Steven Cunningham with associate producer John Von Herget present the world premiere of Just Like Magic, which features music by Ryan Mercy, lyrics by Christopher W. Barnes and a book co-written by Barnes and Cameron Cole.

Just Like Magic is scheduled to play Oct. 7 at 8 PM, Oct. 8 at 10:30 PM and Oct. 13 at 8 PM. Directed by Elizabeth Lucas, the cast includes Barnes (who plays Christopher T. Magician and the puppet characters "Jojo the Dodo," "Sammy the Safety Donut" and "The Anti-Chris") and Ryan Lipnicky (the Make-A-Wish Foundation pianist).

In Just Like Magic, according to NYMF notes, "Christopher T. Magician and his entourage have been hired to perform at a child's birthday party, but the show turns decidedly dark as Christopher suffers a complete mental breakdown in front of his young audience. What begins as a fun magic show featuring toe-tapping songs, comedy, and puppetry ends with dead puppets and children scarred for life in this decidedly not-for-kids musical."

Barnes and Mercy have also collaborated on Gage: Part One, the upcoming Dirt Roads and last year's NYMF reading of Most Likely to Die. Cole previously worked with the pair on Gage: Part One, writing the musical's book.

Now in its eighth year, the New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) is the largest annual musical theatre event in America and is a major marketplace for new material and talent discovery. NYMF "discovers, nurtures and promotes promising musical theatre artists and producers at all stages of development, and inspires a diverse audience through vibrant, accessible, powerful new work." The TBG Theater is located at 312 West 36th Street. For more information and tickets, call (212) 352-3101 or visit www.nymf.org/justlikemagic.