NMTC artistic director Paulette Haupt announced the line-up of performers to appear in the two musicals selected to be workshopped at the Waterford, CT, venue.
The O'Neill 2007 National Music Theatre Conference selections (with casts and directors, all subject to change) follow:
Book, music and lyrics by David Rossmer and Dan Lipton
Benjamin Endsley Klein directs a cast that features Jenny Fellner, Suzan Postel, Monique French, Jason Wooten, Dennis Parlato, Andrew Samonsky, Ken Triwush, Eric Bondoc and Alicia Irving. Music director is Fred Lassen.
"A brother and sister are torn apart and then reunited under extraordinary circumstances. notes to MariAnne is a modern fairy tale that draws from popular music to sing its story, exploring the consequences of leaving those you love and finding hope in dark places."
Book and lyrics by Arnold Weinstein and John Wulp; music by Jan Warner
Ted Sperling directs a cast that features Cheyenne Jackson, Elizabeth Stanley, Joe Grifasi, Cole Burden, Kimberly Chesser, Harris Doran, Anne Kittredge, Jason Ma, Monique Midgette and Paul Stovall. Music director is Rob Berman.
Based on a play by Arnold Weinstein, this "zany musical comedy about America [is] set against a background of war, depression and economic boom times [and] follows the wacky adventures of Wilmer Flange, a young idealist; O.O. Martinas, owner of the world's largest meat department store; and Selma Chargesse, the woman they both love. In doing so, it takes a hard look at the effects of love and money upon our lives." The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center was founded in 1964 and is based in Waterford, CT. Programs at the Center include the Puppetry Conference, Playwrights Conference, Critics Institute, Music Theater Conference and the National Theater Institute. The Monte Cristo Cottage, O'Neill's childhood home, is also owned and operated by the group.
For more information, call (860) 443-1238 or visit the website at www.theoneill.org.
