Grossman, Hall and Poole Will Workshop Christmas Memory in Dayton

By Adam Hetrick
08 Mar 2010

Theatre writers Larry Grossman, Carol Hall and Duane Poole will be in residence at the Human Race Theatre beginning March 9 to develop their new musical A Christmas Memory.

Based on the Truman Capote short story, A Christmas Memory will receive its world premiere at Palo Alto TheatreWorks in December. The Human Race will provide the creators (who live on opposite coasts) the opportunity to work on the musical in Dayton, OH, March 9 through 16.

Grossman (Minnie's Boys, Snoopy, Grind) is penning the score, with lyrics by Hall (Best Little Whorehouse) and a book by screenwriter Poole ("A Christmas Memory"). Local actors participating in the workshop will be Deb Colvin-Tener, Jamie Cordes, Reneé Franck-Reed, Ilana Frankel and Jeremy Cleary.

"I have been talking with fellow producer, Jayson Raitt for a while about this show," said Human Race executive director Kevin Moore in a statement. "It is one of my favorite stories, and when he told me he was developing a musical version, I said count us in."

According to TheatreWorks, "A wistful memoir of cherished youth, [the musical] chronicles a young boy’s loving friendship with an eccentric aunt in the small-town South of the 1930’s where misfits Buddy and Sook launch kites, haunt speakeasies, and mail fruitcakes to everyone from Jean Harlow to President Roosevelt."

Visit HumanRaceTheatre.