Nagraj & Spivey's MURPHY'S LAW to Play The Strand Theatre

Writing team Andy Nagraj and Jonathan Spivey announced today that their original musical MURPHY'S LAW will be presented as part of The Strand Theater's Broadway On Main subscription series.

The road-trip musical comedy featuring book, music, and lyrics by Nagraj and Spivey will run three performances from May 13-15, 2016 on The Strand's main stage in Zelienople, Pennsylvania.

Strand Associate Director of Theater Operations Jeremy Czarniak is set to direct. Casting will be announced at a later date.

Here's how Nagraj and Spivey describe the tuner: "When everyman Dave Spring finds his job a memory, his parents divorcing, and his fiancee cheating on him, it appears everything that can go wrong has gone wrong. The solution appears obvious: a cross-country road trip. Miles whiz by and colorful characters collide as Dave contemplates what to do when life hands him a fork in the road. The side-splitting road trip musical comedy features a toe-tapping score that spans folk, funk, and everything in between."

"We couldn't be more excited to be working with Andy and Jonathan on MURPHY'S LAW," said Ron Carter, President & Executive Director of the non-profit Strand Theater Initiative. "It's a pleasure and a privilege to be able to present this original work as part of our Broadway On Main series."

The musical came to the attention of Carter and Czarniak while attending Hot Metal Musicals, a showcase of new works with roots in the Pittsburgh area, presented by the Musical Theatre Artists of Pittsburgh. MTAP Managing Director Jeanne Drennan notes, "This is a big part of what Hot Metal Musicals was intended to do - connect the creating artists with people in a position to move the work forward."

MURPHY'S LAW received a developmental reading in New York City at Dixon Place in 2015 and featured Broadway regulars Aaron Galligan-Stierle and Johnny Kinnaird along with Helen Hayes Award Winner Diana Huey among the six-person cast. The musical was also workshopped in San Diego, California; Cedar City, Utah; Richmond, Virginia; and Holland Michigan.

Mr. Nagraj resides in Chicago and is former theatre faculty at University of Pittsburgh. He has an MFA in acting from University of Delaware/PTTP and recently appeared on NBC's Chicago Fire. Mr. Spivey resides in New York and recently appeared on Broadway in Act One at Lincoln Center. He has an MFA in acting from Old Globe/University of San Diego.

The historic Strand Theater is an intimate, 287 seat venue located at 119 North Main Street, Zelienople, PA 16063, and is North Pittsburgh's premiere cultural, education and community outreach center. For tickets and more information, call (724) 742-0400 or visit www.thestrandtheater.org.

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