The following are excerpts from an article on Playbill.com. To see the original article, click here.
“Brigham Young University’s interdisciplinary Music Dance Theatre program and Department of Theatre and Media Arts will present a fully staged workshop production of Frank Wildhorn and Jack Murphy‘s musical drama The Count of Monte Cristo Jan. 22-31, 2015, at the university’s de Jong Concert Hall in Provo, UT.
Monte Cristo, adapted from Alexandre Dumas‘ 1844 French adventure novel, features music by Tony Award-nominated composer Wildhorn (Jekyll & Hyde, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Bonnie and Clyde) and a book and lyrics by Tony Award-nominated writer Murphy (Wonderland, The Civil War).
The show premiered at Switzerland’s Theater St. Gallen in 2009 and has subsequently enjoyed a professional life in Europe, Korea and Japan. The BYU workshop marks the musical’s first production in the United States and will feature a cast of students from the university’s BFA musical theatre and acting programs.”
This isn’t the first time BYU has been at the forefront of new musical theatre opportunities. After the rights for The Phantom of the Opera became available for non-professional groups in 2013, BYU became one of the first universities in the United States to tackle the production.
Frank Wildhorn said that he wanted to establish The Count of Monte Cristo in Europe and Asia before bringing it to the States. Now that he’s done that, it felt like the right time to move forward with American audiences. He says his great relationship with BYU makes him excited to see what will happen next.
“BYU professor Tim Threlfall will helm the workshop, and Jeffrey Martin serves as creative producer.
Additional members of the production team include choreographer Nathan Balser (Legally Blonde; Promises, Promises), musical director Gayle Lockwood, costume designer Lara Beene, set designer Rory R. Scanlon, lighting designer Michael Kraczek, sound designer Jeff Carter, production manager Jennifer Reed and stage manager Crysta May Powell.”
The excerpts above are taken from an article on Playbill.com, to see the full article, click here.
