Beck and May, Creators of 'Top 8' MySpace Musical To Perform at Duplex

The creators of the new musical based off of the trials and tribulations of the popular social networking site MySpace, titled "Top 8: A New Musical" will be performing selections at the Duplex (61 Christopher Street) in NYC on November 2nd and 3rd, 2008. The creators Jordan Beck and Jonathan May state the following about the project, "Once upon a time, a man named Tom started an online community called MySpace. It has since become the preeminent networking tool for musicians, comedians, filmmakers, actors, singers and people in general. All around the world, people are joining MySpace by the millions. It has become a cultural phenomenon. We've decided to musicalize it."

"The premise: Eight strangers search for their true identities using MySpace as a tool to find themselves. These eight characters, based on people you might meet on MySpace, come together on stage for a hilarious yet thought provoking night of musical comedy. They are all from different walks of life. But they seek one thing in common; Approval."

Jordan Beck (Book & Lyrics) is 23 years old. As a member of the Academy for New Musical Theatre in North Hollywood, CA, he has studied under John Sparks and Scott Guy. Previously, he wrote the book and lyrics to Sequins! The Show Choir Musical with composer Gregory Nabours, as well as a musical adaptation of Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities. As a lyricist, he has also collaborated with twin composers Jason and Nolan Livesay. Jordan Beck is also the artistic director of GreenRoom Stage Productions

Jonathan May (Music) is 20 years old. He began studying classical piano at age 5 with Elizabeth Beck and at 13 began studying jazz piano with UCR Jazz Piano Professor Larry Flahive. At 15 he began playing with the UCR Jazz Ensemble, directed by Bill Helms. He currently plays solo jazz piano at the Citrus City Grille in Riverside, the Citrus City Grille in Orange, and he performs with his Uncle, Benjamin May, in a piano/bass duo every week at the New York Grille in Ontario, CA. He also plays solo ragtime piano weekly at Disneyland's Refreshment Corner on Main Street. As a composer and arranger, Jonathan has had his original choral compositions and arrangements performed by various groups. This marks his first musical theatre collaboration, though he has worked with Jordan Beck on additional material before including the audition favorite "A Little Tude" and "Song of an Unborn Child", both of which can be heard on their Beck & May MySpace Profile.

For more information regarding the musical and its development please visit the MySpace page.

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