Goodspeed Musicals Completes 2013 Season with Paul Loesel & Scott Burkell's New Musical LMNOP, 7/25-8/18

What would you do if one day you could no longer use the letter Z? Then Q? Then E? Goodspeed Musicals, the first two-time Tony Award-winning theatre in the country, announced today that the compelling new musical L M N O P -a tale about a town thrown into chaos after that very scenario becomes a reality -will round out their three-show season at The Norma Terris Theatre.

Based on Mark Dunn's award-winning novel Ella Minnow Pea, this musical about a quiet town changed by power, greed and fear and the heroine who restores her community is destined to be a summertime smash. This unforgettable, thought-provoking musical puzzle will surprise and satisfy. Don't miss L M N O P, running July 25 - August 18, 2013 at The Norma Terris Theatre in Chester, Conn.

When letters begin to fall from a monument in town, government officials ban them one by one. Chaos ensues until a determined teenage girl rallies the community to fight for freedom of speech. This unique musical is part romance, part clever word game and part adult fable that reminds us of how precious our liberties are, how quickly unbridled extremism can take them from us, and how important it is to have the courage to stand up for what we believe. A captivating story you'll n_v_r forg_t!

L M N O P is written by Paul Loesel (Music) and Scott Burkell (Book and Lyrics). Their songs have been premiered by Kristin Chenoweth (Carnegie Hall), Rebecca Luker (The Kennedy Center, Symphony Space), Marin Mazzie (Lincoln Center), Jason Danieley (Joe's Pub), Stephanie J. Block (Birdland) and Liz Callaway (Chicago Humanities Festival.) Their musical The Extraordinary Ordinary received a Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation Grant, workshops at ASCAP and CAP21 and productions at the Philly Fringe Festival, Farmers Alley Theatre, and Off-Broadway's Clurman Theatre. They have received the Jonathan Larson and Burton Lane Awards. Recordings of their work appear on Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley's Opposite You, Stephanie J. Block's This Place I Know and Rebecca Luker's Greenwich Time. Musical revues: Love Songs and Other Crap (MAC Award nomination) and Sorta Love Songs (Birdland).

Joe Calarco will direct L M N O P. His New York credits include projects with Playwrights Horizons, Primary Stages, Second Stage, the Lucille Lortel, The Transport Group and Lincoln Center. His regional credits include Signature Theater, The Old Globe, Barrington Stage Company, the O'Neill Music Theater Conference, Berkshire Theater Festival, 11th Hour Theatre Company and Philadelphia Theatre Company. As a writer his published works include Walter Cronkite is Dead, In the Absence of Spring, and Shakespeare's R&J. He is the recipient of the Lucille Lortel Award, 2 Barrymore Awards, and 4 Helen Hayes Awards.

L M N O P will run July 25 - August 18, 2013. Curtain times are Wednesdays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m, Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. (with the exception of July 25 which begins at 8:00 p.m.), Fridays at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays at 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Goodspeed's Norma Terris Theatre 2013 season is finally complete: The Fabulous Lipitones will run May 9 - June 2, followed by L M N O P July 25 - August 18, 2013, and closing with Snapshots: A Musical Scrapbook October 24 - November 17.

What happens when a barbershop quartet who's been belting out close harmonies for twenty years loses a key member to a heart-stopping high "C"? The three surviving members must cease their bickering and race to find a replacement in time for Nationals. Excitement is high when they find someone, BUT he's nowhere near what they expected. You won't want to miss this hilarious and moving story of friendship, prejudice and the power of song! The Fabulous Lipitones will be directed by Goodspeed favorite Gordon Greenberg (Band Geeks!, Happy Days, Pirates of Penzance).

Snapshots: A Musical Scrapbook is a romantic comedy which blends some of the best-loved music from composer Stephen Schwartz's Broadway shows (Wicked, Pippin, Godspell, Baker's Wife) with some of his lesser-known gems. You'll meet Sue and Dan, a couple who, after 20 years of marriage, have drifted apart. Together they discover a box of photographs which leads them to relive the memories of their past selves captured in the snapshots. Featuring fresh lyrics and orchestrations, our couple discovers the humorous twists of how love united them and why life has pushed them apart. Every couple will see themselves in Snapshots! A director will be announced soon.

The Norma Terris Theatre is located at 33 North Main Street in Chester. Subscriptions and single tickets are on sale now. For more information call the Goodspeed Box Office at 860.873.8668 or visit goodspeed.org.

Goodspeed Musicals' 2013 season is produced by Michael P. Price.

Dedicated to the preservation and advancement of musical theatre, Goodspeed Musicals produces three musicals each season at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Conn., and additional works at The Norma Terris Theatre in Chester, Conn., which was opened in 1984 for the development of new musicals. The first regional theatre to receive two Tony Awards (for outstanding achievement), Goodspeed celebrates another milestone, its 50th Anniversary, in 2013. In addition to the two theatres and production facilities, Goodspeed maintains The Scherer Library of Musical Theatre and The Max Showalter Center for Education in Musical Theatre. Goodspeed gratefully acknowledges the support of Sennheiser, the official audio sponsor. Goodspeed is supported in part by the Department of Economic and Community Development with support from the Connecticut Office of the Arts.

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