Penguin Rep Theatre To Present Reading Of TAKE ME AMERICA In New York City
The work features a book and lyrics by Bill Nabel and music and additional lyrics by Neil Berg.
By: A.A. Cristi Feb. 04, 2026
Penguin Rep Theatre will present a 29-hour reading of Take Me America, a new musical about seven immigrants applying for asylum to the United States. The invitation-only reading will take place on Friday, February 13, 2026, at Studios 353 (353 West 48th Street) in New York City.
The musical features a book and lyrics by Bill Nabel and music and additional lyrics by Neil Berg, and will be directed by Joe Brancato.
The reading will feature Jennifer Apple (The Band’s Visit national tour; Hannah Senesh Off-Broadway), Jonny Lee Jr. (Pacific Overtures at Signature Theatre; Gold Mountain at Utah Shakespeare Festival), Sharone Sayegh (Beetlejuice, Come From Away, The Band’s Visit, Mamma Mia!), Sam Snyder, Akron Watson (The Color Purple on Broadway; The Fortress of Solitude at The Public Theater), and Paulina Yeung (The King and I U.S. national and international tours).
Nabel is an American Academy of Arts and Letters Richard Rodgers Prize finalist for an earlier version of Take Me America. His Broadway acting credits include the full run of Beauty and the Beast, as well as original casts of A Chorus Line, Sweeney Todd, and 42nd Street.
Berg is the composer and co-lyricist, with Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Robert Schenkkan, of The 12, which was directed by John Doyle at Goodspeed Opera House. His additional credits include The Sabbath Girl: The Musical, presented by Penguin Rep at 59E59 Theaters in 2024, Grumpy Old Men: The Musical, The Prince and the Pauper, and How My Grandparents Fell in Love, which is scheduled to be produced at 59E59 Theaters beginning March 17, 2026. He is also developing a musical adaptation of My Cousin Vinny with book and lyrics by Dale Launer.
Brancato’s directing credits include Gene & Gilda (Penguin Rep/George Street Playhouse/59E59), The Sabbath Girl (Penguin Rep/59E59), Michael McKeever’s Daniel’s Husband, which transferred from Penguin Rep to Primary Stages at the Cherry Lane Theatre and later to The Westside Theatre/Upstairs, Drop Dead Perfect at Theatre at St. Clement’s, The Devil’s Music: The Life & Blues of Bessie Smith, Freed, Tryst, and Cobb.
The creative team also includes Wendy Bobbitt Cavett as musical supervisor and arranger, Matthew Stephens as musical director, William Bastiason as musical transcriber, Michael Palmer as stage manager, and Isaac Goldbaum as assistant stage manager.
Attendance for the reading is by invitation only.
Videos