Top Gun! The Musical Nominated for Canadian Comedy Award Prior to NY Premiere!

The TG!TM Coop is thrilled to announce that Top Gun! The Musical has been nominated for a Canadian Comedy Award in the "Pretty Funny Comedic Play" category.  The Canadian Comedy Awards celebrate excellence in film, television and stage from across Canada.

As previously announced, Top Gun! The Musical will be playing as part of the prestigious New York Musical Theater Festival (NYMF) from September 27 to October 3, 2004.  It will be performed at The

In a drafty rehearsal hall somewhere between Nowheresville and Broadway, Writer-Director Billy Palmer is preparing his latest show.  It's not going well.  His lead actor is as dumb as a sack of hammers, his stage manager is feuding with the leading lady, and his Producer, an ex-military man known as "The General", has a secret agenda for the show that just may verge on the sociopathic.  Director Palmer's made some interesting changes for the stage: Goose is a woman, the F-16 fighter jets are dancers, and the film's famous gay subtext threatens to take over.  But he needs a hit.  Judging by hilariously overwrought musical numbers like "We've Got A Plane To Catch" and "You'll Never Be Alone (Up There)", he's fighting an uphill battle.  As the rehearsal wears on, two parallel stories emerge: the narrative that follows the tale of Navy fliers trying to be the best fights for stage time with another, deeper musical-within-a-musical that exposes the secret longings, desires, and fears of the actors and crew alike.  It's for anyone who ever tried to create something beautiful - and fell a little bit short.  You'll laugh.  You'll cry.  You'll believe a jet can fly.

Top Gun! The Musical is written by Denis McGrath with music by Scott White and is directed by Colin Viebrock.  The NYMF Production will feature most of the original Toronto cast, including Dmitry Chepovetsky, David Collins, Steven Gallagher, Alison Lawrence and Racheal McCaig.  New cast members are Sharon Heldt and Brett McCaig.  Top Gun! The Musical premiered at the 2002 Toronto Fringe (and remains the most successful production in Toronto Fringe history), had its US Premiere in Nov, 2002 at Theater Lab Houston and was remounted in Toronto at the Factory Theatre in June, 2003, leading to Dora nominations for Outstanding New Musical and Outstanding Performance (Chepovetsky).

The New York Musical Theatre Festival is produced under the auspices of The National Musical Theater Network, a 501(c) (3) not for profit organization. Dedicated to discovering new works, new artists and creating new stars, NYMF will do for musical theatre what Sundance does for independent film:  celebrate its diversity, creativity and future. NYMF is proudly supported by Time Out New York, AM New York, NYC and Company, Lindemanns, HX, Theatermania, Next, Gang Run Direct Printers, broadwayworld.com and Galvanic Printing, and is predicted to be the largest musical theater event in New York City's history.

TG!TM's Website: www.topgunthemusical.com