Adrift in Macao to Receive Original Cast Recording

Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records has announced they will produce the cast recording of the madcap musical Adrift in Macao, with book and lyrics by Christopher Durang and music by Peter Melnick, presented by Primary Stages.

The cast enters the recording studio March 5th and 6th. Release date will be announced.

The New York premiere of Adrift in Macao ends its limited engagement Sunday afternoon, March 4 at 3:00PM at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). On closing, the play will have had 23 previews and 24 regular performances. Directed by Sheryl Kaller with choreography by Christopher Gattelli and musical direction by Fred Lassen, the seven-member cast features Alan Campbell, Rachel de Benedet, Orville Mendoza, Michele Ragusa, Jonathan Rayson, Will Swenson, and Elisa Van Duyne. The Primary Stages production of Adrift in Macao began performances January 23, 2007 for a limited engagement through March 4, 2007. Opening Night was February 13, 2007. 

Adrift in Macao is a "madcap musical parody of glamorous film noir, in which the leading lady can always get a job singing in nightclubs no matter how she sings, and the leading man is always mysterious and can¹t go home for murky reasons he won¹t explain. From the opium dens of China to the lowlife bars of New York, Durang and composer Melnick take us on a hilarious tour through the post-WWII years complete with intrigue, silliness, and a playfully melodic score," state press materials.

The creative team includes Thomas Lynch (Sets), Willa Kim (Costumes), Jeff Croiter (Lighting), Peter J. Fitzgerald (Sound), and Michael Starobin (Orchestrations). The Production Stage Manager is Emily N. Wells.

Primary Stages concludes its 2006-2007 season with the New York premiere of Exits and Entrances by Athol Fugard, an "autobiographical two-character play that chronicles the friendship between a young idealistic playwright and an older actor struggling unhappily to find meaning and dignity in his fading career. Set in Port Elizabeth, South Africa in 1956 and 1961, the play is based on Fugard¹s relationship with stage actor André Huguenet, who was known at one time as the Olivier of South Africa."

With direction by Stephen Sachs, the two-member cast features Morlan Higgins as André and William Dennis Hurley as The Playwright. Performances begin Tuesday evening, March 27, 2007 for a limited engagement through Sunday afternoon, April 29, 2007, by Primary Stages at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Opening Night is set for Wednesday evening, April 4, 2007.

Single tickets for Exits and Entrances are $60 each and may be purchased by calling Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200, online at www.ticketcentral.com, or in person at the 59E59 Theaters Box Office. Group Tickets (15+) are $47.50 each, and are available by calling (212) 840-9705. For further information about Primary Stages, please visit the website at www.primarystages.com, or call (212) 840-9705.

Photo of Rachel de Benedet by James Leynse