Casting Announced for New Rock Musical Emerald Man at NYMF

By Matt Windman
August 9, 2006

Casting has been announced for Emerald Man, a new rock musical to be produced at the New York Musical Theatre Festival, Sept. 12-22.

Performances will play 37 Arts Theatre, 450 West 37th St.

A modern Don Quixote tale set to a contemporary pop-rock score and based on a true story, Emerald Man centers around comic-obsessed Duncan, who accidentally witnesses a murder by his stepfather and then flees his hometown. Realizing quickly that no one is coming to his rescue, he dons an emerald ring, his one legacy from the father he never knew, and dubs himself "Emerald Man," righter of the world's evils.

The cast includes John Ashley Brown, LaDonna Burns, Sincee Daniels, Christian Kaneko Carter, Stephen Graybill, Elena Gutierrez, Jaygee Macapugay, Kathleen McCann, Jessie Novotny, Ben Rauch, Christian Whelan and Dashaun Young.

The creative team includes Josh Prince (director/choreographer), Janet Cole Valdez (book and lyrics), Marc Bosserman (music), Tom Valdez (music), Shawn Gough (music director), Donyale Werle (set design), Lisa Zinni (costume design), James Milkey (lighting design), Yoshi Lee (sound design) and Evan Newman (associate music director).

Josh Prince has appeared on Broadway in Little Me and Saturday Night Fever. Other credits include the national tours of Cats and The Producers, where he appeared as Carmen Ghia opposite Jason Alexander and Martin Short at the Pantages Theater in Los Angeles.

Janet Cole Valdez is a former Motown songwriter. Her songs have appeared in the films Gladiator, The Last Dragon, The Boost, South Beach Academy and Guarded Secrets.

(Playbill.com is a media partner of the New York Musical Theatre Festival 2006.)