Staged readings of a new musical based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Diamond as Big as The Ritz will be presented November 9 at 7 PM and November 10 at 1 PM at the Dramatists Guild Fund’s The Music Hall, 356 W. 40th St., 2nd Floor.

Austin Regan will direct the free readings.

The Diamond as Big as The Ritz features music and lyrics by Seth Bisen-Hersh and book and additional lyrics by R.C. Staab.

The cast will include Marc de la Cruz (If/Then, Pacific Overtures), Diane Phelan (The King and I, Here Lies Love), Reji Woods (The Wiz), Shiniya Daniels, and Matthew Schatz (Heathers: the Musical). Cody Dry serves as musical director.

The musical is set to the rhythms of early 20th century music and is told through the lens of a young woman immigrating to the U.S. The new adaptation aims to bring a comic, satirical edge to the novella's depiction of wealth and race issues.

Admission is free, though the November 9 reading is at capacity. To RSVP, email [email protected].

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