New Musical KING OF PANGAEA to Open This Month at Lyric's Plaza Theatre

Lyric Theatre will share a story of hope and healing with its premiere next week of KING OF PANGAEA, a new musical based on the playwright’s own lived experiences.

Oklahoma audiences will be among the first to experience this beautiful new work on stage with previews beginning March 20 at Lyric’s Plaza Theatre. The production runs through April 7. Tickets are on sale now and start at just $25.

After a sudden loss shatters his world apart, 21-year-old Christopher Crow travels back to the imaginary island of his childhood in hopes of finding answers that will bring the pieces back together. Playwright Martin Storrow’s new production is a fantasy musical memoir that weaves realism, humor and whimsy into a wholly unique theatrical experience.

Storrow began writing KING OF PANGAEA in 2017 and further developed the musical through a series of collaborations in California, New York and Utah.

“The show is based on my own experience after the loss of my mother when I was 21, and with each revision, it becomes more personal and honest,” Storrow said. “I took inspiration from my memories of the time, from my journals and from my mother's journals, which I uncovered several years into working on the project and which opened me up to a whole other perspective I never had access to before. My mother was a poet and one of my earliest artistic role models, and there's a poem featured in the show that she wrote shortly before she passed away, which has become such a beautiful moment on stage and feels very full circle.”

Storrow led a staged, concert reading of the musical at the National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT) Festival of New Musicals in New York in 2022, where Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma and Aurora Theatre of Georgia agreed upon a collaboration to debut its first fully staged production for audiences in both states.

“I was instantly drawn to its honest storytelling and heartfelt musical score,” said Lyric’s Producing Artistic Director Michael Baron, who is directing the musical. “Actors from both OKC and Atlanta will join a creative team from Oklahoma, New York, California, North Carolina and Georgia in sharing this wonderful new musical with audiences.”

Additionally, Baron noted Lyric is hosting the NAMT Spring Conference in April, where musical theater professionals from Broadway and around the country are convening in Oklahoma City for a focus on marketing and development in the theatre featuring expert panels, diverse breakout sessions and a keynote address by Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt.

KING OF PANGAEA’s cast includes Logan Corley (Christopher), Matthew Alvin Brown (Arthur/Captain), Wendy Melkonian (Celia), Dirk Lumbard (Elijah/Doctor), Taloria Merricks (Sophie/Maya) and Riley McCool (Young Christopher). Understudies for the production include Ashley J. Mandanas, Elizabeth Dragoo, Dustin Boatright, and Conor Fitzpatrick.  

The musical’s creative team includes Ann-Carol Pence (Music Director), Mary Brozina Wierick (Associate Music Director), Lee Savage (Scenic Designer), Fabian J. Garcia (Lighting Designer), Jeffrey Meek (Costume Designer), Amanda Schnake (Props Designer), Corey Ray (Sound Designer) and Anthony Lucca (Orchestrations and Arrangements). The production’s Assistant Director is Lauren Harrison with stage management by Abbey Helfen.

“On the surface, KING OF PANGAEA might seem like a story about grief, but it's really a story about hope and healing, and the ways we navigate the journey back to hope after going through a loss,” Storrow said. “There are moments in the show that may be difficult to watch, but just like in life, there's also plenty of laughter, connection and joy. We've heard from people that the show can be both cathartic and uplifting, and I hope people can come out of the experience having felt both of those things.”

In 2014, Lyric Theatre established its New Works Initiative, under which the theater has produced a world premiere or new work typically once each season. Past new works include: TRIANGLE (2014), BERNICE BOBS HER HAIR (2015), MANN… AND WIFE (2016), Disney’s WHEN YOU WISH (2017), WHEN WE’RE GONE (2018), LYRIC KIDS’ CLUBHOUSE (2020), DENISE LEE: PRESSURE MAKES DIAMONDS (2021), DISTANT THUNDER (2022) and CONCERTO (2023).

Tickets to KING OF PANGAEA are available online 24/7 at www.LyricTheatreOKC.org, and at Lyric’s Box Office by calling (405) 524-9312, Monday through Friday, 12 to 5 p.m.  Discounts are available for groups of 8 or more.  Subscriptions for Lyric’s 3- and 5-show packages are also available, with savings of up to 20%. 

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