Dennis Renard Officially Joins For FOR THE LOVE OF A GLOVE At The Carl Sagan And Ann Druyan Theater

Having just starred in the Emmy nominated Book of Queer on Max and in Rogue Machine Theatre's Come Get Maggie, DENNIS RENARD joins For the Love of a Glove's cast as Michael Jackson's glove Thrill-Lha on June 2, 3, 30 and July 1! Tickets are available at https://fortheloveofaglove.ludus.com

Dennis is debuting in the most unusual original hit love story musical you'll ever see. Don't be fooled, this is more than a story about The King of Pop, it's a scathing satire on religious hypocrisy, homophobia, pop industry exploitation and racism.

FOR THE LOVE OF A GLOVE takes a decidedly off-kilter approach to telling the life story of Michael Jackson, the most famous entertainer of our time. Using Michael Jackson's glove, a sentient, extraterrestrial named Thrihl-Lha as the play's narrator, this show gives audiences a freshly revisionist look into the strange forces that shaped Michael and the scandals that bedeviled his reputation.

Using a combination of life-sized puppet and real actors, this original comic musical uses Michael Jackson's life as a way to address the incendiary trifecta of race, religion and sexuality that were always controversial undercurrents in Michael's story.

Deeply researched, it also puts at its center the Amadeus/Salieri relationship that existed between Michael and Donny Osmond and suggests this as the key to understanding much of Michael's life.

Critics have compared the show to Book of Mormon, Mel Brooks and Avenue Q. NPR proclaimed it "Raunchy, surreal and absurd," while The LA Weekly called it, "wryly brilliant... Nitzberg takes the timeline of Jackson's life, based in well-documented music history, and expands the story into surreal absurdity even while consciously weaving in sociological, political and religious commentary." The LA Times said the remount, "is a wild ride full of comedic jabs ... and packs a punch." Yahoo! Entertainment said, "for ... all its humor, much of the show deals with serious issues like racism, religious hypocrisy, and cultural appropriation.

Writer/director Julien Nitzberg is best known as the producer and director of the acclaimed documentary feature The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia, produced by Johnny Knoxville and distributed theatrically by Robert DeNiro's company Tribeca Film. Other works include the controversial comic operetta The Beastly Bombing, or A Terrible Tale of Terrorists Tamed By The Tangles Of True Love. Nitzberg is currently fulfilling a two season order from Tubi for his adult animated series Breaking Bear, a crime parody about meth-peddling grizzly bears that is produced by Blink-182's Tom DeLonge and Stan Spry.

The music was composed by Coco Morier, Drew Erickson and Max Townsley. Coco Morier is a songwriter, artist, and producer. Morier's best known work includes songs recorded by Britney Spears, Selena Gomez, Ellie Goulding, Tom Jones and Demi Lovato. Drew Erickson has produced and written songs for Lana Del Rey and has contributed to recordings of myriad other artists including Florence + the Machine, Father John Misty, Mac Demarco, Weyes Blood and Tim Heidecker. Max Townsley is a Dallas-based multi-instrumentalist, composer, songwriter and singer. He has toured the globe as a guitarist with the bands Midlake and Neon Indian. He composed and performed the music for the feature film Song Of The Cicada, and as a songwriter he has penned songs for Keith Urban and Sabrina Claudio.

The artistry of Puppet Director and Designer Robin Walsh translates the absurdity into a brilliant and believable reality comparable to the Life of Pi and Warhorse. Head of Puppets at Screen Novelties, a stop motion studio, her designs have been seen around the world, from L.A. to New York City, Germany and China. She’s worked in film, (Team America: World Police, Men In Black), television (SpongeBob, Family Guy) and stage (Jim Henson Grant, O’Neill Theatre Center, Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado, Stanford University Orchestra). She was the restorationist for the original Rudolph puppet from the Rankin/Bass classic. Robin and Puppet Artist Ron Binion (Ghost Busters, Disney Book of Pooh, Humanitarian Puppetry Workshops Cambodia and Africa) took  16 actors through three weeks of puppet training to transform them into professional puppeteers. Assistant Designer Adrian Rose Leonad (Crank Yankers, Netflix’s Ratched, Moschino “No Strings Attached, Mr. Neighbor's House) took part in the development of the Jackson 5 and Michael Jackson’s iconic glove.

Choreographer Cris Judd started his illustrious career as a lead dancer for Michael Jackson's HIStory Tour. His choreography has been featured on the MTV VMA's, Super Bowl Halftime Shows and in numerous Netflix productions.

Producers are Leigh R. Crawford, Tony Jones, Betsy Zajko and Burk Zanft, with Heather Marie Marsden serving as Consulting Producer. Creative team includes Victoria Hoffman (Casting Director), Andrea Keller (Production Design), Chris Moscatiello (Music Director), Robin Walsh (Puppet Director and Designer),   Ann Closs-Farley (Costume Design), Derrick McDaniel (Lighting Designer), Michéal David Ricks (Technical Director), Sarah Dawn Lowry (Production Manager), and Ryan Dohner (Managing Director). 

Tickets to FOR THE LOVE OF A GLOVE are on sale today atClick Here.