Phoenix Productions Announces A Brand-New Musical Every Wednesday Night

Phoenix Productions, under the leadership of Managing Artistic Director James Grausam, has announced a brand-new production of the original musical Every Wednesday Night by New Jerseyans Jon D'Agostino and Michael August Walton. This is the first production for the community-based theater company in 2020 and their first-ever production of an original musical.

Every Wednesday Night is a semi-autobiographical pop/rock musical that focuses on a young family man reeling from the loss of his father, who decides to finally keep his promise and check out his dad's favorite pastime at the local karaoke bar. As he gets to know the "misfit singers" who all pick up the mic for different reasons, he realizes that his father's passion for karaoke is more than a love of singing, it's also the supportive community he meets singing their songs. Life and death, love and marriage, singer and song: Every Wednesday Night is an exploration of what it means to be human, musical, and interconnected through the power of song. With 14 original songs and more than a handful of karaoke favorites, this musical will have toes tapping and hearts swelling as performed by 15 talented New Jersey performers. The cast has been assembled from around the area and includes Mark Piltz of South Plainfield, Jaclyn Spitler of Red Bank, James Marhold of Marlboro, Jo Wymer of Freehold, Gabby Cinque of Holmdel, and Pat Cogan of Ocean Beach.

Every Wednesday Night's author and composer Jon D'Agostino says, "the show started with the title song. I wanted to write my own 'Piano Man' style song about my experience in local karaoke bars around New Jersey. When the song was done, my writing partner Michael August Walton and I realized there might be a way to tell the story of all the personalities in the song in the form of a musical."

"Phoenix Productions is known for large-scale, big-cast musicals," says James Grausam, Managing Artistic Director for Phoenix Productions. "The current situation has, of course, made that impossible to create, but it has allowed us to think smaller, and working closely with our partners at The Count Basie Center for the Arts, we're really focusing on safely creating and presenting theater, all while helping to save the arts in Monmouth County."

Seats in the retrofitted Count Basie are arranged in socially distant, limited capacity tables, and masks are required for entry. "The Basie is doing everything they can to ensure all staff, cast, and patrons remain as safe as possible," says Grausam. Phoenix Productions is selling tables at https://www.phoenixredbank.com/wednesday. Tables are $120 for two-seat tables and $240 for four-seat tables.

Phoenix Productions is a non-profit community theatre organization that has produced more than a hundred full-scale revivals of Broadway musicals since 1988 at the historic Count Basie Center for the Arts. For more information on Phoenix Productions or upcoming shows, go to https://www.phoenixredbank.com/

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