Two River Theater Announces the Lineup of Artists for AN EVENING ON THE MUSICAL FRONTIER

Two River Theater Company, under the leadership of Artistic Director John Dias and Managing Director Michael Hurst, announces An Evening on the Musical Frontier, a benefit performance featuring songs from musicals in development at Two River. Alec Baldwin is the Honorary Event Chair for the one-night special event on Friday, May 12, which will begin with a cocktail reception at 6pm. The special guest performers include Andrew Keenan-Bolger, Tony Award winner LaChanze, Tony Award nominee Emily Skinner and, from Two River's upcoming musical The Ballad of Little Jo, Jane Bruce, Daniel K. Isaac, Eric William Morris, and Teal Wicks.

Tickets can be purchased from 732.345.1400 or TRTC.org and range from $75 to $250. All proceeds will benefit Two River's programs for the development of new musical theater. Patrons who purchase $250 tickets will enjoy a special post-show dinner catered by Café Mumford's.

For information about sponsorship opportunities for "An Evening on the Musical Frontier," contact Katie Benson at 732.345.1400 ext. 1817 or kbenson@trtc.org.

Musical Program

Andrew Keenan-Bolger's Broadway credits include Tuck Everlasting and Newsies. With Kate Wetherhead, he is the co-creator of the critically acclaimed webseries, Submissions Only (www.submissionsonly.com) and co-author of the new children's series Jack & Louisa (Penguin Random House). He will sing from Radiant Baby, a musical about Keith Haring, with a book by Stuart Ross, music by Debra Barsha, and lyrics by Ira Gasman, Stuart Ross, and Debra Barsha.

LaChanze received a Tony Award for her performance in the original Broadway production of The Color Purple; her other Broadway credits include Once on This Island and If/Then. She will sing from Oo-Bla-Dee, a musical about an all-female band of African-American bebop musicians traveling the country following the end of World War II. Oo-Bla-Dee is written by ReGina Taylor, with music by Diedre L. Murray. It will have a full production at Two River Theater in the 2017/18 Season, directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson.

Emily Skinner received a Tony Award nomination (along with Alice Ripley) for her performance in Side Show. She was the first American to play Billy's dance teacher in the Broadway production of Billy Elliott, and she will be seen on Broadway later this season in the musical revue Prince of Broadway. She will sing from Pamela's First Musical, based on the children's book by Wendy Wasserstein, with a book by Wendy Wasserstein and Christopher Durang, music by Cy Coleman, and lyrics by David Zippel.

The evening will feature four songs from The Ballad of Little Jo, a musical by Mike Reid (composer, co-bookwriter), Sarah Schlesinger (lyricist, co-bookwriter), and John Dias (co-bookwriter) that will be produced at Two River from June 3-25, 2017. Dias, the theater's Artistic Director, is also making his Two River directorial debut with this production. The choreography is by Marc Kimelman, with music direction by John O'Neill. The Ballad of Little Jo is based on the film of the same name by Maggie Greenwald.

Songs from The Ballad of Little Jo will be performed by cast members Jane Bruce (Elf, Missed Connections: A Craigslist Musical), Daniel K. Isaac (According to My Mother, Billions), Eric William Morris (Be More Chill, Mamma Mia!), and Teal Wicks (Wicked, Finding Neverland).

"An Evening on the Musical Frontier" will also include a song (performed by Eric William Morris) from Middle School Mysteries, an original musical commissioned by Two River Theater, with music and lyrics by Daniel Maté and a book by Marshall Pailet.

Sponsorship

This special event is sponsored by a number of generous organizations and individuals including Monmouth Medical Center, Monmouth University, The Hilaria and Alec Baldwin Foundation, David Schwartz Foundation, Torcon, INC, Circle BMW, Howard P. Aronson, Robert and ElizaBeth Barrett, Robert and Marilyn Broege, Caroline P. Huber, Bruce and Suzie Kovner, Richard and Mary Jane Kroon, Robert and Gale Grossman, Gordon N. Litwin and Anne Luzzatto, William and Victoria Marraccini, Vernon and Patricia Ralph, Adam and Liz Rechnitz, Daryl Roth, Andrew and Linda Safran, Webster Trammell, Thomas and Ann Unterberg, and Anne and Sheldon Vogel.

Two River Theater is supported in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The Roy Cockrum Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, Monmouth University, The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Riverview Medical Center, The Stone Foundation of New Jersey, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Shakespeare in American Communities, National Endowment for the Arts, The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, Investors Bank, Springpoint Senior Living Foundation at the Atrium at Navesink Harbor, Bank of America Charitable Foundation, Jorgensen Foundation, Wells Fargo, William T. Morris Foundation, and many other generous foundations, corporations and individuals.