2009 NEW YORK MUSICAL THEATRE FESTIVAL

I recently selected the four shows from New York Musical Theatre Festival (now running through October 18th) that came with my $100.00 (actually $107.00) Silver Membership. I am a bit late this year.

I will be traveling between 36th and 54th Streets in midtown NYC to see the following musicals.

COUNT TO TEN (Book by: Michael Blevins, Lyrics by: Michael Blevins and Beth Clary, and Music by: Michael Blevins, Scott Knipe, Bruce Sacks and David Wollenberger)

A tap-dancing writer’s Broadway ambitions are thwarted because his new musical lacks a real love story. Forced to develop the show at a performing arts camp full of spoiled, rich, and in some cases neglected stars of tomorrow, he finds he can no longer tap-dance around his issues and succumbs to the true call of his heart. Count to Ten is a cross-generational, dance-filled, upbeat musical everyone can “tap” into!

JUDAS AND ME (Book and Lyrics by Chad Beguelin and Music by Matthew Sklar)

It's tough keeping up with the Joneses when your neighbor's kid is the Messiah. Consumed by jealousy, Rheba Iscariot pushes her son Judas to be better than Jesus - and we all know how well that turns out. A new musical comedy by the Tony-nominated writing team of Chad Beguelin and Matthew Sklar, Judas & Me is a hilarious look at life with the ultimate biblical stage mom.

LIGHTER (Book, Music and Lyrics by Monica Bauer)

An original musical comedy about two diet-crossed lovers and their quest for the perfect diet. Connie and Stevie seem like the ideal couple until a humiliating search for a size sixteen wedding dress pushes Connie to leave her chubby would-be-hubby to become a fanatical follower of Dr. Dan, diet guru and host of American Weight Loss Idol. Soon Connie is starring on TV as his newest singing weight-loss sensation, prompting love-lorn Stevie, her Jamaican friend Lulu, and Sister Rose the Nutrition Nun to stop her before she becomes the ultimate Skinny B*tch.

THE HAPPY EMBALMER ( Book, Music and Lyrics by Mark Noonan and Nick Oddy)

Close your eyes, take a deep breath, count to three… Now picture a no-holds-barred steel cage match between Mel Brooks, Bruce Lee, Monty Python & Axl Rose. Wait…What? Edward Nando is a lonely embalmer. Emily is his lost love (unfortunately, she’s dead). But Ed has a special purpose… Enter a pistol-shootin’ Texan madman, A groovy Russian scientist, And one bad-ass Dalai Lama. Oh, yes – all hell is about to break loose.

I was too late for my first choice -

F#@KING UP EVERYTHING (Music & Lyrics by David Eric Davis and Book by Sam Forman and David Eric Davis)

Can Christian Mohammed Schwartzelberg stay true to himself and still get the girl? Or will he lose her to the guy in leather pants? Set against the backdrop of Brooklyn's indie music scene with a gallery of hipsters, stoners, artists, cougars, songwriters and puppeteers, F#@KING UP EVERYTHING is a rock musical comedy with heart. And ironic t-shirts.

And an alternative choice – LIVE! NUDE! GIRL! – was also sold out.

I was surprised this year – for the first time since I have been going to Festival shows there is no musical parody of 1950s alien invasion movies on the list.

It is not too late to book tickets for Festival productions. Tickets are only $20.00 each! Maybe I will see you at one of the performances.

TTFN