Blaemire, Walsh Set For 'Poolside At The Hotel Bel Air' Reading 5/23, 5/24

Barrington Stage Company's Musical Theatre Lab, under the mentorship of Tony winning composer/lyricist William Finn, kicks off its fourth season, with a reading of a new musical, Poolside at the Hotel Bel Air by Nikos Tsakalakos and Janet Allard, as part of the theater's 15th Anniversary Season. Performances will take place at BSC's Stage 2 space, 36 Linden Street , Pittsfield , on Saturday, May 23 and Sunday, May 24 at 7:30pm. $15 suggested donation; reservations accepted for Poolside at the Hotel Bel Air by calling the BSC Box Office at 413-236-8888.

A pool boy's summer turns upside down when he's seduced by LA glitz and glam and a sexy older woman. Love and chaos ensue in this rocking new musical about a pool boy's hopes and dreams. Based on Nikos Tsakalakos' experience as a pool boy in LA, Poolside at the Hotel Bel Air features music and lyrics by Nikos Tskalakos, with book and lyrics by Janet Allard.

Directed by Kevin Del Aguila (Altar Boyz!; BSC's Funked Up Fairy Tales), with music direction by Matt Castle (Company), and Assistant Director Danny Ergberg, Poolside at the Hotel Bel Air stars Nick Blaemire (Glory Days, Cry-Baby) as Nick, Tony nominee Barbara Walsh (Company, Hairspray) as Mrs. Duval, Orville Mendoza (Pacific Overtures) as the Sultan, Noel Molinelli as April, Robert DuSold (Les Miserables) as Mr. Lopes, Marcus Neville (The Full Monty) as Mr. Duval, and Joshua Segarra (The New Electric Company) as Jack.

Niko Tsakalakos (Music and Lyrics) inaugurated Barrington Stage Company's Musical Theatre Lab's Late Nite series in 2007 with Late Nite with Niko. Last summer he presented Songs of A Night Owl which featured original songs by Tsakalakos, inspired by mentor William Finn and songs he co-wrote with others. This past February he produced Kiss This! A Valentine's Cabaret. Niko is also a contributor to the popular Labor Day Weekend Songs by Ridiculously Talented Composers and Lyricists You Probably Don't Know, But Should. Nikos is a singer-songwriter from New Brunswick , NJ , is a MFA graduate of NYU's Musical Theatre Writing Program as a composer/lyricist. He received his BA in English Literature from Rutgers University , with an emphasis on creative writing/poetry. As drummer and lead vocalist, his band, Saint Friday, has played the Los Angeles circuit, including venues such as the Viper Room, the Roxy and the Troubadour. In LA, he spent two years at the Academy for New Musical Theatre, where he collaborated with various writers and singers. Niko is a two-time recipient of UCLA Writing Lyrics that Succeed and Endure Scholarship with Marty Panzer.

Janet Allard (Book and Lyrics) Vrooommm! A NAScomedy (with Michael Bigelow Dixon, Signature Theater commission), Incognito and Fashionistas (Guthrie commissions), Loyal (Guthrie and Children's Theatre Company joint commission), The Unknown: a silent movie musical (awarded Jonathan Larson Fellowship, produced at NYMF by P73 and at Joe's Pub), Untold Crimes of Insomniacs (Guthrie Lab 2004). Producing Theatres: The Public Theater, Mixed Blood, The Kennedy Center, Playwrights Horizons, Yale Rep, The Yale Cabaret, and Access Theater in NYC; internationally in Ireland , England , Greece and New Zealand . Her work is published by Samuel French, Playscripts, Inc., and Smith and Kraus. Ms. Allard is a Fulbright Fellow, a recipient of two Jerome Fellowships at the Playwrights' Center, has attended the Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program and NYU. Her songs have appeared in Niko's many cabarets. She holds an MFA from the Yale School of Drama.

Next up in BSC's Musical Theatre Lab is Rob Broadhurst and Brent Black's new musical I'll Be Damned (August 13-28), directed by John Simpkins, with music direction by Brian Usifer. Casting will be announced in the coming weeks.

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