Donna Vivino to Direct Invitation-Only Reading of New Musical FORTY ELEPHANTS

Donna Vivino (Hell’s Kitchen) will helm an industry reading of Forty Elephants on September 16. The new pop-punk heist musical features book & music by Bryan Blaskie with book & lyrics by Laurie Hochman.

Blaskie serves as music director, with Matia Prescott as stage manager. The reading is produced by Hunter Anderson with Blaskie and Hochman. Vivino previously collaborated with the writers on the industry reading of Ghost Girls.

Set in 1789 and 1939, Forty Elephants is a queer, feminist, anti-capitalist, dual-timeline caper inspired by the real all-female London shoplifting gang. As the thieves plot a manor-house score in a contested territory, the show explores legacy, love, and the social diminution of women with irreverent humor and heart. Earlier this year, the musical was featured in New York Theatre Barn’s Choreography Lab.

The cast will feature Nicci Claspell (Moulin Rouge! The Musical Broadway), 2025 Tony nominee Julia Knitel (Dead Outlaw), Ali Regan (Girl From the North Country 1st National Tour), Jonathan Gabriel Mousset (Much Ado About Nothing at The Public), Heather Sawyer (James and the Giant Peach at Atlantic Theater Company), and Eddie Korbich (The Music Man). They are joined by Danielle Cohn (Drunk Shakespeare), Erica Lynn Bridge (Jersey Boys), Katie Emerson (The Little Mermaid at Syracuse Stage), Morgan Smart (6888: A New Musical), Sarah Goldstein (Drunk Shakespeare), and Trinity Harvey (A Christmas Story National Tour).

Blaskie is an award-winning music director and co-writer of The Christmas Carols (54 Below) and Assistants the Musical with Manny Hagopian. Hochman’s lyrics and music can be heard on Celebrating the American Spirit (Sono-Luminous) and Nickelodeon’s The Wonder Pets; she is also one of the three authors of Perfect Life (with Marky Elliot and Larry Hochman). Vivino, in addition to her Broadway credits, most recently directed a short film slated for release in 2026.

Theatre professionals interested in attending the staged reading of Forty Elephants on September 16 or receiving more information about the project can contact fortyelephantsmusical@gmail.com.