Cam Jansen Sings and Sleuths in New Musical From O'Keefe & Benjamin, Off-Bway Nov. 6-28
By Kenneth Jones
09 Aug 2004
Theatreworks/USA, the not-for-profit professional theatre for family audiences, will launch its 44th season Nov. 6 with the premiere of the new musical, Cam Jansen, at Off-Broadway's Lamb's Theatre.
The show is written by husband and wife team Laurence O'Keefe (music) and Nell Benjamin (book and lyrics), who are also writing the score to the new musical Legally Blonde. Gordon Greenberg will direct.
Previews begin Nov. 6, opening is Nov. 12. The Lamb's Theatre is at 130 W. 44th Street. The limited run ends Nov. 28.
Cam Jansen "is based on the series of popular children's books by David A. Adler about a 10-year-old girl who discovers she can use her amazing photographic memory to solve crimes," according to the announcement. "She teams us with her former rivals and her best friend to unravel the most mysterious case of all — the disappearance of the Emerald Elephant of Pajamastan."
Laurence O'Keefe wrote the score to the Off-Broadway, regional and London musical Bat Boy. Nell Benjamin is the recipient of the Kleban Award and wrote the lyrics for The Mice (music by Laurence O'Keefe, book by Julia Jordan, directed by Brad Rouse), one of three short musicals produced as 3hree by Harold Prince at the Prince Music Theater in Philadelphia, where it won the Barrymore Award for outstanding musical. 3hree was later produced at the Ahmanson Theater in Los Angeles, where it was nominated for an Ovation Award.
O'Keefe and Benjamin wrote the music and lyrics for Theatreworks/USA's acclaimed production of Sarah, Plain and Tall.
Cam Jansen is choreographed by Jody Ripplinger with musical direction by Vadim Feichtner.
The company includes Kate Wetherhead (Off-Broadway's Tatjana in Color, The Summer of the Swans, Sarah Plain and Tall) as Cam Jansen; Jill Abramovitz (Off Broadway's Junie B. Jones) as Aunt Molly; Miguel Cervantes (title role in Boston premiere of Bat Boy) as Eric, Cam's best friend. Three other roles are yet to be cast.
Tickets to Cam Jansen are $25, and may be purchased by calling Telecharge at (212) 329-6200 or visiting Telecharge.com.
Cam Jansen previews play Nov. 6 at noon; Nov. 9-11 at 7 PM. During the regular run, performances are Friday at 7 PM, Saturday at noon, 3:30 PM and 7 PM and Sunday at 7 PM.
Additional performances play Nov. 18 at 7 PM, Nov. 26 at 2 PM.
For complete season information, visit theatreworksusa.org.
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Theatreworks/USA also continues its season with a series of 16 musicals starting Nov. 13-April 17 at the Auditorium at the Equitable Tower, 787 Seventh Avenue, between 51st and 52nd Streets.
Theatreworks/USA's repertoire "is comprised of more than 115 plays and musicals created by both noted as well as up and coming talented young playwrights, composers and lyricists. Writers have included Ossie Davis, Mary Rodgers, Saul Levitt, Charles Strouse, Alice Childress, Joe Raposo, the teams of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, Marta Kauffman and David Crane, and Art Perlman and Jeffrey Lunden."
Performing at home in New York, and touring across the country to theatres, arts centers and schools, Theatreworks/USA "has performed for approximately 70 million people in 49 states, with an annual audience of approximately four million people."
Barbara Pasternack is the troupe's artistic director and Ken Arthur is managing director.
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