The compact runs of the musicals that feature casts populated with Broadway performers have become hot tickets for New York theatregoers hoping to catch the latest hit. This year's festival saw a host of its productions sell out, resulting in buzz-generating extended runs.
The 2008 NYMF productions boasted the talents of many Broadway veterans, including Tony Award winner Chuck Cooper (Caroline, or Change), Jim J. Bullock (Hairspray), Kevin Cahoon (The Wedding Singer), Donna Lynne Champlin (Sweeney Todd), Gavin Creel (Mary Poppins), Molly Ephraim (Into the Woods), Brandon Espinoza (Gypsy), Mary Faber (Avenue Q), Caroline O'Connor (Chicago), Ramona Keller (Brooklyn), Heather Laws (Company), Sally Mayes (Urban Cowboy), Billy Porter (Grease), Brooke Sunny Moriber (The Wild Party), Josh Strickland (Tarzan), Will Taylor (A Chorus Line), Aaron Tveit (Wicked) and Barbara Walsh (Company).
The fully-produced 2008 NYMF Next Link musicals were About Face, Bedbugs!!! The Musical; Bonnie & Clyde; Bubble; Castronauts or: How I Killed Fidel; College: The Musical; CYCLONE (and the Pig-Faced Lady); The Fancy Boys Follies; Fucking Up Everything: The Musical; The Hatpin; Heaven in Your Pocket; I Come for Love; Idaho!; Jason and Ben; The Jerusalem Syndrome; Love Jerry; Max and the Truffle Pig; Play It Cool; The Road to Ruin; She Can't Believe She Said That!; That Other Woman's Child; To Paint the Earth; Twilight in Manchego; Villa Diodati and Wood.
Four original dance musicals, The Hourglass and The Poisoned Pen, Sophia's Fall, Ward 9 and Wild About Harry, were also on the bill that included developmental readings of Black Footnotes, Lines, Wrapped, Fairy Tale, Robin Hood, Ubu: A 'Patamusical and I Love You, Madame President.
Among the musicals to have originally premiered at NYMF are Broadway's [title of show] and the upcoming Broadway musical Nerds:// A Musical Software Satire, as well as Off-Broadway's Altar Boyz, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, The Big Voice: God or Merman, Captain Louie, Gutenberg! The Musical, Meet John Doe and Shout! The Mod Musical. For details visit NYMF.
