LOVING LEO to Open at Weston Rod & Gun Club, 7/18

While the bold and brave new musical Next to Normal rocks the Weston Playhouse MainStage, a smaller but mighty new musical, Loving Leo, opens at the Weston Rod and Gun Club (July 18 - August 4.) In this intimate venue, transformed for the summer theatre season, audience members will take an up-close and personal journey with Broadway-accredited actors, and will be among the first to witness the piece brought to full production.

Loving Leo is the story of David (Michael Winther) and Lena (Lauren Mufson), whose childless marriage is re-examined and reaffirmed when they take in Lena's aging stepfather. This touching story of an unconventional American family is beautifully delivered on the words and music of an exciting young writing/composing team.

This is not the first original piece that Sara Cooper (book and lyrics) and Zach Redler (music) have worked on together. Their recent off-Broadway show The Memory Show was critically acclaimed by among others the Boston Globe who called the show "emotionally sophisticated and dramatically astute."

Loving Leo is brought to Weston under the direction of Noah Himmelstein who says of the creative team, "There are few writers interpreting serious, sensitive and human subjects for musicalization; most often left to play territory... Zach and Sara answer the oft-asked 'where is the next generation of ground-breaking musical theatre storytellers?' "

Both actors appearing in the Weston production have substantial theatre credits. Lauren Mufson held a long run as the lead character, Donna, in the Broadway hit Mamma Mia! Michael Winther (Broadway: Mamma Mia!, 1776, Damn Yankees) was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for his role in the one-man show Songs from an Unmade Bed at the New York Theater Workshop.

The Weston theatre company is particularly pleased to bring Loving Leo to full production as the show has a history here. Developed in part by Cooper and Redler at a 2010 Artists Retreat in Weston, it then went on to win Weston's 2012 New Musical Award. Central to the Weston Playhouse Theatre Company's mission is to foster new works, musicals in particular, of national significance. This show fills the bill. Song selections from the show can be heard on the composer's website at zachredler.com/audio.html.

Unique to Weston's OtherStages program, the creative team has the opportunity to refine their work throughout the rehearsal and even the performance cycle, so those with a keen interest in the creative process may choose to see the show at the beginning and end of the run and consider how it has changed.

Weston's OtherStages shows are generally shorter and less expensive than MainStage shows, and within the smaller space, the experience can be very intimate. So join David and Lena as they grapple with the loss of one family member, the adoption of another, and a discovery of themselves. Performances of Loving Leo run July 18 - August 4 at the Weston Rod & Gun Club, Route 100 S., Weston. Tuesdays - Saturdays at 7:30; Saturdays at 2:00; Sundays at 3:00. One act. 1 hour, 25 minutes.

Tickets are $28/adults, $14/students. A select number of VTix are available at just $15, first-come/ first-served. Tickets can be purchased at The Playhouse Box Office, by telephone at (802) 824-5288, or online. A complete schedule of upcoming shows and events can be found at www.westonplayhouse.org.

The Weston Playhouse Theatre Company's 2013 production credits of LOVING LEO by Zach Redler & Sara Cooper include: Director, Noah Himmelstein; Music Director, Travis Horton; Scenic & Lighting Design, Travis McHale; Costume Design, Collette C. Benoit; Stage Manager, Bekah Wachenfeld. With Michael Winther as David and Lauren Mufson as Lena.

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