Directed by Holly-Anne Ruggiero, the readings are scheduled for 11 AM and 3 PM.
The cast features Richard H. Blake (Legally Blond, Wedding Singer), Allison Spratt (Cry-Baby, Curtains), Kristy Cates (Wicked), Tom Galantich (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Into the Woods, Mamma Mia!), Shonn Wiley (No No Nanette, 42nd Street), Melina Kalomas (Les Misérables, La Bohème), George Psomas (South Pacific), Kevin Covert (Spamalot) and Orville Mendoza (Pacific Overtures).
The ensemble comprises Renee Bang Allen, Erica Rowlett Aubrey, Steven Beckingham, Charl Brown, Brooke Bryant, Chris Carfizzi, Taryn Darr, Kathy Deitch, Andrea Dora, William Thomas Evans, Marco Formosa, Ashley Fox Linton, Gabriela Malek, Spencer Moses, Christina Perkins-Wolf, Athena Ripka, Eric Rubbe, Niketta Scott, Daniel Shevlin, Tina Stafford, Bob Stoeckle and Jamaal Wilson.
City of Light features music by Beverly Ross and Tom Spahn, lyrics by Ross and book by Ruggiero. The musical, according to press notes, is described as such: "In August of 1944 Allied troops surrounded occupied Paris. In a fit of rage and desperation Adolf Hitler ordered his Paris Commander, General Dietrich von Choltitz (Galantich), to burn the city and leave her as 'a field of ruins.' All bridges, museums and government buildings were wired for detonation. City of Light explores the events leading up to Von Choltitz's surrender and offers a unique take on an epic event that has captured historians and shaped the modern world. Von Choltitz's struggle is nestled in an exploration of the people and art of Paris through the eyes of Paulette Spaulding (Spratt), a young American artist who travels to Europe for her first time in search of artistic brilliance; Sebastien Courbet (Blake), a well off, arrogant art dealer who instantly wins the heart of the young American; Brionne (Cates), a mysterious woman of the night who single-handedly runs the Parisian street scene; Peshka Jaworski (Kalomas), a Polish Jew who was at one time concertmistress of the Warsaw symphony; and various other Artists, Musicians and Street Urchins."
The creative team also includes Adam Blanshay (assistant director), Jim Abbott (musical director), Frank Hartenstein (stage manager) and Anthony Francavilla and Eric Louie (general management) The New Dance Group is located in Manhattan at 305 West 38th Street, between Eighth and Ninth Avenues. To reserve a seat e-mail [email protected].
