N.Y. Musical Theater Fest Previews Diverse Shows

On Wednesday at New World Stages in Manhattan, the NY Musical Theatre Festival offered a special preview of this year's slate of new musicals. The eighth annual festival which runs from Sept. 26 to Oct. 16showcased an eclectic group of tuners making their NY debuts.Numbers were performed from 10 of the festival's 30 shows, including "Greenwood," a nostalgic look at performing arts camp friends who reunite in adulthood; "Outlaws: The Ballad of Billy the Kid," which puts a rock spin on the Wild West; and, for literary-minded musical fans, "Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice: A Musical.""After she was already a success, Jane Austen went back to her unpublished manuscript called 'First Impressions,' " explained Donna Lynne Champlin, who plays Austen in the show. "She rewrote it, turning it into 'Pride and Prejudice,' and we see her interact with the characters from the novel." Patricia Noonan plays the novel's heroine, Elizabeth Bennet, and she and Champlin performed a duet, "Had I Been in Love.""Is it Jane Austen's story? Is it the story of 'Pride and Prejudice'? It's both," Champlin added. "The show strikes a really delicate balance about the art of making art. All of us in the show feel like it's too good to be true.""Greenwood" brings together Broadway vets Felicia Finley and Andrea McArdle (the original Annie). Though friends for years, the two had never worked together until now. They play the adult versions of tweens who attended a performing arts camp; they meet up to reminisce about what they did and re-examine who they are."Our characters are over 40 and we're miserable," McArdle said. "So through social networking, my character, Sheila, arranges a reunion at the camp for a few weeks, because that was a time when magic happened. It was a time of real joy." "Greenwood" is also a bit of a family affair: Finley's husband, Paul Stancato, directs. "It's like serendipity on crack," Finley said about how the casting elements came together.Jill Paice performed a song from "Kiki Baby," which she described as "a 1930s version of 'Toddlers & Tiaras.' " Paice plays the mother of a 4-year-old singing prodigy (played by the very adult Jenn Colella). As the child becomes more successful, she also becomes more manipulative and demanding. "It's a comedy that takes a dark turn," Paice explained. "When do you indulge a child too much? When should you stop?" Paice also mentioned a scene in which young Kiki's antics reach outrageous heights: "Watch what she decides is the best way to clean off a table after a meal!""This One Girl's Story" is one festival entry that hits on heavier themes, namely the 2003 hate-crime killing of Sakia Gunn, a 15-year-old African-American lesbian. The show, which was performed at GayFest NYC, was a 2011 GLAAD Media Award nominee. Dionne McClain-Freeney, who wrote the music and lyrics, emphasized that the show celebrates Gunn's life rather than dwelling on the tragedy of her death: "It's a vibrant, juicy look at the young woman's life in relation to her friends." Cast members Angela Grovey and Zonya Love Johnson sang the number "I Would Do Anything.""Outlaws" is an ensemble work that features Corey Boardman as Billy the Kid and David Murgittroyd as Pat Garrett. " 'Outlaws' shows how all these people met," said Boardman. "They're carefree at first, but grew up real quick." The musical merges edgy rock and country instrumentation, but it also offers a look at the group different from the story that many know, said Murgittroyd. "The media made these people what they wanted them to be.""Ghostlight" also looks at some well-known historical figures, albeit in a very different arena: the Ziegfeld Follies, where the humor stayed onstage and the drama arose in real life. Rachael Fogle plays Olive Thomas, a small-town girl who finds success but also falls victim to substance abuse and an affair with Florenz Ziegfeld himself (played by Michael Hayden), much to the consternation of his wife, Billie Burke (Rachel York).For York, who performed the song "He Laughs at My Jokes" at the preview, playing Burkebest known as Glinda the Good Witch in "The Wizard of Oz"came with responsibility. "Her part of the storyline is emotional and melodramatic," York explained, "but I want to make sure that her sense of humor is still there, that we show all the colors of this real-life woman."The festival has premiered more than 200 musicals since its inception, with dozens of shows later embarking on regional or international runs. Several even graduated to Broadway, including "Next to Normal," which went on to win three Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize for drama."I love that we are a platform for both traditional musicals and newer kinds of works," said Isaac Robert Hurwitz, the festival's executive director and producer. "At NYMF, you can run from theater to theater and see both kinds of showseven in the same day."For tickets and further information, go to www.nymf.org.

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