New Group artistic director Scott Elliott will direct the new musical based on Dan Savage's book "The Kid: What Happened After My Boyfriend and I Decided to Go Get Pregnant." Previews begin April 10 towards a May 6 opening night.
Featuring music by Andy Monroe, a book by Michael Zam and lyrics by Jack Lechner, The Kid, according to press notes, "is based on the true story of what happened when sex columnist Dan Savage and his boyfriend decided to create a family. Step one: Convince an adoption agency and homeless teenage mom that two gay men are the perfect parents for her child. Step two: Convince themselves."
Sieber will play the character of Dan Savage opposite Eikenberry (Enter Laughing, "L.A. Law") as Dan's mother, Steele (Othello) as Dan's boyfriend Terry, Frumess as the birth mother Melissa and Wartella (Oliver Twist, Seussical) as the birth father Bacchus. Blackwell ([title of show]), Harada (Avenue Q, 9 to 5) and Moriber (The Wild Party, Parade) are featured in the ensemble. Further casting is yet to be announced.
Sieber earned a Tony Award nomination for his turns as Sir Galahad/The Black Knight/Prince Herbert's Father in Spamalot and as the 4-foot-5-inch Lord Farquaad in Shrek. Other credits include Beauty and the Beast, Chicago, Triumph of Love, Thoroughly Modern Millie and Into the Woods.
The Kid will follow the Ethan Hawke-directed revival of Sam Shepard's A Lie of the Mind in the spring. A reading of The Kid was seen at The New Group with a cast that featured P.J. Benjamin, Susan Blackwell, Jeff Blumenkrantz, Matt DeAngelis, Trent Dawson, Luke Dow, Jill Eikenberry, Jeannine Frumess, Jeff Hiller, Capathia Jenkins, Brooke Sunny Moriber and Lucas Steele. The authors of The Kid garnered the 2009 BMI Foundation Jerry Bock Award for Best New Musical. The tuner marks The New Group's first musical theatre venture since co-producing Avenue Q. Their journey thus far is chronicled on thekidthemusical.blogspot.com.
Tickets to The Kid at Theatre Row, 410 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenue), are available by calling (212) 279-4200. For more information, visit thenewgroup.org.
