BWW Spotlight: Village Theatre's 19th Annual Festival of New Musicals

It's that time of year again. One of my favorite times of year. That time when I get to spend the weekend at Village Theatre checking out the shows brought together by the folks at Village, spotlighting new works around the country. Some amazing, some needing work, but all showing promise. Now, of course, I can't review any of these. They're all still works in progress and not fully staged. But I can share what went on over the weekend as a potential coming attraction of musicals to come to a theater near you.

XY
Book, Music, & Lyrics by Oliver Houser
Developed with & Directed by Hunter Bird

On the advice of doctors, Chris's mother took the leap to subject her intersex child to genital surgery and raise him as a girl. Now, 26 years later, Chris has transitioned back into being a man and is navigating his first romantic relationship while he is haunted by his eleven-year-old self, Christine. XY is an original musical about letting go of the past and coming home to the most unfamiliar of places: ourselves.

COLD TURKEY
Music & Lyrics by Rich Gray, Book by Andrew Russell

A wild and funny musical satire based on the 1971 Norman Lear film of the same name, Cold Turkey tells the story of a beleaguered small town which responds to an advertising gimmick to win a $25,000,000 challenge to quit smoking for 30 days.

MODERN
Book & Lyrics by Selda Sahin
Book & Music by Derek Gregor

A new-grass, post-rock musical, Modern is the inspiring story of a group of Amish teenagers on their Rumspringa. Witness their brief period of freedom as they struggle to find the balance between love, tradition, progress, faith, and who they'll become.

EASTBOUND
Book & Music by Cheeyang Ng, Book & Lyrics by Khiyon Hursey

Two worlds. Two cultures. One question: How far are you willing to go to find family? Chinese-American adoptee Calvin travels to China in search of his birth mother. Unbeknownst to him, his biological brother, Yun, travels to America, seeking to break free of family traditions. Their quests in search of their own identity force them to evaluate whether family is chosen or biological.

COWBOY BOB
Created by Molly Beach Murphy, Jeanna Phillips, and Annie Tippe
Music & Lyrics by Jeanna Phillips
Book & Additional Lyrics by Molly Beach Murphy, Additional Music by Alex Thrailkill
Directed by Annie Tippe

Peggy was a good neighbor, a good daughter, and a great bank robber. Disguised as a man in a fake beard and a ten-gallon hat, "Cowboy Bob" evaded detection for more than a decade. In a score that's equal parts Riot Grrrl rage and Texas two-step, the small-town legend inspires a local waitress to take life by the reins and let it ride.

But wait there's more! This year they added a little something extra in cooperation with the folks at 14/48. This year they presented the first "Quick Musicals" where randomly drawn composers, directors and actors, in three teams, were presented with a team and a topic on Friday, and on Saturday afternoon they presented their brand new 10-minute musical. The teams, which consisted of writers Rheanna Atendido, Keiko Green, Justin Huertas, Maggie Lee, and Orlando Morales, directors Hattie Claire Andres, Jay O'Leary, and Kelsey Thorgalsen, and starred Matthew Dela Cruz, Ben V. Gonio, Jasmine Joshua, Leslie Law, Lisa Lee, John Patrick Lowrie, Ellen McLain, Sarah Russell, Alex Sturtevant, and Callie Williams, were given the topic "Politicians who reap what they sow".

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