By Adam Hetrick
27 Nov 2009

POP!'s Brian Charles Rooney and Randy Harrison
photo by Joan Marcus

Randy Harrison stars as iconic artist Andy Warhol in the new musical POP!, which begins performances Nov. 27 at the Yale Repertory Theatre. Its creators are hoping the show gets more than the 15 minutes of fame that Warhol famously predicted will come to everybody.

Mark Brokaw (After Miss Julie, Cry-Baby, This Is Our Youth) directs the world premiere that will officially open Dec. 3 and run through Dec. 19. POP! has book and lyrics by Maggie-Kate Coleman and music by Anna K. Jacobs.

Harrison, known for his roles on "Queer as Folk" and Wicked on Broadway, leads a cast that also features Leslie Kritzer (A Catered Affair, Rooms, Funny Girl) as attempted Warhol murderer and feminist writer Valerie Solanas, Brian Charles Rooney (Allies, Bedbugs!!!, Threepenny Opera) as transsexual Warhol film star Candy Darling, Doug Kreeger (Rooms, The Visit, Thrill Me) as Warhol film star Ondine, Cristen Paige (How Now, Dow Jones, The Visit) as Warhol's muse Edie Sedgwick, Danny Binstock as poet and long-time Warhol assistant Gerard and Emily Swallow (High Fidelity, Romantic Poetry) as Factory regular Viva.

Press notes for POP! read: "Who shot Andy Warhol? The fabulous drag queen Candy Darling hosts a happening whodunit musical in which the famous — and infamous — denizens of Warhol's legendary Factory all have motives to pull the trigger. But the pop art icon unravels an even bigger mystery as he confronts not only the prime suspects, but also his art and his own greatest creation: himself."

Denis Jones choreographs with musical direction by Lynne Shankel. The design team includes Valérie Thérèse Bart (scenic design), Ying Song (costume design), Kevin Adams (lighting design), David Budries (sound design), Yal Yarden (projection design), Bruce Coughlin (orchestrations) and Catherine Sheehey (dramaturg).

POP! was previously developed as part of the inaugural season at the Yale Institute for Music Theatre in June. Brokaw serves as the artistic director of the Institute, which is a joint venture between the Yale School of Drama and the Yale School of Music that seeks to develop the work of graduate and recent post-graduate students.

Tickets are available by visiting YaleRep, by calling (203) 432-1234 or by visiting the Yale Rep box office (1120 Chapel Street).

The cast of POP!: Doug Kreeger, Emily Swallow, Cristen Paige, Leslie Kritzer, Randy Harrison, Danny Binstock and Brian Charles Rooney
photo by Joan Marcus