NYC's composer-lyricist fashioning Gothic thrillers, queer poperettas, and high-octane rock into exhilarating new musicals
December 30, 2018
Thanks for listening!
In the spring, the musical, which features RSO tunes and lyrics, set sail on Norwegian Cruise Lines brand new ship, the Bliss, and has since opened on a second ship — the Jade. ¡HAVANA! also includes songs by Cuban pop sensation and Grammy Award winner Albita. Find out more
Check out production stills here.
RSO’s latest show, THREE POINTS OF CONTACT, was presented at 54 Below in April. The cast included Britney Coleman (Sunset Blvd.), Ben Fankhauser (Newsies), Katie Rose Clarke (Miss Saigon), Eric William Morris (King Kong) and more. Find out more
In March, RSO returned to London with an evening of songs, directed by Adam Lenson and music directed by Joe Bunker (the three previously collaborated on an acclaimed run of 35mm: A Musical Exhibition at The Other Palace). Find out more
…and then in December, Britishtheatre.com critic Julian Eaves called it one of London’s theatrical highlights for 2018. Read the article
Music and Lyrics by RSO: Volume 4 was released (also featuring tons of gender-bending keys for old favorites), as well as the complete vocal score to Otherbody, a brief musical allegory. Find out more
Keep your eyes peeled:
Plus —
December 30, 2018
From Britishtheatre.com:
“In March, ‘Crazytown: The World of Ryan Scott Oliver‘, at The Other Palace Studio, directed by Adam Lenson, with musical direction by Joe Bunker and RSO himself on hand to sing and play with the band was lush and wonderful. Incredibly, this was only given for a single evening, and it is undoubtedly one of the best musical events to have appeared in this country all year. Why, when so many inferior works get bigger and longer productions – when they plainly do not merit them – does a writer of such genius languish in a nearly forgotten corner? There is no sense in this world. Nonetheless, the supply of dross kept on coming, and I had to waste evening after evening sitting through shows that should never (and I mean, really… never!) have been shown the light and sound of a full production. Why do people continue to throw good money after bad in this way? It beggars belief. Meanwhile, quality remains neglected. There is something wrong here. I’m actually forced to wonder whether Theresa May has something to do with the funding of new shows.”
Read the full article and see Mr. Eaves’s other highlights here.
The cast of Crazytown
March 19, 2018
The cast will include Britney Coleman (Sunset Blvd.), Ben Fankhauser (Newsies), Katie Rose Clarke (Miss Saigon), Eric William Morris (Be More Chill), Blaine Krauss (Natasha, Pierre…), Emily Rogers (If/Then), and Pomme Koch (The Band’s Visit), with Ian Fairlee, Mary Claire Miskell, David Park and Bethany Perkins in the ensemble.
Music Director Joshua Zecher-Ross leads a 7-piece band featuring Allison Seidner, Jeremy Yaddaw, Matt Hinkley, Joseph Wallace and Hiroko Taguchi.
The story of Three Points of Contact revolves around newlyweds “Pooch” and Amy Harvey, who are proud of their progressive views on sex and marriage and anxious for their forthcoming child. When they miscarry and struggle to conceive again, their marriage (and their sex-life) strains to the brink; so much so that when Amy re-deploys for her second tour of Iraq and Pooch takes on an attractive pupil, they must confront the question:
“In a world where most marriages end in divorce …
Who wants to be like most marriages?”
Tickets are $30-45 and are now on sale and are available for purchase on the 54 Below Website, 54below.com.
March 8, 2018
Following the acclaimed run of 35mm: A Musical Exhbition, award-winning composer-lyricist Ryan Scott Oliver returns to The Other Palace to host Crazytown, an evening of his songs, performed by a star-studded cast.
Crazytown is produced and directed by Joe Bunker and Adam Lenson and features a host of West End soloists, including: Ethan Carlson, Cassie Compton (Wicked, The Wedding Singer), Alexia Khadime (The Book of Mormon, Wicked), Jill Rensing (Les Miserables), Alex Young (Follies, Carousel), Anton Zetterholm (Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables).
The concert will reunite three of the original cast of 35mm: Gregor Duncan, Christina Modestou (Rent, In the Heights, We Will Rock You), and Stage Debut award winner Samuel Thomas (Allegro). Musical Director Joe Bunker will lead a six-piece band.
Joe Bunker and Adam Lenson previously collaborated on 35mm: A Musical Exhibition, Adam Gwon: The New American Musical (The Other Palace Studio), and the award-winning Superhero: A One Dad Musical (Southwark Playhouse, winner of the Off West End Award for Best New Musical). In June, they will open a major revival of Kander and Ebb’s The Rink at Southwark Playhouse, starring Caroline O’Connor.
July 30, 2017
Featured as part of How the Light Gets In: An Evening of New American Micro-Musical Works, each piece in the evening – 30 minutes or less – is commissioned by NYMF (with support from The ASCAP Foundation and Jan Brandt), in an effort to create more space for arts-based civic engagement in our Festival. Directed by Jonathan McCrory (National Black Theatre) and co-curated by Zhailon Levingston (Broadway Advocacy Coalition), participating artists also include Ty Defoe and Tidtaya Sinutoke with WATER IS LIFE and Lelund Durond Thompson and Jason Michael Webb with ILATHI: THE GIFT. A moderated conversation with artists discussing the process of developing their micro-musicals will follow the concert.
Performing Otherbody will be Sean Green, Jr. as The Teller, with Bethany Perkins, Miles Josephson, Ali Stroker, and Jada Temple as The Wind. Rodney Bush music directs.
Find out more about Otherbody and hear the complete recording on all streaming platforms.
Find out more about the evening here.