Chuck Cooper, Ryan Patrick Sullivan Headline Saint Heaven Reading at NYMF, Sept. 29 | Playbill

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News Chuck Cooper, Ryan Patrick Sullivan Headline Saint Heaven Reading at NYMF, Sept. 29 Fresh from its world premiere production in Stamford, CT, the new musical Saint Heaven will receive a staged-reading in association with the New York Musical Theatre Festival on Sept. 29 at 1 PM and 4:30 PM, at the Sage Theatre.

The cast includes Chuck Cooper (Pastor Joe Bertram), Montego Glover (Eshie Willington), Darren Ritchie (Thom Rivers) and Patrick Ryan Sullivan (Garrison Martin).

Saint Heaven, which is set in 1957 Kentucky, features a book by Martin Casella and a score by Keith Gordon. Based on Steve Lyons' novel "The Gift of Tongues," the musical concerns the tale of "Thom Rivers, a rebellious young doctor [who] returns home for his father’s funeral, where he falls in love with a black woman preacher who speaks in tongues. Believing her to be suffering from epilepsy, he attempts to treat her." The musical features a contemporary gospel and R&B score.

The director of the reading is Matt Lenz, with music direction by Jeff Waxman.

Chuck Cooper, who won his Tony Award for his work in Cy Coleman’s The Life, has also appeared in productions of Caroline or Change, Chicago, Thunder Knocking On the Door, Passion, Avenue X and Someone to Watch Over Me. He also starred as Paul Robeson in the one-man show Robeson.

Martin Casella wrote the books for the musicals Paper Moon and Taking Care of Mrs. Carrol. Keith Gordon penned the score for the upcoming musical How to Marry a Millionaire.

(Playbill.com is a media partner of the New York Musical Theatre Festival 2006.)

For more information and to buy tickets, visit the
2006 New York Musical Theatre Festival website

 
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