Hoyt Axton may have had his "Heartbreak Hotel," but Keith Herrmann and Barry Harman, the composer and lyricist team behind Romance, Romance are busy working on Haunted Hotel, a new musical.
Musical Theatre Works, at 440 Lafayette St., (across the street from the Public Theatre in downtown Manhattan) is offering two sneak peek readings of the show, Friday, Jan. 17, at 1 PM and 4:30 PM.
Performing will be Alison Fraser (Romance, Romance, Secret Garden, Tartuffe - Born Again), Tovah Feldshuh (Tovah Out Of Her Mind, Sarava), David MacDonald, Paul Jackal, Matthew Bogart, Danny Burstein, Nick Wyman and Jill Geddes.
According to MTW co-artistic associate Ilene Kristen, the reading, directed by Steven Dexter, will have piano accompaniment, but Herrmann and Harmon will also play segments of a tape they made to give the audience a sense of the show's sound, which is "more synthesized...the arrangements less mainstream..." The show, a murder-mystery, takes place in the late 19th Century.
Admission is free but must be reserved by calling MTW (212) 677-0040. --By David Lefkowitz