Norbert Leo Butz, Kate Baldwin and More Join SONGS FROM THE REAL KYLE MCCARREN At Joe's Pub

The legendary venue Joe's Pub will present “Songs from THE REAL KYLE McCARREN” on May 19th, 2025. THE REAL KYLE McCARREN was supported by the Rhinebeck Writers Retreat with a residency in 2024 and with the 2025 Triple R Award.

Writer-performers Andy Roninson (Jonathan Larson Grant recipient) and Sean McVerry (DangerMouse, AURORA) present the concert debut of their award-winning musical THE REAL KYLE McCARREN, a true story of a friendship that transcends life and death. Musician Andy Roninson sits at the piano to tell the tale of his deceased bandmate Kyle– who joins him onstage to help or derail the show as he sees fit.

In this expanded concert version, the duo is joined by a full rock band and cast, including two-time Tony-nominee Kate Baldwin (Hello, Dolly!, Finian's Rainbow), Orville Mendoza (Swept Away, Peter and the Starcatcher), Sarah Coffey (The Last Podcast on Earth), Christine Cornell (The Most Happy Fella), Arri Lawton Simon (Watch Night, AUDELCO-nomination), and a special guest performance by two-time Tony-winner Norbert Leo Butz (Catch Me If You Can, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels). The band includes Paige Durr (Six) on drums and Mike Roninson on bass, who was also Kyle McCarren's real-life bandmate.

This modern rock and roll celebration of life is directed by Emmy-winner Matt Cowart (Sweeney Todd: Live at the Philharmonic) and produced by Alexa Smith (Associate Artistic Director of The Public Theater).

“Songs from THE REAL KYLE McCARREN” plays Joe's Pub (425 Lafayette St) on Monday May 19th, 2025 at 9:30 p.m..  There is a $30 cover charge and a two drink or one food item minimum. Tickets and information are available at tinyurl.com/TRKMatJoesPub.

MORE ABOUT THE WRITERS

Andy Roninson (Music, Lyrics, Book) is a music maker and storyteller in NYC. Awards, etc.: Jonathan Larson Grant, Dramatists Guild Fellow, Johnny Mercer Foundation Songwriters Project, BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop (Sherman Scholarship, Harrington Award). 

His musical Soviet Rebel Girl, based on his refugee parents' experiences growing up in and escaping the USSR, has been developed at the JMF Grove at Goodspeed, the Dramatists Guild, and the BMI Workshop. The nonmusical TV pilot adaptation was awarded the Silver Prize at the 2021 International PAGE Awards. 

He is the creator/co-writer of the first-of-its-kind ten-minute musical podcast TAKE A TEN. Episodes have been produced live around the world. Awards, etc.: Best Musical (2x) at Theatre Now New York's SOUND BITES festival, the City Theatre National Award for Short Playwriting, and the top place at the Samuel French Off-Off-Broadway Short Play Festival. Five episodes are published and licensable through MTI and Concord. AndyRoninson.com

Sean McVerry (Music, Lyrics) is a singer-songwriter, producer and engineer based in Brooklyn, New York. His solo music has amassed over 5M streams across the internet and has been featured on NBC, CBS, Adult Swim, and various other networks. He also has appeared on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon where he won the “Battle of the Instant Songwriters” contest. He has toured his albums nationwide and continues to grow a steady following on TikTok, creating short songs and short form videos.

In addition to his solo pursuits, he has worked as a musical director, keyboardist and guitarist working and touring for acts such as AURORA, Karen O (of Yeah Yeah Yeah's) and producer Danger Mouse. This has afforded him the opportunity to appear on several late night shows (Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers), as well as work with directors such as Spike Jonze.