How to Go
What: Human Race Theatre Company Festival of New Musicals
Where: Metropolitan Arts Center’s Loft Theatre, 126 N. Main St., Dayton
When: Friday, August 2-Sunday, August 4; “The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes” will be performed Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m.; “Guarding Gold Street” will be performed Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.
Cost: $15 for each show in advance; $20 for each show at the door
Tickets: (937) 228-3630 or www.humanracetheatre.org or www.ticketcenterstage.com; Seating is general admission
More info: www.humanracetheatre.org
FYI: “The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes” will be performed in two acts whereas “Guarding Gold Street” will be performed without an intermission; Also, each musical will be followed by a talkback featuring its creative team
Humorous fantasy and compelling family matters are the intriguing ingredients comprising two brand new, developmental local premieres to be presented as staged readings next weekend at the Human Race Theatre Company’s sixth annual Festival of New Musicals.
Composer Michael Kooman and lyricist/librettist Christopher Dimond, the creative team behind last year’s Human Race workshop presentation of “Dani Girl,” return with “The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes,” a surreal romantic comedy about an average, normal thirtysomething who wakes up one morning to discover his life has become a musical. With the help of a female friend, Howard is determined to find a way out of his kooky situation, which includes an important trip to see a prominent musical theater innovator who is a funny conglomeration of such composing titans as Richard Rodgers, Stephen Sondheim and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
“Along the way ‘Howard Barnes’ becomes sort of a take on ‘The Wizard of Oz,’” said Human Race producing artistic director Kevin Moore. “Howard’s journey, which provides a great love/hate relationship of the musical theater form, also incorporates a lot of wonderful, irreverent, insider material.”
“One thing that we really enjoy about the premise is that is has allowed us to create a show that is simultaneously aimed at people who are fans of musical theater as well as those who aren’t,” said Kooman and Dimond in a joint statement. “Through the main character, a man who knows absolutely nothing about musical theater, we hope to open the show up to an audience who may be skeptical of the genre, allowing them to laugh at many of the seemingly illogical conventions of musical theater and hopefully coming away with a slightly increased appreciation of the form.”
Commissioned by the Kennedy Center, “Howard Barnes” previously received readings at the New York Theatre Workshop and the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center. The cast includes Annie Kalahurka and Human Race resident artist Scott Stoney. Human Race resident artist Scott Woolley will serve as musical director.
The festival will also offer the musical dramedy “Guarding Gold Street,” featuring music and lyrics by Human Race resident artist Sean Michael Flowers (who recently served as musical director of the Human Race’s outstanding production of “Avenue Q”) and a book by Flowers and Marya Spring Cordes (who staged the Human Race productions of “Dani Girl” and “Managing Maxine” as well as Wright State University’s marvelous “Grand Hotel: The Musical”). Inspired by letters written by American women and encompassing three generations, the musical tells the story of two sisters who return home to care for their elderly mother coping with early stages of Alzheimer’s. “Guarding Gold Street” received a production last fall at Auburn University, where Flowers is a faculty member.
“‘Guarding Gold Street’ is wonderful, relevant, touching and powerful,” said Moore.
“The show is about who we are,” stated Flowers, who will serve as musical director. “The ideas of family, home and the American Dream are with us whether top-of-mind or bubbling underneath the skin.”
The cast includes Human Race resident artists Kay Bosse and Jamie Cordes in addition to Sara Mackie, Lee Merrill, Jacob McGlaun and Kelsey Pohl.
Moore, who will direct both shows, remains pleased that the Human Race continues to nurture emerging composers, particularly Flowers whose musicals have been workshopped by the organization since 2001.
“When we first started the musical theater workshops Sean music directed most of them and he’s also had two previous shows in the mix,” said Moore. “Sean has been a part of this process from the very beginning so it’s great to have him back. I’m also very proud of the number of shows the Human Race has moved from workshop to fully staged production over the years.”
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