New Yorkers love musicals. They also love discovering that next great musical before anyone else. No wonder that the New York Musical Theatre Festival is such a success.
For the past five years, this non-profit has served as an incubator for new musicals, showcasing more than 175 productions from up-and-coming talent who hope for that big Broadway opening. More than forty of those shows have gone on to award-winning productions in New York, in regional theaters, and in almost every state and in ten countries worldwide.
On Monday evening, April 20, theatergoers will have the opportunity to see numbers from many acclaimed NYMTF shows of the past, including Altar Boyz and ROOMS, two productions which made it to Broadway. Besides the casts of those two musicals, performers who have signed on for “Best of the Fest” include Annaleigh Ashford (Wicked, Legally Blonde, Catch Me If You Can), Ryan Bogner (Bedbugs!), Celina Carvajal (pictured above in Bedbugs!), Kate Reinders (Gypsy, Wicked), Kate Shindle (Legally Blonde), and Jenn Colella (High Fidelity, Urban Cowboy).
NYMTF is hailed as the “Sundance of Musical Theatre,” working to revitalize one of America’s greatest art forms. “We have to invest in research and development or else all we will have on Broadway will be revivals or juke-box musicals,” said Isaac Robert Hurwitz, NYMTF’s Executive Director and Producer. Each year the festival solicits productions for its festival. The 2009 event will take place from September 28 through October 18.
Of the more than 400 musicals submitted, the NYMTF’s jury selects a dozen. This year’s jury members include Kathleen Marshall (Pajama Game, Wonderful Town), Robert Lopez (Avenue Q), Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys), along with lyricist Susan Birkenhead, composer and lyricist Jason Robert Brown, producer Robyn Goodman, and director Francesca Zambello. Other festival entrants come from regional and foreign shows that have seen limited runs, oftentimes in smaller festivals. One production that vaulted to Broadway is Next to Normal, now playing at the Booth Theater, and starring J. Robert Spencer, the original Nick Massi in Jersey Boys.
Hurwitz feels strongly about encouraging fledgling writers. “Without vehicles like this festival, writers who are writing for the theater would go out to L.A. to write for TV,” he said. “These productions are at the start of their journey. With the right resources, they can become something.”
Besides the writers, actors become energized by the festival. “Actors want to dig their teeth into new roles and to have a part in creating something new,” Hurwitz said. “This is the chance for them to expand their range and they can do it in the heart of New York.”
The festival has built an enthusiastic following. Hurwitz said that many fans succeed in seeing all the productions, even if they must see three a day. Although those fans have to wait until the fall, the April 20 “Best of the Fest” will serve as a look back and a taste of what is to come.
“Best of the Fest”
7 p.m. Monday, April 20
New World Stages
340 West 50th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues
Tickets are available at Telecharge.com or
Call 212-239-6200
www.nymf.org
