Bick Goss and Frank Evans, Producing Artistic Directors of Musical Mondays Theater Lab, Inc. have announced the second show in their February Festival of New Musical “The Suicide, A Musical Comedy” on Thursday, February 9 at 5:30 PM. The preview of the new musical will be at the Jerry Orbach Theater in the Snapple Theater Center, 210 West 50th Street.
Show description: "“The Suicide” is an original musical comedy set in Stalin’s brutal Soviet Union. An unemployed grumbler becomes convinced that suicide is his ticket to fame and glory. Before long, friends and neighbors are plotting to exploit his impending death for fun and profit, and while they’re at it, topple an entire regime. “The Suicide” crackles with black humor and snowballing insanity. Music by Simon Gray, Lyrics by Raymond Bokhour, Book by David Bridel, adapted from the play by Nikolai Erdman, banned personally by Stalin. Bokhour and Gray are BMI Foundation Harrington Award Winners."
Tony® Award Winner Director (“Urinetown”) John Rando directs. Musical director is Fred Lassen (“South Pacific,” “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.”)
The cast includes Maia Guest (“Twelfth Night” PBS, Joanna Glushak (“Urinetown,” “Sweet Smell of Success”), Jen Frankel (“Catch Me If You Can,” “Curtains”), Drew McVety (“Billy Elliot,” “ Spamalot”), Christine Bokhour (“Chicago,” “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”), Jason Patrick Sands (“Chicago,” “A Chorus Line” “ Legally Blonde,”) Adam Dannheisser, (“Coast of Utopia,” “Rock of Ages,” “Proof”), Kevin Carolan (“Chicago,” “The Ritz,” “Dirty Blonde”), Michael Dionissiou (Opa! MITF, Call Me Madam, Goodspeed), Jeffrey Kuhn (“Assassins,” “Ragtime,” “Lion King” (First Canadian Company), Craig Fols (“Musical of Musicals, The Musical”), and Raymond Bokhour (“Chicago”), with music direction by Fred Lassen (“South Pacific,” “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.”)
Under the guidance of Producing Artistic Directors Bick Goss and Frank Evans, and Board President Stephen Hanks, Musical Mondays Theatre Lab is celebrating its 13th year presenting a first look at new musicals at the Snapple Theater Center where the record-breaking runs of The Fantasticks and Perfect Crime currently play. Writers whose early work debuted at Musical Mondays include Tony® Winners Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx (Ave Q), Tony and Pulitzer Prize Winners Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt (Next to Normal), Drama Desk nominee Eric Weinberger and Kleban Prize Winner Beth Falcone (Wanda’s World), and Outer Critics Award Winner Andy Monroe (The Kid). Last spring, Musical Mondays presented a reading of The Fartiste, which appeared this fall Off-Broadway at Sofia’s Downstairs Theater.
