Ilaw, Chapelle, and Madjus Set for Presentations of New Musicals at New York Theatre Barn

The 17th season of New York Theatre Barn's award-winning New Works Series will continue on Monday, May 20th, 2024 at 7PM ET at The 52nd Street Project in NYC (789 Tenth Avenue – the theatre is located on the 2nd Floor). The presentation will feature excerpts from the new musicals The Game Boy and Durra Leung's Lullabies for Motherf*ckers Vol.1, as well as a conversation with the writers moderated by Artistic Director Joe Barros and producer Harmony Harris. 

The new musical The Game Boy has a book Danny J Rooney and Sharone Sayegh, and music and lyrics by Danny J Rooney. It's 1982 and the first day of high school for Omari, a Middle Eastern American arcade gamer. After a run-in with the school bully, he gets locked in the girls bathroom where he stumbles upon a gateway to an alternate 8-bit universe. The Game Boy is a story of resilience in the face of adversity. It's about finding yourself, realizing your own power, and challenging stereotypes. The presentation has music direction by Steven Jamail (Rosie's Broadway Extravaganza), with performances by Andrew Chappelle (& Juliet),  Autumn Hurlbert (Legally Blonde), Jeigh Madjus (Moulin Rouge! The Musical), Jamen Nanthakumar (Monsoon Wedding), and Sharone Sayegh (The Band's Visit, Come From Away).

The new musical Durra Leung's Lullabies for Motherf*ckers Vol.1 has book, music and lyrics by Durra Leung. The original meta musical centers on Durra, a chronically single, gay, musical theatre writer from China, desperately staging his own version of “American romantic comedy,” in order to achieve a happily ever after in real life. However, the cracks in his narrative start to show and the hired performers start to rebel. Will Durra's crooked rom-com have a happy ending? More importantly, will Durra get a happy ending? The presentation includes performances by Ellis Gage (The White Rose), Devin Ilaw (Miss Saigon, Les Miserables), Brandon S. Chu, and Bebe Browning.

Recognized by the National Alliance for Musical Theatre's Innovation & Exploration Fund, the New Works Series will also be streamed live by Full Out Creative. A limited amount of tickets for the in-person audience are $25, and tickets to live stream the presentation are $15, and can be purchased here. New York Theatre Barn will continue to provide Live CART and captioning accessibility services provided in part by TDF. New York Theatre Barn's programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. For more information, visit New York Theatre Barn's website: www.nytheatrebarn.org.

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