Curtis Wiley, Rema Webb, and More Will Lead HIS NAME WAS BOBBY SHORT Reading at Abingdon Theatre Company

Abingdon Theatre Company has announced the cast of an invitation-only reading presentation of the company's first-ever commissioned piece, His Name Was Bobby Short, written by previous Carolyn Halpert Artist-in-Residence Cris Eli Blak. The project is conceived and directed by Chad Austin and commissioned by Don and Nancy Watson, with sponsors John Gasdaska and Sue Sugden. The reading presentation will take place on March 4th as a part of the company's 33rd season Pamela Paul Around the Table Reading Series, and is based on the ‘King of Cabaret,' Bobby Short. 

The cast will feature Curtis Wiley (Ain't Too Proud), Maria Bilbao (Sweeney Todd), Robert Cuccioli (Jekyll & Hyde), Annelise Cepero (Spielberg's West Side Story), Lorenzo Scott (FX/Hulu's Feud: Capote vs The Swans), Rema Webb (Hell's Kitchen), and Jeffrey Grover (FX/Hulu's Feud Capote's Women), with stage management by Allison Hohman. 

The play centers around the life of Bobby Short, who notably performed at Café Carlyle for over three decades. Short is often credited with being the best interpreter of the Great American Songbook, with words and music written by national composers from the pre-rock era, such as George and Ira Gershwin, Richard Rodgers, and more. Short recorded and performed songs by Duke Ellington, Bessie Smith, and more, and received three Grammy Award nominations. Although he had a repertoire of more than 500 songs, Short was best known for his interpretations of the urbane, witty compositions of Cole Porter. This project will be the first biographic play about the iconic performer, featuring music that audiences know and love.