Part of the Village Theatre's Ninth Annual Festival of New Musicals, the "Village Originals" reading is scheduled to begin at 7:30 PM. Kathryn Van Meter directs with musical direction by Jim Fischer.

The cast will be headed by Brandon O'Neill as the Cuban bandleader and Nicole Beerman as the famous redhead with Rebecca Spencer and Eileen Galindo.

The Cuban and the Redhead features a book and score by Robert Bartley and Danny Whitman. "Escaping the bloodshed of his native Island," press notes state, "a young Cuban boy sets sail on a turbulent journey that leads him all the way to Hollywood and into the arms of a fiery, redheaded movie star named Lucille Ball. At the climax of The Cuban and the Redhead, Desi and Lucy put their money, their trust and their dreams on the line in a gamble to save one thing — their marriage. They risk it all on an untested medium called television. Can these two star crossed lovers blaze a path that defies Hollywood and history to be together?"

Cuban was featured in the 2008 National Alliance for Musical Theatre Festival, the 2008 Festival of New American Musicals in Los Angeles and in staged readings by the York Theatre Company.

The Francis J. Gaudette Theatre is located at 303 Front Street North. For more information visit www.villagetheatre.org or www.bartleywhitman.com.