Stephen Schwartz's Captain Louie Musical Will Get World Premiere Recording on PS Classics Label | Playbill

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News Stephen Schwartz's Captain Louie Musical Will Get World Premiere Recording on PS Classics Label PS Classics, the record label devoted to the heritage of Broadway and American popular song, will release the world premiere recording of Stephen Schwartz's new family musical, Captain Louie, coinciding with the Off-Broadway production of the show that begins May 4 at The York Theatre Company.

Composer-lyricist Schwartz, who is producing the CD, was in the studio March 21-22 with singers and musicians. The recording — a world premiere recording created prior to the York production — will feature orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire, under the music direction of Edward Barnes.

PS Classics expects to have product available at the York Theatre and at the label's website, www.psclassics.com, in time for the first public performance in May.

Presented by the York in association with Meridee Stein, Pam Koslow and Kurt Peterson, Captain Louie is based on Ezra Jack Keats' "The Trip" and features a score by Schwartz and a book by Anthony Stein. Meridee Stein directs the musical with musical direction by Edward Barnes.

Joshua Bergasse will choreograph with multi-media design by Joshua Light Show. The remainder of the creative team for the York run features Elizabeth Flauto (costume design, based on the drawings of Ezra Jack Keats), Jeff Subik (set design, also based on Keats' drawings), Annmarie Duggan (lighting design) and Samone Weissman (production stage manager).

The cast of Captain Louie comprises Brandon M. Arrington, Alex Barboza, Jodie Bentley, Jimmy Dieffenbach, Kelsey Fatebene, Sara Kapner, Ronnie Mercedes, Sarah Stiles and Mark Whitten. Captain Louie , according to production notes, "revolves around young Louie, alone and sad without having found any friends in his new neighborhood. To cheer himself up, he returns to his old friends in an imaginative journey on the wings of his favorite toy, a little red plane."

The musical, which celebrates the importance of friends, both old and new, runs 65 minutes.

Stephen Schwartz, a Dramatists Guild council member, wrote music and lyrics for Broadway's Wicked, Godspell, Pippin, The Magic Show, The Baker's Wife and Children of Eden. He penned lyrics to Rags, composed by Charles Strouse, and has also written for several film musicals, including "Pocahontas," "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," "The Prince of Egypt" and the TV musical "Geppetto." His solo CDs of new songs are titled "Reluctant Pilgrim" and "Uncharted Territory." Schwartz is the recipient of three Academy Awards, three Grammy Awards and three Drama Desk Awards. Wicked currently plays Broadway's Gershwin Theatre.

Captain Louie , which is scheduled to run through June 12, will play Wednesdays and Thursdays at 10:30 AM and 12:30 PM, Fridays at 6:30 PM, Saturdays at 11:30 AM and 2:30 PM and Sundays at 1 and 3 PM.

The York Theatre Company is located at 619 Lexington Avenue at 54th Street. Tickets, priced at $35, are now available by calling (212) 868-4444 or by visiting www.smarttix.com.

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PS Classics' recent releases include the original Broadway cast album of Stephen Sondheim's The Frogs starring Nathan Lane, and the concert-musical Striking 12, by the New York-based pop trio GrooveLily. Future releases include cast albums of the Roundabout Theatre Company production of Pacific Overtures May 10th and the off-Broadway Red Clay Ramblers musical Lone Star Love.

For more information, visit www.psclassics.com.

 
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