersen, Juliana Hansen, Casey Ford Alexander, producer amy francis schott; Matt Leisy, Anne Letscher, Kyra Selman, Gregory Nabours, Christopher Renfro, Drew Fornarola; Lesley McKinnell, Alli Miller, Lisa Marie Petersen, Damon Gravina, Marina Nicole Dompke, David Hull, and Daniel May
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