New Musical GUMBO Set for Riverside Theatre Tonight

GUMBO, a new musical created by composer Brett Macias and book writer/lyricist Christina Quintana, will have a private industry reading, directed by Terry Berliner, tonight, March 14th, 2013 at the Riverside Theatre, located at 91 Claremont Avenue.

The cast includes: Cicily Daniels (Disney's The Little Mermaid, Rent), Trista Dollison (The Lion King), Michelle Dowdy (Hairspray), Kevin Earley (Death Takes a Holiday, A Tale of Two Cities), Doug Eskew (Five Guys Named Moe), Larry Marshall (Jesus Christ Superstar, The Cotton Club), Sheryl McCallum (The Lion King), Brian Charles Rooney (The Threepenny Opera), Ben Roseberry(The Lion King-National Tour),Nathanial Stampley (The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess) Jason Veasey (The Lion King), J. D. Webster (The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess), Maia Wilson (The Book of Mormon), and Matt Wolfe (Scandalous). Additional casting will be announced at a later date. Music, Brett Macias; Book/Lyrics, Christina Quintana; Director; Terry Berliner; Musical Director, Vadim Feichtner; Casting, Michael Cassara, CSA; Production Stage Management, Pamela Edington; Production Associate, Jacqueline Filer; General Management, Cristin Downs; Associate Producer, Matthew Groff; Producer, Riverside Church.

The authors describe the piece as follows: "Spun through the Orpheus & Eurydice myth, GUMBO is a fabled version of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. We follow Dr. Howard Hart as he descends the floodwaters amidst the City's chaos to Boss's speakeasy, the Gumbo Pot, to rescue his wife and sever Boss's reign over the City. Musically, the piece explores the reaches of soul, jazz, funk and blue grass to achieve a sound that is authentically New Orleans."

Brett Macias has composed music for Webster University, Encores! (NYC), the St. Louis Repertory Theatre, and Cockeyed Optimists, and most recently Stephens College. He also wrote the book and contributed music to the St. Louis Gay Men's Chorus' musical, BROADWAY BOUND! As a graduate of the Tisch Graduate Musical Theatre Program at NYU, Brett wrote the music for three additional musicals: FISHING THE MOON (words by Caroline Murphy), THE LAVATORY (words by Frederick Sauter), and BEAUTIFUL DREAMER (words by Caroline Murphy). In 2008 he was commissioned to write a new musical, BENEATH THE SURFACE, for the University of Colorado-Boulder (words by Caroline Murphy). He, with Caroline Murphy, was featured in American Theater Magazine in 2009 as a writing team to watch. He is currently developing shows with Caroline Murphy, Christina Quintana, and a few other lyricists. Brett can also be heard as a background vocalist on the NBC show SMASH. He received an evening of his music at Lincoln Center in 2012. www.brettmacias.com

Christina Quintana is a Brooklyn-based playwright and New Orleans transplant. Her plays have been developed, produced and workshopped in New York City, Santa Fe and New Orleans, with companies including The Movement Theatre Company, Williamstown Theatre Festival and Southern Rep Theatre. SCISSORING, a new full-length play, was recently selected as a finalist in the 2014 Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition. The play, mentored by Tina Landau, will also be presented in festival at the Studio Theatre of the Pershing Square Signature Center in May of 2013. Blank Canvas was a festival selection for tea in a big mug's Sweet Tea Summer Reading Series 2012. The Gay Play was featured in Outworks 2012 at LSU Department of Theatre. The Recession Club was nominated for "Best Overall Production of a Staged Reading" in the 2011 Planet Connections Theatre Festivity. Her first play, (HEARSAY), was featured on KSFR Santa Fe Public Radio. The Next Thing is a site-specific collaboration currently in development with the New-York based ExtantArts Company. MFA Playwriting, Columbia University http://cquintana.com

GUMBO will be presented at the Theatre of the Riverside Church, which is located at 91 Claremont Avenue and 120th Street, tonight, March 14th, 2013.

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