Benanti (Nine, Into the Woods) is the woman of the title, who, along with her brother Johnny (Hairspray's Clarke Thorell), has suffered physical and emotional torment in a dysfunctional Brooklyn family. When their mother dies insane because of the strain of living with their abusive father, MariAnne's only choice is to escape or die. What she does leaves her on the run in a cross-country search for Johnny. Producer-actor Marcus Chait describes the musical as a "rock musical/ghost story."

Actor David Rossmer and pit pianist Dan Lipton penned the score and the book. Lipton and Rossmer attracted some attention in 1999 when they premiered their conceptual musical comedy, Joe!, which has starred, in various incarnations, Anthony Rapp, Jeremy Kushnier, Brian d'Arcy James and Sutton Foster. Manhattan Theatre Club staged a reading of the piece in summer, 2001. Notes to MariAnne is their second musical and is based on an album written by Rossmer.

Creel, the young leading man of Thoroughly Modern Millie, plays Mason. Sara Ramirez (A Class Act) is Donna.

Robert Duva, Melissa Chait and Neil Patrick Harris are also producing the reading.

This is a closed reading and admission is granted by invitation only. Joe's Pub is located within the Public Theater at 425 Lafayette Street, between East 4th Street and Astor Place.