Presented by Hartman Productions and the imPULSE Theatre Company along with JoHol Management, the 4 PM reading will feature the talents of Susan Owen (The Phantom of the Opera, Beauty and the Beast), Bradley Dean (Spamalot), Eric Rubbe (Wine Lovers, Blue Man Group), Tina Stafford (Zorba, Zhivago), David McDonald (Mamma Mia!, Les Miserables), Ashley Fox Linton (Wicked, Les Miserables), Rene Bang Allen (Company, Roller Derby), Bhavresh Patel (Working!, Measure for Measure) and Karla Mosley (Hi-5, Redhook). Holly-Anne Ruggiero directs with musical direction by John Boswell and associate musical direction by D. Scott Ferguson.
Dancing with Abandon was penned by Karen Hartman (book, music and lyrics) and Phil Lebovits (book and lyrics). The musical, according to press notes, is the story of "Alice Silverstein, the greatest opera diva in the world, who is about to receive the most prestigious award of her career when her wildly, wacky abandoned rocker-son Dwayne Bocaccio, bursts on the scene to claim her for his own! Alice becomes the center of a world class, lascivious scandal and her career is immediately flushed down the drain. Dwayne tries to re-invent himself by taking over her place as the greatest performer in the world and ultimately becomes her – literally. Alice and Dwayne simultaneously spiral down to the depths of musical hell performing at seedy lounges in Las Vegas, on the subway platforms of New York City and eventually ending up in Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital where they find the meaning of 'true love.'"
The Shetler Studios are located in Manhattan at 244 West 54th Street. The reading is free and open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis.