The festival will offer two series of six showings. According to press notes, "The West Village Musical Theatre Festival will boast new contemporary pop-rock pieces, traditional musical theatre, comedies, dramas, even a dance musical."
Proceeds benefit the William Haralson Scholarship Foundation, which provides funds to hopeful young singers as they train and develop their performance skills.
A dozen new works are featured by composers including Carl Kissin, Michael Roderick, Robert Rokicki and Michael Ruby. The lineup follows:
Polly, Want a Mortgage?
Book by Michael Ruby
Music and Lyrics by Robert Rokicki
Directed by Dev Bondarin
"The pop-rock, mad-cap, heartfelt story of an unsuspecting waitress whose house and beloved parrot are foreclosed on by an unsympathetic mega-bank - penned by the American Harmony Prize winning writers of
Queen of Hearts
Book and Lyrics by Lindsey Joelle
Music by Doug Silver
Directed by Celine Rosenthal
"'Gossip Girl meets Macbeth' – This rock musical follows a marginalized girl who would do anything to be popular, and several of her classmates who are all trying to figure out how to survive the social battleground of high school. Trapped in social oblivion at an East Coast prep school, one geek in love finds the courage to be a hero." Between the Bricks
Book by Anthony Giorgio and Cecilia Ceresa
Lyrics by Anthony Giorgio
Music by Davey Patterson
Directed by Cecilia Ceresa
"We know what happened before Dorothy lands in Oz, when she lands in Oz, but what happens when she leaves? Does the glitz and glamour float away in a hot air balloon, or can the relationships between these broken Oz people hold on to the magic that was always present?"
I Don <3 U NE More
Book and lyrics by Daren Taylor
Music by Frank Grullon
Directed by Teddy Nicholas
"Ronald Thomas saw the birth and boom of modern technology. Hey, everyone born in the 80s did. But Ron never bought into it and now, he finds himself on the outside looking in. He wants what we all want: a true connection. But can we truly connect when we've gotten so far away from human interaction because of our need to constantly be... connected?"
The Count of Monte Cristo
Book, music and lyrics by James Behr
Directed by Bill Fabris
"The time is 1815, the Age of Napoleon. Captain Edmond Dantes has a promising future and a woman he loves. But three cruel men will change his life, transforming Dantes from a kind, naive young man, to tragic victim, to a dynamic justice seeking hero."
Annabel
Book and music by Patrick Michael Wickham
Choreography and Staging by Katrina Ylimaki
"This ballet is the opening number to a musical adaptation of a famous novel. It tells the story of our protagonist's first true love, the beautiful Annabel, and their awkward teenage romance, summer-long courtship in France, and the tragedy that "froze something in his soul."
Galileo the Musical
Book by Marisol Rivera
Lyrics by Cheryl Krebs, Marisol Rivera, James Behr
Music by James Behr
Directed by Stephen Wisker
"In the Congressional hearing room of interrogating Conservative Senators, NASA Administrator, Dr. John Holden imagines himself being transported into a giant telescope, as he is transformed into Galileo Galilei. He embarks on a soulful journey of the past to the life of Galileo in his quest to save the environment and preserve intellectual freedom."
I'll do it tomorrow (selected for 2004-2005 Best American Short Plays)
Book and Lyrics by Michael Roderick
Music by David Mallamud
Directed by Jenn Womack
"What if you found out today that you only had five days left to live? What would you do tomorrow? Kenneth is a terrible procrastinator who spends all of his days putting off the important things. One evening an angel arrives explaining to him how displeased God is with his decisions and tells him that for the next week, he will age ten years every day until he dies. The only way for Kenneth to reverse the process is to find the people he has wronged and make peace before his end."
Date of a Lifetime
Book and lyrics by Carl Kissin
Music by Robert Baumgartner Jr.
Directed by Laura Brandel
"A man at a speed-dating event introduces himself to a potential mate. In the course of just a few minutes, he hypothesizes what their life together might be like from present day all the way to her death."
Abnormal Psychology
Book and lyrics by Chris Fitz
Music by David Ogrin
Directed by Gillian Riley
"In a room with three doors and a piano, two men, one with visual agnosia and one with anterograde and retrograde amnesia, are stuck together. As they discuss their lives and afflictions a beautiful and strange young girl arrives on the scene claiming she has the ability to cure them."
Rat Poison Love
Book and Lyrics by Melanie Weinstein
Music and Lyrics by Sarah Ellis
Directed by Stanley Ralph
"Based on a true story: In this high energy, rock and roll dark comedy, a man is unconsciously trying to kill his wife and daughter. As the murder attempts escalate, their teen daughter is forced to take action and stop the madness- can she cut through her parents' thick cloud of denial and save her family?"
Hapless Romance
Book by Celine Rosenthal
Music and Lyrics by Rebecca Greenstein
Directed by Celine Rosenthal
"The worst first date ever unexpectedly turns to true love. Ally – prim, proper, and very type A - has finally decided to put herself out there on the dating scene. She allows herself to be set up on a blind date with Mark and instead of her highly anticipated evening of romance, Ally finds herself LARP-ing (live action role play i.e. Dungeons and Dragons) with Mark's friends."
The Wings Theatre is at 154 Christopher Street. Tickets ($18 per series) are available at Brown Paper Tickets (http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/112095). Visit www.wvmtf.com for more details.
