Music and lyrics for the jazz-flavored show are by Harrow, who co-wrote the book with Will Pomerantz. Direction and musical staging are by Pomerantz.
The Fitzgeralds, according to production notes, were "the first-ever It Couple." Zelda and Scott "came to embody the success, glamour and excess of 1920s America. Their meteoric rise came at a cost, and later in life Zelda was confined to a mental hospital. This Side of Paradise explores the lives and loves of the Fitzgeralds, from their first meeting in 1918 in Montgomery, AL, until Scott's death in Hollywood in 1940. The musical puts the primary emphasis on Zelda as she delves into her past during sessions with a young doctor, searching to find the true meaning of her life with Scott, one of America's most celebrated writers."
Singer-songwriter Harrow has been fascinated by the Fitzgeralds for years. In 2003, she released the album "Winter Dreams: The Life & Passions of F. Scott Fitzgerald." She is best known to theatregoers for The Adventures of Maya the Bee, which ran in New York City for seven years and in Japan for two.
Opening night is April 21. The Paradise cast includes Maureen Mueller (Zelda), Rachel Moulton (Young Zelda), Michael Shawn Lewis (F. Scott), Clarke Carmichael (Ernest Hemingway), Mandy Bruno (Scottie, the daughter of Zelda and Scott), Jamie LaVerdiere (Callaghan) and Michael Sharon (The Doctor).
The show's design team features Troy Hourie (sets), Devon Painter (costumes) and Cory Pattak (lights). The Theatre St. Clements is at 423 W. 46th Street. Performances will take place Mondays at 7 PM and Wednesdays-Saturdays at 8 PM, with matinees Saturdays at 2 PM and Sundays at 3 PM. Tickets are $65 and can be purchased by visiting www.paradisethemusical.com or by calling (212) 352-3101.
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Harrow has released 15 albums, the last five of which were based on literary subjects: a Willa Cather novel, a Nathaniel Hawthorne novel, the life of F. Scott Fitzgerald, and the children's stories "The Adventures of Maya the Bee" (by Waldemar Bonsels) and "The Cat Who Went to Heaven" (by Elizabeth Coatsworth). The two children's stories were made into puppet shows produced by The Culture Project in New York City.
For more information, visit www.NancyHarrow.com.
Pomerantz has directed and developed new plays at Playwrights Horizons, The Public Theater, Hartford Stage, New York Theater Workshop, Ensemble Studio Theater, Soho Rep, Culture Project, The Signature Theatre, The Williamstown Theatre Festival, The Studio Theatre, The Mark Taper Forum and The Pittsburgh Public. He has directed world premieres by John Guare, David Auburn, Neil LaBute, Craig Lucas, Kia Corthron, David Lindsay-Abaire, Stephen Belber, Noah Haidle, Linda Cho, Kira Obolensky, Russel Davis and Carey Perloff.
He is associate director for artistic development for Epic Theatre Ensemble. For the company, he has directed the New York premiere of Howard Barker's A Hard Heart and Mahida's Extra Key to Heaven.
