Prospect to Present Development Reading of F. Scott Fitzgerald Musical THE UNDERCLASSMAN, 11/25

Prospect Theater Company will present a private developmental reading of the original musical The Underclassman on Monday, November 25th at New 42nd Street Studios (229 West 42nd Street, NYC). The Underclassman follows the early life of F. Scott Fitzgerald, from 1914 - 1917. Brilliantly talented, Fitzgerald is swept into the hierarchy of Ivy League society and the antics of the Princeton Triangle Club, in pursuit of the beautiful and elusive debutante Ginevra King - who became the model for the character of Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby.

The Underclasssman reading will star Marrick Smith (Crossing Swords) as F. Scott Fitzgerald, with Jessica Grové (Broadway's Thoroughly Modern Millie and A Little Night Music, Prospect's Illyria) as debutante Ginevra King. The cast will also feature Prospect alumni Andrew Brewer (Cole Porter's Nymph Errant), Jason Edward Cook (With Glee), Piper Goodeve (The Pursuit of Persephone), Laura Hankin (I Married Wyatt Earp), Adam Daveline (Unlock'd), and Courter Simmons (Illyria). Rounding out the company of performers are newcomers Jordan Bondurant, Lauren Chapman, Max Chernin, Kyle Eberlein, Daniel Emond, Charles Franklin, Ali Gordon, C.J. Pawlikowski, Lexi Rabadi, Kevin Shotwell, and R.J. Vaillancourt.

The show takes as its inspiration Fitzgerald's own biography and his autobiographical novel, This Side of Paradise, as well as the extant letters Ginevra King wrote to Fitzgerald (in the Princeton library archives). With the support of his college friends, poet John Peale Bishop and literary critic Edmund Wilson, who were themselves major 20th Century literary figures, Fitzgerald discovers his voice as a writer and gains the experience which later allows him to go on to write one of America's greatest novels.

Cara Reichel will direct, and Daniel Feyer is the musical director. Kat West is the stage manager. Additional members of the project creative team will be choreographer Christine O'Grady and costume designer Sidney Shannon, who re-unite with director Reichel from Prospect's 2011 production of Iron Curtain.

Composer / lyricist Peter Mills (www.pcmills.com) is a recipient of ASCAP's 2011 Cole Porter Award, the 2010 Kleban Prize for Lyrics, the 2007 Fred Ebb Award, and a Jonathan Larson Grant, among other honors. Through Prospect, he has collaborated with director Cara Reichel to create eleven new musicals including Illyria, Golden Boy of the Blue Ridge, and most recently Death for Five Voices. He is also the lyricist for the Broadway-bound musical The Honeymooners.

Prospect Theater Company previously presented a developmental showcase production of the work in May 2005 under its previous title, The Pursuit of Persephone. Composer / lyricist Peter Mills received a 2006 Drama Desk Nomination for Outstanding Score of a Musical for the production. This work was originally developed with the support of a New Directors / New Works grant from The Drama League.

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