New Musical Theater Exerpts Will Be Performed in Philadelphia Next Week

Philadelphia audiences are invited to discover the original work of seven local musical theater writing teams in the newest installment of MusiCoLab’s Showcase Series, to be presented at the Drake Proscenium Theater, 302 S. Hicks St. in Center City Philadelphia, on Monday, June 24, 2024 at 7 pm.

MusiCoLab is the non-profit organization that supports musical theater and artists who write musicals in the greater Philadelphia area. This New Works Showcase program will feature two songs from each of the following works-in-progress:

• Audrey, The New Musical. Book, music and lyrics by Danielle Moore. The life of screen icon Audrey Hepburn, whose life was far less charmed than the lucky-in-love heroines she portrayed on screen.
• Goblin Market. Book by Brandi Underwood, music and lyrics by Jesse Hampsch. A new musical about the creation of Christina Rossetti’s 1859 poem, depicting the poet’s struggles with society's expectations and hypocrisies regarding women, as well as her own sexuality.
• Heartache: A New Musical. Book by Colin Stump, music and lyrics by Luke Perkins. Sara, a naive young girl, learns about the complexities of modern love through her own experiences and the relationships she observes around her.  
• Little Things. Book and lyrics by David H. Smith, music by David H. Smith and Tom Fosnocht. Ben, a middle-aged father of three, navigates a contentious divorce as he looks back on his courtship and marriage. A reading of this new work was seen recently in the 2024 CreateTheater New Works Festival in NYC.
• Miss Kilman Takes Her Tea. Libretto by Arden Kass, music by Heath Allen. A chamber opera inspired by Virginia Woolf’s novel Mrs. Dalloway that explores the relationship between young Elizabeth Dalloway and her formidable tutor, Miss Kilman.
• Steadfast. Book and lyrics by Barbara Bellman, music by Danielle Hickson. A one-act musical for young audiences about loss and finding the courage to go on. It tells the story of a young boy whose soldier father is being sent home from Vietnam as an amputee.

The showcase will also include an excerpt from In The Temple of the Honky Tonk, music and lyrics by Michael Ogborn, book by Jen Childs and Michael Ogborn, conceived and directed by Bill Fennelly. MusiCoLab will produce a developmental workshop of the new musical in August, and is excited to share a short preview of this work-in-progress in its June showcase.

Ten minutes of excerpts from each work will be presented by an ensemble of versatile local musical theater performers, accompanied by music director Ben Kapilow, the resident musical director at Media Theater. The performers appearing in the June 24 showcase are Sydney Banks, Aaron Bell, Rachel Brennan, Elena Camp, Ben Dibble and Nancie Sanderson, along with cellists Justin Yoder and Lily Eckman.

Since 2018, MusiCoLab has produced ten showcases featuring over 100 songs by local composers and lyricists. In its recent Spotlight Series presentation in April, MusiCoLab offered audiences a “closer look” at 30-minute excerpts from three musicals by local creators. “The depth of talent in the community of Philadelphia musical theater creators is very impressive,” noted MusiCoLab Executive Director Charles Gilbert. “Our program on June 24 includes an exciting range of subject matter and showcases many different generations of creators. The scene for musical theater writers here in Philadelphia continues to flourish, and MusiCoLab is filling an important need.”

Works by MusiCoLab-affiliated writers are continuing their developmental journey on stages in New York, Philadelphia and other US cities.

Tickets for the June 24 MusiCoLab showcase are $20 and are available online at https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/musicolab/new-works-showcase-xi. Learn more about MusiCoLab online at musicolab.org.

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