Nathan Salstone, Emily Bautista and More to Star in REBEL GENIUS Industry Reading

Atlantic Theater Company will host an exclusive, industry-only staged reading of Peabody Award-winning composer Matthew Puckett's new original musical Rebel Genius on Friday, May 16, 2025. Directed by Noah Himmelstein, the presentation will be by invitation only.

The reading cast of Rebel Genius will include Nathan Salstone as Albert Einstein, Emily Boutista as Mileva Maric, Wesley Wray as Besso, Stephen Bogardus as Herman / Father, Cecilia Trippiedi as Elza, Dennis Lambert as Max Planck, Raymond J. Lee as Weber / Reporter, Pablo Laucerica as Marcel, Bligh Voth as Lenard / Professor, and Kai Edgar as Eduard. Casting is by Anthony C. Daniel with Musical Direction by Nicholas Connell. 

Rebel Genius is an electrifying new musical inspired by the passionate early life of Albert Einstein. Colliding physics with matters of the heart, the story follows a young and fiercely ambitious Einstein as he falls madly in love with Mileva Marić, risking everything in pursuit of the elusive Unified Theory. Through a compelling exploration of love, ambition, and genius, Rebel Genius unearths the deeply human side of a flawed icon. Alongside Einstein’s journey, the musical intertwines the towering figures of Max Planck, Niels Bohr, and the shadow of the atomic bomb to illuminate the paradoxes of a man driven to understand the universe while struggling to hold onto love.

Rebel Genius was a finalist for both the prestigious Richard Rodgers Award and the Jonathan Larson Grant, presented by The American Theater Wing.

Readings and workshops of the musical have previously been presented at renowned institutions including UCLA, IAMA Theater Company in Los Angeles, and through the Lied Center/ASCAP Workshop. In 2024, Rebel Genius was also selected for the ITW/ITW Workshop at Forestburgh Playhouse.