The Village Theatre is the birthplace of new works such Next to Normal and Million Dollar Quartet. And now, it has announced its lineup for the 14th Annual Village Originals Festival of New Musicals, which runs today, Aug 8 to 17. They will be showcasing six new musicals which have been under development.
Scroll down to take a look at the lineup:
The Single Girls Guide
Book by Gordon Greenberg
Music and Lyrics by Tommy Newman
Jane Austin gets a musical theatre revamp! Set in the swinging '60s, a spirited secretary-turned-advice-columnist sets out to prove that women can be so much more than perfect little housewives. In a driving, pop-rock-fueled musical inspired by Austin's Emma, watch the hilarious antics that ensue when a bit of "advice" goes terribly awry. With love ballads in dentist chairs and masquerade ball fiascos, The Single Girls Guide has a fizzy spirit that echoes the questions we continue to ask about marriage, sex, and being single.
The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes
Book and Lyrics by Christopher Dimond
Music by Michael Kooman
Howard Barnes is a perfectly average American guy; he likes baseball and grilling things. But beneath the surface, Howard is drifting through life blind to the wonders of the world around him. That is, until the day he wakes up to discover that his life has become a musical. Desperate to escape from the show, Howard embarks on a fantastical quest through the realm of musical theatre. Equal parts satire, romantic comedy, and love letter to the American musical, The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes is for people who love musical theatre, and their spouses who hate it.
A Proper Place
Book and Lyrics by Leslie Becker & Curtis Rhodes
Music by Curtis Rhodes
Downton Abbey meets Gilligan's Island in this clever new musical. When a proper British family is stranded on a desert island, they find that they are woefully unprepared for the discomfort of nature. Since it turns out that their butler is the only one with any sort of survival skills, the family must learn to overcome prejudices in order to stay alive. Get ready to be swept away on a crisp adventure of headstrong maids, an eccentric father, and forbidden love. Based on
J.M. Barrie's play The Admirable Crichton, A Proper Place is a remarkably witty romp for the entire family to enjoy.
My Heart Is the Drum
Book by Jennie Redling
Music and Concept by Phillip Palmer
Lyrics by Stacey Luftig
When a passionate young storyteller runs away from her small village in Ghana to pursue a college education and to escape an arranged marriage, she and her community must confront an intimidating and sometimes life-threatening outside world of struggling city-dwellers, activists, and shady merchants of "pretty things." My Heart Is the Drum is a poetic, authentic, and electrifying story of awakening and love's enduring power that is nothing short of breathtaking.
Deadly Beloved
Book by Kirby Ward & Beverly Ward
Music and Lyrics by Beverly Ward
What determines your fate? According to a mysterious palm reader's predictions, love will prevail for a young couple under one condition: the groom must become a murderer. Full of colorful characters and toe-tapping numbers, Deadly Beloved is a retelling of
Oscar Wilde's classic short story, Lord Arthur Savile's Crime, and will have you guessing what could possibly be "waiting 'round the bend."
Kingdom
Book and Lyrics by Aaron Jafferis
Music by Ian Williams
In a world spinning out of their control, two young friends find meaning and purpose in their local Hispanic street gang. When a sudden attack ignites a bitter internal battle between ideals and survival, they are faced with a dilemma that tests the paradoxes of the human heart. Gripping, brutally honest, and fueled by a poetic hip-hop/rock/Latin score, Kingdom not only delves into the eye of a cycle of violence, but illuminates the paths out of that storm in an important experience for theatre veterans and newcomers alike.
For more information on the shows and how to get tickets, visit villagetheatre.org.
