The cast includes Austin Pendleton, Elon Rutberg, Julie Craig, and Scott Robertson. Kevin Newbury directed the Off-Broadway run at the Samuel Beckett Theater. Musical director for the recording is Chris Berg.
The album will be produced/engineered by Grammy Award winner John Kilgore. The recording will be released online in the fall on iTunes; a record deal is pending.
The Black Monk features book, lyrics and music by Wendy Kesselman. The chamber musical, according to press notes, "follows the life of a gifted young artist Andrei. After five years in Moscow, Andrei returns home to his adopted father Igor and childhood love Tanya. As his talent blossoms, will Andrei be able to hold on to love, family, and his sanity or will the power of the mysterious Black Monk drive him into the unknown."
