Top 5 Exciters
Book by Alan Harris; Music and Lyrics by Mark Alan Swanson
This one is for all those Edgar Allan Poe fanatics out there. And those Lesli Margherita fans! A Scythe of Time looks like a dark, campy musical set in 1881 London where the public has a fascination with the Blackwood Articles where writers take their own lives and, in the process of dying, record their experience with death. It's billed as a bizarre tale of power and love, poetic justic, and bloody revenge. Could this our next Sweeney Todd? Just don't try this at home, kids
June Havoc Theatre
7/21 @ 8, 7/23 @ 1, 7/23 @ 5, 7/24 @ 1, 7/24 @ 5, 7/26 @9
http://www.ascytheoftime.com/
Book by Sebastian Michael; Music and Lyrics by Jonathan Kaldor
Let's just take a second to remind ourselves that this show will be led by the uber talented Donna McKechnie and Tony Sheldon. That's reason itself to go! The plot sounds a bit tricky to put into words but an American debutante marries into one of Europe's ancient Royal Families. An affair with her music teacher leads to uproar and her tragic death turns her from living legend into timeless icon. 40 years later, a young man in search of his grandfather's past finds more than he's bargained for. Something tells me that the grandfather may be linked to the debutante!
The Duke
7/20 @ 8, 7/23 @ 1, 7/23 @ 5, 7/24 @ 9, 7/26 @ 4
http://iconthemusical.com/
Concept, Music, and Lyrics by LUDO; Adaptaion by Stacey Weingarten; Additional Story and Arrangements by Dana Levinson
Something tells me Ludo's Broken Bride wins the award for most unique. This rock opera has everything from time-travel, dinos, and zombies! Oh and love. The musical is an expansion on the original concept album from alternative rock band LUDO about one man's epic time-traveling journey to save his one true love. How far would you go to save your true love? Personally? Pretty damn far!
The Duke
8/2 @ 8, 8/4 @ 8, 8/5 @ 5, 8/6 @ 5, 8/6 @ 9
http://www.brokenbride.rocks/
Music and Lyrics by Heath Saunders; Book and Additional yrics by Kim Sauners
Well this one is certainly a family affair! Written by mother-son writing team Kim and Heath Saunders and featuring brother Trent in the cast, Newton's Cradle is a play about family. Evan's journey takes us into his unique world of autism, where events aren't sequential, labels get in the way, and well-defined family relationships are anything but constant. The score is exciting and is guided by the great Victoria Clarke in the director's chair.
The Duke
8/3 @ 8, 8/4 @ 4, 8/5 @9, 8/6 @ 1, 8/7 @ 12, 8/7 @ 4
http://www.newtonscradlemusical.com/
Book by Anthony Marino; Music by Lena Gabrielle; Lyrics by Greg Kerestan & Lena Gabrielle
You may think you know the story of Peter Pan but it's about to get turned on it's head! This time, through the lens of the fairy herself, Tinker Bell. A story of star-crossed love when one young fairy and one young pirate crossed paths. Tink! is one of those shows that is comprised of a young, talented cast of future superstars including Max Sheldon and Elly Noble in the titular role.
The Pearl Theatre
7/25 @ 8, 7/28 @ 1, 7/28 @ 5, 7/30 @ 5, 7/30 @ 9, 7/31 @ 5
http://tinkmusical.com/
The Rest of the Fest
Book and Lyrics by Stacy Davidowitz & David Spiegel; Music and Lyrics by Adam Spiegel
With a cast that includes 12 "tweens", Camp Rolling Hills is a musical adventure filled with campfires, bunk beds, and treasure hunts. These kids will deal with real issues as they learn the valuable lessons of true friendship. As one of the youth offerings of the festival, this one is like a pint size Disney musical with an energetic Broadway pop score.
The Pearl Theatre
8/3 @ 8, 8/4 @ 5, 8/5 @ 5, 8/5 @ 9, 8/6 @ 1
Music by Jaime Lozano; Book and Lyrics by Lauren Epsenhart
With a Latin infused score, Children of Salt focuses on Raul who learns of his estranged grandmother's illness. He returns home to the beach in hopes of leaving as quickly as possible. The day brings a series of unexpected metings, unleashing an array of memories. The plot is a bit heavy but it is a timeless tale of love, loss, and hope.
The Pearl Theatre
7/20 @ 8, 7/21 @ 9, 7/22 @ 1, 7/23 @ 5, 7/24 @ 9
Book by Abigail Carney; Music and Lyrics by Elliah Heifetz
Dust Can't Kill Me is one of those unique journies from FringeNYC to NYMF. Drought, desperation, and a prophet's prmise of Paradise set a ragtag group of wayward souls on a Dust Bowl journey into the desert. The musical boasts a spirited band of actor-muscians with a folk score.
June Havoc Theatre
8/1 @ 8, 8/2 @ 5, 8/3 @ 9, 8/4 @ 9, 8/6 @ 1, 8/7 @ 12
Book, Music and Lyrics by Aya Aziz
Written and performed by Aya Aziz, Eh Day? - Questions for My Father is one of the more unique offerings of the festival. "Ghetto-Hippie-Arab-Cmmie-China Doll" Aya was shaped by the eclectic community of NYC but her Egyptian-American world-traveler father remained a mystery, as did her Muslim family. Aya enacts the world she came from and the family she went in search of.
