Musical Adaptation Of Upton Sinclair's THE JUNGLE To Be Given Private Industry Reading

Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, with book, music, and lyrics by Nathan Dame and Rob Baumgartner, Jr., will be given a private industry reading in New York City on March 15th.

Sinclair's notorious 1906 classic tells the story of Jurgis and Ona, a young Lithuanian couple who immigrate to America and are quickly sucked into the machine of mass-production in Chicago's infamous meatpacking district. There they endure the extremes of labor exploitation as they fight to become accepted into the greater American family.

The musical adaptation features an eclectic, contemporary score that draws from Indie Rock, Neo-Soul, DC Go-Go, and a host of other styles.

Upton Sinclair's The Jungle has been developed at the Johnny Mercer Writers Colony at Goodspeed Musicals, and participated as part of Roundabout Theatre Company's Space Jam initiative in the 2018 Oscar Hammerstein Festival at Bucks County Playhouse. Several pieces of the musical were presented in Season 5 of New York Theatre Barn's Choreography Lab.

The cast includes J. Casey Barrett (Book of Mormon), Erika Xiomara Reyes, Tina Stafford (Once), Lauren Elder (Hair), Nathaniel Gregory, Aneesa Folds (Ragtime Nat'l Tour), Brian Calí (Pretty Woman), Mary Callanan (Bandstand), Bob Gaynor (Leap Of Faith), Whit K. Lee (Orange Is The New Black), John Edwards (Jersey Boys), Forest VanDyke, and Jeremy Swanton.

The band will feature Justin Goldner (guitar) and Hiroyuki Matsuura (drums).

For all inquiries, please contact thejunglemusical@gmail.com