Sharon Rosen will direct the Oct. 19 and 22 readings of the new jazz musical, which will be presented at 2 PM. The cast will include Nancy Anderson, Paul Clausen, Dee Hoty, Javier Munoz and Josh Strickland. Play It Cool features a book by Larry Dean Harris and Martin Casella, lyrics by Mark Winkler and music by Phillip Swan with additional musical contributions by David Benoit, Michael Cruz, Marilyn Harris, Robert Kraft, Emilio Palame, Joe Pasquale and Dan Siegel.

Set in the fictional underground jazz club Mary's Hideaway, circa 1953, Play It Cool, press notes state, "explores the secret world of mid-twentieth century gay Hollywood. Inspired by the period's film noir, the jazz musical examines the laws governing gay and lesbian clubs of the time; when women were not allowed to bartend and men could not dance with other men; when every glance had a double meaning, every word was an innuendo, and everything had to be done to strict code. Set against a sexy Hollywood backdrop, [the musical] looks at the people of the time who had the guts to break the rules . . . along with the ones who were only to happy to play along with them."

Industry professionals interested in attending the readings should email [email protected] or call (212) 997-5399.