National Lampoon Announces Cast For World Premiere Of LEMMINGS: 21ST CENTURY

Five decades ago, National Lampoon's Lemmings satirized the Woodstock Festival with "Woodshuck: Three Days of Peace, Love and Death." The live production, which was turned into a record album, starred a group of emerging comedians including John Belushi, Christopher Guest and Chevy Chase. Today, the iconic brand reveals the diverse ensemble of notable rising stars who will take center-stage in Lemmings: 21st Century, the reinvention of the iconic off-Broadway hit from composer Henry Koperski, writer Andrew Farmer and Director Annie Tippe, for an exclusive two-show engagement at New York City's Joe's Pub on March 14 and March 15.

National Lampoon today announced the cast of this first ever reboot of Lemmings - a group of performers known for crossing comedy with music: Natalie Walker (Search Party, Bojack Horseman), Kiko Soiree (Named by Time Out Magazine as one of the rising LGBT POC comedians to watch), Preston Martin (Little Women, The Rest of Us), Andrew R. Butler (Larson and Lortel Award winning musical maker, star and creator of Rags Parkland?), Kim Blanck (Dave Malloy's OCTET), Eric Lockley (Luke Cage, First Reformed), Aneesa Folds (the recent Broadway run of Freestyle Love Supreme) and Kuhoo Verma (The Big Sick, Dave Malloy's OCTET).

Lemmings 21st Century takes on the modern Millennial corporate festival culture on display at Coachella, Burning Man, Bonnaroo, and even Fyre, with the fictional music gathering, the "Downfall Festival," brought to you by humanitarian organization and pharmaceutical super-corporation, Drexlife. The new original comedy musical is written by Larson Grant Winner Farmer, with a score from downtown music-comedy guru Koperski, and directed by red-hot theater artist Tippe. Additional credits include Consulting Producer Patrick Catullo (Oh, Hello On Broadway, David Byrne's American Utopia) and Line Producers/General Managers Mike Lavoie and Carlee Briglia (Jacqueline Novak's Get On Your Knees, Oh, Hello On (Off) Broadway).

The original musical production kicks off "National Lampoon's 50th Anniversary Mid-life Crisis" celebration weekend with festivities continuing at SXSW Comedy Festival 2020 in Austin, Texas with the iconic comedy brand presenting "National Lampoon Radio Hour: The Live Show" on March 15 and March 16 at Esther's Follies in Austin in front of live audiences. The events will showcase original, twisted sketch performances by the writers and stars of the all-new "National Lampoon Radio Hour: The Podcast," including Meg Stalter (Vulture's Up and Coming Comics in 2019; The Meg Stalter Show), Brett Davis (Andy Kaufman Comedy winner, Podcast For Laundry), Alex English (The Rundown, Night Train), Aaron Jackson (UCB, The Opposition), Rachel Pegram (The Week Of, Don't Think Twice) and Lorelei Ramirez (Comedy Central: Up Next, Pervert Everything).

Led by Co-CEOs Raj Singh and Kevin Frakes and President Evan Shapiro, National Lampoon expands the boundaries of the comedy universe with projects that span film, audio, live performance, television, and beyond. Like its origins, its storytelling pushes the envelope of defining comedy and presents "twisted mainstream" humor conveyed through voices that represent the next generation of leading artists. "National Lampoon Radio Hour: The Podcast," which premiered on December 19, stars next generation comic savants Cole Escola, Jo Firestone, Brett Davis, Alex English, Maeve Higgins, Aaron Jackson, Rachel Pegram, Lorelei Ramirez, Meg Stalter and Martin Urbano, and is a reinvention of modern scripted sketch, in audio.

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