MEET JOHN DOE Cast Album, Feat. Heidi Blickenstaff, Robert Cuccioli & More Set for 11/19 Release

Meet John Doe, the Jonathan Larson Award-winning musical by Andrew Gerle and Eddie Sugarman, will be released on the Broadway Records label on November 19th, 2013. The album can be pre-ordered on Amazon.com at http://amzn.com/B00FAD1GPA and features Heidi Blickenstaff ([title of show], Addams Family), who received a 2007 Helen Hayes Award for the show's world premiere production at the Ford's Theatre in DC. Joining her from the Ford's production are James Moye (Million Dollar Quartet, Full Monty) as John Doe and two-time Tony Award nominee Joel Blum (Show Boat, Steel Pier), as well as Tony Award nominee Robert Cuccioli (Jekyll & Hyde, Spiderman), John Jellison (Memphis), andAndrew Keenan-Bolger (Newsies).

Meet John Doe is based on the classic Frank Capra film from 1941, starring Barbara Stanwyck as ambitious reporter Ann Mitchell, and Gary Cooper as out-of-work baseball pitcher John Willoughby. When Mitchell is fired in the depths of the Depression, she pens a prank letter to her own column from a "John Doe," who is planning to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge on New Year's Eve to "protest the state of society." When the letter is unexpectedly printed, "John" becomes a citywide sensation, and Ann muscles her way back into her job, ghostwriting columns for him. To play John, she hires Willoughby, who turns out to be much more than a handsome face. After John Doe creates a national movement of community organizations, newspaper owner D.B. Norton tries to cash in on John Doe's popularity, and Ann and the real John must decide how far they'll go to protect what they've created.

"We fell in love with the witty dialogue and complicated love story of the film," said Sugarman, "and knew that Andrew could write a terrific jazz-inspired score to go along with that." "What we didn't realize was how relevant the political message would become as we worked on the show," added Gerle. "Capra's message of everyday folks triumphing over corporations and fat cats feels more important today than ever, and audiences really responded to that."

"Meet John Doe is a wonderful new musical that has had several productions around the country. We are honored to have the opportunity to release its Original Studio Cast Recording," said Van Dean, co-founder of Broadway Records.

R&H Theatricals, a division of Rodgers & Hammerstein, provided the majority of the funds for the album, and the authors have launched a crowd-sourcing campaign to raise the remainder at RocketHub.com, which can be viewed here (link).