Dear Edwina Studio Cast Recording to Include Butler, Luker, Burstein, Mann
By Kenneth Jones
and Andrew Gans
25 Sep 2008
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Kerry Butler
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Broadway stars, including Tony Award nominee Kerry Butler, will go into a Manhattan studio Sept. 25 to give voice to the world- premiere recording of the musical Dear Edwina, for the PS Classics label.
This studio recording is expected to be released Nov. 11 to coincide with the Off-Broadway engagement of the kid-friendly musical comedy penned by Zina Goldrich and Marcy Heisler. This is not an Off-Broadway cast album, but a "world premiere" disc with a different cast than will be seen this fall. The run at the DR2 begins Nov. 14.
The recording will feature Xanadu Tony nominee Butler as Edwina, plus Rebecca Luker (Mary Poppins), Danny Burstein (South Pacific, The Drowsy Chaperone), Terrence Mann (Les Miz, Beauty and the Beast), Andrea Burns (In the Heights), Jeff Blumenkrantz (A Class Act, How to Succeed…), Telly Leung (Rent, Flower Drum Song) plus nine other performers.
Composer Goldrich will conduct a five-piece band for the recording.
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Dear Edwina — with music by Goldrich and book and lyrics by Heisler — will play a limited engagement at Off-Broadway's DR2 Theatre beginning Nov. 14. Part of the DR2 Kids series, the musical will officially open Nov. 16 and run through Jan. 25, 2009. Timothy McDonald will direct.
The musical, according to press notes, concerns 13-year-old heroine, Edwina Spoonapple, who "decides that she and her pals will [put on a show]. Edwina's special talent is giving advice, and she would do almost anything to be a part of the Kalamazoo Advice-a-palooza Festival. When a talent scout visits her hometown of Paw Paw, Michigan, Edwina — assisted by a host of quirky friends and neighbors — enthusiastically sings out her musical advice in hopes of finding her own special place in the spotlight. Together Edwina and chums set out to tackle a plethora of problems, in numbers about everything from birthday party etiquette to the proper way to set a table."
In a statement producer Daryl Roth said, "I've known and admired Marcy and Zina for years, and seeing a production last year of their show Junie B. Jones through the eyes of my grandchildren inspired me to invite them to be a part of my new children's theatre series, DR2 Kids. By introducing young audiences to creative, imaginative, quality musical theatre, it is my hope that we will build audiences for the future. Marcy and Zina have a youthful exuberance that is wonderfully contagious, and I look forward to Dear Edwina being the first of many future collaborations."
Heisler adds, "Maybe it isn't such a stretch for me to write about Midwestern girls yearning for fame in their garages, but Dear Edwina is about more than that. It's about friendship and family, learning and listening, having fun, surviving disappointment – not only giving good advice, but taking it too. At its heart, Dear Edwina is a celebration of the garage full of dreams we all have wherever we call home … dreams that deserve to be pursued, protected, and, on occasion, performed in large production numbers for our neighbors."
The musical, recommended for ages 5-12, is 60 minutes in length.
Tickets, priced $29 (previews) and $39 (after opening), will go on sale Oct. 1 by calling (212) 239-6200 or by visiting www.dearedwina.com. Tickets may also be purchased at the DR2 box office, 103 East 15th Street.
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Founded in 2000 by Tommy Krasker & Philip Chaffin, and a four-time Grammy nominee — for its cast recordings of Nine: The Musical, Assassins, Grey Gardens and Company — PS Classics has a catalog of discs that includes cast recordings of A Catered Affair and Adding Machine, as well as Xanadu, 110 in the Shade, and the London revival of Sunday in the Park With George. Its solo albums feature Victoria Clark, Maureen McGovern, Jessica Molaskey, Christine Andreas, Rebecca Luker, and Kerry Butler, among others. Its songbook tributes focus on composers ranging from Billy Strayhorn to Maury Yeston to Georgia Stitt.
PS Classics is distributed exclusively by Image Entertainment. Visit www.psclassics.com for more information.
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