LOCAL SINGLES Will Make Off-Broadway Debut Next Month

The new musical Local Singles is set to make its Off-Broadway debut this winter. Featuring book, music, and lyrics by Navari, and directed by Clint Hromsco, with musical direction by Navari, the limited engagement will run January 9-February 9 at The Players Theatre, 115 MacDougal Street.  

Come on down to Local Singles - the YMCA's finest support group for lonely people. Through break-ups, crushes, a pregnancy, pure insanity, and three twists along the way, the new musical will make you laugh and break your heart, but you'll walk away with a song stuck in your head, knowing that love still exists, no matter how complicated it can be.

Local Singles is a musical comedy that explores the human connection without the use of filters and the masks of social media, making it almost feel like a period piece when people gathered, in person, to find comfort and a sense of community with each other. The piece reminds us that, despite our differences and experiences in life, we all struggle with the navigation of love, loss and connection in a world that is obsessed with finding the next best thing. 

"My journey with this musical began in the most unexpected way—driving down a highway in 2016, where a simple sign stapled to a telephone pole which read: ‘Local? Single? Call Now!’ sparked a question that wouldn’t leave my mind. Who's calling that number? Who answers? That question grew into the story of Local Singles, a heartfelt exploration of loneliness and connection,” says the show’s creator Nick Navari. “From my finance desk in Pittsburgh to stages across the country, the dream of bringing this show to New York has been fueled by one goal: to ensure every audience member walks out of the theater with a song stuck in their head and a renewed sense that there’s still good left in the world.”

“Life is constantly going to throw us curve balls and the moment you stop spending your time blaming and spend it accepting, resolving and healing, you free yourself up to the love and compassion you deserve from yourself and others,” adds the show’s director Clint Hromsco. “Local Singles teaches us to not be ashamed of who we are, but instead embrace our imperfections, an invaluable message especially at a time when authenticity is fading from so many facets of our lives.” 

In June 2020, Local Singles, a new musical, was awarded a grant for a full production through the National Endowment for the Arts. By July 2020, Nick Navari was named Pittsburgh's Community Supported Artist, and the 750-seat New Hazlett Theater awarded a residency, selecting Local Singles to launch its new season. As the pandemic persisted in October 2020, the NEA doubled down on the project, providing funds to adapt it into a feature film. In January 2021, the original cast recording was produced with musicians from the Pittsburgh Opera, with two songs premiering on NPR. By March 2021, Local Singles debuted nationally as a feature film to glowing reviews, and in November of that year, it was ranked in CityPaper's 2021 Best of Pittsburgh list for the arts. In December 2021, the show received 16 Broadway World Award nominations, winning five, including Best Director and Best Supporting Actor. 11 months after its film debut, Local Singles returned to the stage in February 2022 for a second full production at the 350-seat Lamp Theatre in Irwin, PA. The show’s success led to Nick Navari being named Producing Artistic Director at The Strand Theater in July 2022. In April 2023, the score of Local Singles was featured in the Charlotte Shout Festival at the US debut of the Pianodrome, an amphitheater constructed entirely of old upright pianos. In August 2023, the show made its Denver debut at the Colorado New Musical Festival, and by January 2024, Local Singles was produced in Charlotte, NC, during Queen City Concerts' third season. In February 2024, the musical reached a new milestone, making the CoverFly RedList and ranking among the Top 5 Musical Theatre Scripts of the year and the Top 15 of all time.

The cast of Local Singles features Rylee Carpenter, Hudson Brown, Paul Tuaty, Alana Knobel, Oscar Izenson, Ella Dolynchuk, Georgia Billington, and Gabe DeRose.

Local Singles features scenic design by Ningning Yang, lighting design by David Castaneda, and sound design by Ryan O’Dea.  Hadassa Garfein is the assistant director, Callie Stribling is the stage manager.

Previews begin Thursday, January 9. The official opening night is on Thursday, January 16 at 7:00pm. The production runs through Sunday, February 9. There are 25 performances in total.