June Havoc Theatre
7/19 @ 8, 7/20 @ 1, 7/23 @ 9, 7/24 @ 9, 7/25 @ 8, 7/28 @ 9
hypokritnyc.org
Book and Lyrics by Scott Gilmour; Music by Claire McKenzie
On September 5th, 2011, a boy appeared in Berlin claiming to have lived in the forest with his father for the psat five years. He had no memory of his past, only that his name was Ray and he travelled to Berlin following the death of his father. What followed were months of speculation, police inquiry, and a global media frenzy as teh mystery of the Forest Boy slowly unravelled.
The Pearl Theatre
7/27 @ 8, 7/28 @ 9, 7/29 @ 9, 7/30 @ 1, 8/2 @ 5
forestboy.co.uk
Music by Donya Lane; Lyrics by Ed McNamee; Book by Ed McNamee, Donya Lane & Michael Unger
In Lisa and Leonardo, Leonardo da Vinci's intimate sketches of Lisa derail both her marriage and his relationship with his boy lover and protege bringing both their lives to the brink of disaster. Inspired by the true story of political intrigue, love and passion, this old fashioned musical answers the question "Who is she?"
The Duke
7/21 @ 8, 7/23 @ 9, 7/25 @ 12, 7/26 @ 12, 7/28 @ 4, 7/28 @ 8
lisaandleonardo.com
Book by Andrew Palermo & Shannon Stoeke; Music and Lyrics by Dan Dyer
Throw this one into the heavy material category, Nickel Mines interprets the 2006 Lancaster, PA Amish schoolhouse shooting in which a lone gunman shot 10 girls, 5 fatally, before taking his own life. This unique piece influses movement, music, and text to explore the various viewpoints of what the Amish call "The Happening".
The Duke
7/27 @ 8, 7/29 @ 1, 7/30 @ 9, 7/31 @ 5, 7/31 @ 9
nickelminesmusical.com
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Jaime Jarrett
Normativity tells the story of Taylor, a teenage lesbian, who's sick of seeing LGBTQ+ people killed off in media with tragic endings. When Taylor meets Emily, a book character who's willed herself to life in order to confront the author who wrote her story, they force him to rewrite Emily's story, giving her a happy ending and proving why positive LGBTQ+ storytelling is so important.
The Pearl Theatre
7/18 @ 7, 7/21 @ 5, 7/22 @ 9, 7/23 @ 1, 7/24 @ 5
normativitymusical.com
Book by Nat Bennett & Karen Bishko; Music and Lyrics by Karen Bishko
In Single, Leah seriously needs to get over her ex! At 20, Leah had a career in pop music and a huge hit song, but her record company didn't want her singing her own material, so she quit, now 36 and a successful divorce attorney. Between her experience with the music industry, her ex-boyfriend, and shepherding women through contentious divorces, she has become more and more suspicious of men.
June Havoc Theatre
7/29 @ 8, 8/3 @ 1, 8/4 @ 5, 8/5 @ 1, 8/6 @ 5
Book Music, and Lyrics by Geoff Davin, Additional Music and Lyrics by Nicole Boggs * KellyAnn Hocter; Additional Music by David Mescon
And the winner of the longest title is The First Church of Mary...And if ever there was a title that spelled out the plot for ya, it's this one. Come get yourself saved with the best band in town with some killer new songs. And of course the always popular pot luck dinner.
June Havoc Theatre
7/18 @ 7; 7/20 @ 5; 7/20 @ 9; 7/22 @ 5; 7/22 @ 9
repentantprostitute.com
Book by Philip Yosowitz & Andrea Lepcio; Music & Lyrics by Philip Yosowitz
Rocky meets Golden Boy. Jospeh Cohen, a Jewish-German boxer, finds his 1936 Olympic ambitions curshed as the Nazis rise to power. Set against the backdrop of the Holocaust and the creation of Israel, The Gold is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the journey of self-discovery that we take as we search for purpose in our lives.
The Pearl Theatre
8/1 @ 8, 8/2 @ 1, 8/4 @ 9, 8/6 @ 5, 8/6 @ 9
thegoldmusical.com
The Last Word
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Brett Sullivan; Additional Lyrics by Ryan Cunningham
In East Cleveland 1976, Jay is a charaismatic slacker living above Paradise, the restaurant his fatehr left him. But Jay has accumulated a trail of debt which includes Earlene Floyd, a local parking lot mogul who wants to bulldoze Paradise and put up a parking (sounds like a Joni Mitchell lyric to me!). Jay enlists his old school gang of misfits with plans to raise cash by hustling across America, one game of Scrabble at a time.
The Duke
7/22 @ 8, 7/24 @ 5, 7/26 @ 8, 7/29 @ 5, 7/29 @ 9
thelastwordmusical.com
Book by Jane Wilson & Charles Abbott; Music by Alastair William King; Lyrics by Paul Gambaccini, Alastair William King, & Jane Edith Wilson; Conceived by Paul Gambaccini
With the biggest creative team of the festival, Joe, the artist who draws the politically savvy Ultimate Man has lost control of his characters and himself. Ultimate Man confronts the cartoonist in the real world. For Joe, his worlds collide in this comic adventure.
Pearl Theatre
7/18 @ 8, 7/21 @ 1, 7/22 @ 5, 7/23 @ 9, 7/26 @ 9