Larry Marshall to Direct Sundog Theatre's SCENES FROM THE STATEN ISLAND FERRY

Larry Marshall, star of stage and screen and Staten Island resident, became part of the creative team as a director in Sundog Theatre's short project, Scenes from the Staten Island Ferry 2024, presented for final performances April 13-14 at New Dorp Moravian Theatre in Staten Island.

The program is Sundog Theatre's 22nd annual presentation of six new and original one-act plays about everyone's favorite boats, the Staten Island ferries. The company received over 50 submissions of unique and never-produced plays. This year, playwrights were asked to adhere to the theme "things are not what they seem".

Larry Marshall was recently on Broadway as "Old Joe" in Waitress, and has toured it with the National Company. He was nominated for Helen Hayes and Jeff awards as Best Actor in a Play for his role as "Monroe" in Pullman Porter Blues. He appeared as "Danny" in the National Company of Xanadu, and "Ole Mister" in the Broadway Production of The Color Purple. He was seen as "The General" and "The Farmer" in Mother Courage with Meryl Streep, and he received nominations for both Tony and Drama Desk Awards for his portrayal of "Sportin' Life" in the Houston Grand Opera's Grammy Award-winning production of Porgy and Bess, and in 1990 made his official Metropolitan Opera debut under the baton of James Levine. Mr. Marshall has gone on to perform the role at La Bastille in Paris, the Teatro Alla Scala in Milan, and the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma to name a few.

Among Mr. Marshall's other Broadway credits are the title role of "Hamlet" in Gower Champion's Rockabye Hamlet, "Berger" and "Hud" in Hair, "Horse" in the musical The Full Monty, "Valentine" in Two Gentlemen of Verona, "The Ghost of Christmas Past" in Comin'Uptown with Gregory Hines, and "Tiger Brown" in Three Penny Opera with Sting.

Off-Broadway he has won plaudits in Ntozake Shanges' Spell#7, and Liz Swados' Haggadah Cantata and Lullaby Goodnight, all for the New York Shakespeare Festival, including their production of A Midsummer Night's Dream at Lincoln Center, in which Mr. Marshall played the role of "Puck".

Regional theater credits include shows at the Cleveland Playhouse, Kansas City Rep, Paper Mill Playhouse, Portland Stage, Capital Repertory Theatre, Folger Library Theater Capital Repertory Theatre, and the Kennedy Center.

He appeared as "Adam" with Gwyneth Paltrow in the Williamstown Theatre production of As You Like It. He played "Lucifer" in Arthur Miller's first musical venture Up from Paradise, Mr. Marshall also sang the role of the "Preacher" in Leonard Bernstein's Mass", which opened at the Kennedy Center and later played the Met.

Mr. Marshall's film credits include "Cab Calloway" in The Cotton Club, "Simon Zealotes" in Jesus Christ Superstar, "Mickey" in Panic in Needle Park, and as "Adam Clayton Powell Sr." in Showtime's Keep the Faith. He made appearances for three seasons as "Jeremiah Joseph" in Showtime's Soul Food.

Mr. Marshall's directorial debut was A Faith's Journey, a docu-musical on the life of Martin Luther King, at the Riverside Theatre in 1990. He was the Associate Director with Baayork Lee, and performed the role of "Rum" in the Kennedy Center's presentation of Carmen Jones with Vanessa Williams as "Carmen", and Placido Domingo conducting. He has also been associate director for the New York Harlem Theatre's Productions of Porgy and Bess since 1993, and has staged productions that have played most of the major opera houses in Europe. Mr. Marshall directed The Atlanta Opera's and Opera Memphis' productions of Porgy and Bess. He also directed Macbeth for Opera Memphis, along with The Barber of Seville.

Other directors for the short project are Barbara Brandt, James Barone, Austin Nakamura, Craig Stoebling, and Ken Tirado. Susan Fenley produces, Victoria Colella co-produces, Stephen Fehr is set/stage designer, and Margaret Grace is production stage manager.

"We at Sundog have known Larry and his partner Jeannine for many years in a number of capacities," says Susan Fenley, Sundog's executive director. "Right after we opened the theatre, he directed a reading in 2003 of Shawn Hiribashi's The Wheat and the Moon at a new venue called The Muddy Cup in Staten Island. We are thrilled to have him back-between his other directing and acting gigs--to direct for our original plays about these iconic ferries where anything can happen, and does."

Sundog Theatre's Scenes from the Staten Island Ferry 2024 winning plays are:

All the World by Michael J. Veasey. Cold Hot Coffee by Margaret McAleese, Lost Connection by Louis Affortunato and directed by Mr. Marshall, SUNRISE~sunset = Goodbye by Theo Gallagher, They Look Just Like Everybody Else by Courtney Emerson, and Would You Believe Me? by Matt Gilleece.

Scenes from the Staten Island Ferry 2024 continues its run on April 13 and 14 at New Dorp Moravian Theatre, 2205 Richmond Road Staten Island, New York 10306. Tickets are on sale now and are priced at $20 for students and seniors and $25 for general admission. To purchase, visit Sundog Theatre or pay at the door.

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