Featuring book, music and lyrics by Noel Katz, Such Good Friends, at Off-Broadway's Julia Miles Theater, according to NYMF notes, "is an original musical comedy with serious overtones, set in the early 1950s. Three old friends — an actress [Larsen], a director [Oscar] and a writer [Talbott] — work together to broadcast a weekly variety show, facing down all the difficulties of performing live in the new medium of television. Their friendships are irrevocably altered when they must testify in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee."
Larsen is a 1992 Tony Award nominee for playing Cleo in the The Most Happy Fella, and also appeared in Hairspray, Damn Yankees (among others) and Off-Broadway's Little By Little; Oscar was Tony-nominated for playing Franz in The Producers, and would play Max in the Mel Brooks smash on Broadway, London, on tour and in Vegas; Talbott appeared in Broadway's Sly Fox and Fortune's Fool and the first New York revival of Arthur Laurents' Home of the Brave.
The troupe also boasts Lynne Wintersteller (a Drama Desk nominee for Closer Than Ever), Joshua Campbell (Mamma Mia! in Vegas), Michael Thomas Holmes (the recent Broadway Oklahoma!), Dirk Lumbard (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Imaginary Friends, On Your Toes), Shannon O'Bryan (Broadway's 42nd Street, sitdowns of Irving Berlin's White Christmas), Laura Jordan (In My Life) and Blake Whyte (The Fearless at Summer Play Festival).
Marc Bruni (associate director of Legally Blonde and Grease on Broadway) directs Such Good Friends. The creative team includes Wendy Seyb (choreography), Michael Horsley (musical direction), Nick Borisjuk (sound design), Craig Caccamise (technical director), Jeff Hinchee (set design), Teresa Hull (props master), Geoff Josselson (casting director), Lisa Zinni (costume design), Jim Milkey (lighting design), Jon William Goldman (production stage manager), Leslie Grisdale (assistant stage manager). Kim Vasquez and Gray Lady Entertainment produce.
Writer-composer Noel Katz has written a number of musicals, including Our Wedding: The Musical and Murder at the Savoy (or, Pulley of the Yard). Evenings of his songs have been presented at Don't Tell Mama, The Triad and The Donnell Library. His other musicals include Area 51, The Christmas Bride, On the Brink, The New U. and The Heavenly Theatre. He's also done the scores for a variety of Second City (NY) improv-based revues, including We Built This City on Rent Control, A Time For Heroes and Hoagies, Generation F'd and the all-improvised revue, And Then He Wrote. Over the years he's played for improv groups such as The Chainsaw Boys, Centralia, Burn Manhattan, Upright Citizens Brigade and with a then-undiscovered Robin Williams at Off the Wall. Such Good Friends continues to Oct. 6 at the Julia Miles Theater, 424 W. 55th Street in Manhattan. For tickets and further information visit www.nymf.org.
