Portland Stage Will Present the World Premiere of SEARCHING FOR MR. MOON

The funny and poignant autobiographical journey to fatherhood "Searching for Mr. Moon" is co-written and performed in a one-person show by Broadway, film, and TV actor Rich Topol. At the moment of his daughter's birth, Rich searches for a father to replace the one he lost at age 12. He finds two - his famous father-in-law, composer Lukas Foss, and, eventually, himself. It is scored by the emotional music of Foss, Leonard Bernstein, and Glenn Gould. Topol has performed on Broadway numerous times, including as Lemml in the Tony Award-winning production of "Indecent," for which he was nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award.

Maine-based co-writer Willy Holtzman's works "The Morini Strad," "Inside Out," and "The Real McGonagall" have been fully produced at Portland Stage. His musical "Sabina," about Carl Jung's protégé, initially developed as a play at Portland Stage's Little Festival of the Unexpected and since produced multiple times in New York, will premiere as a new musical on the Portland Stage Mainstage in the spring of 2022. Holtzman has also received the Peabody Award, the WGA Award, and The Humanitas Prize for his film "Edge of America."

Anita Stewart designed the set with an array of projections by designer MIchael Commendatore, which weave Topol's family archive videos and images into the scenes to reflect the people in his past and convey mood and seasons. "I'm sure you saw 'The Queen's Gambit,'" explained playwright Holtzman. "Using visuals to tell key moments to develop character is part of this story, too. And we knew that we wanted the sound design to help tell this story. It's about Rich trying to recover his dad's voice, bring him into the presence of his life, and it's Lukas-magic, mischief, and sound. We are so grateful to be working with David Van Tieghem, brilliant sound designer, and Michael Commendatore, the projection designer."

"We initially invested in developing the play at Portland Stage during the pandemic to support Rich Topol, Willy Holtzman, and the team who came to work on the staged reading," said Executive and Artistic Director Anita Stewart. "But the audience response to the staged reading when its Working Title was 'Give Me a Moment' was so enthusiastic we decided to continue developing it and to bring it to our Mainstage this season."

IN THEATER DATES: November 3 - 21

DIGITAL STREAMING DATES: November 17 - December 5

TICKETS: https://www.portlandstage.org/show/searching-for-mr-moon/

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