Regional NewsJessica Vosk, Janet Dacal, Julia Murney, More Tapped for New Musical Jeannette at O'Neill ConferenceThe new pop musical is based on the true story of America’s first congresswoman, Jeannette Rankin.
By
Olivia Clement
June 17, 2019
Jessica Vosk
Joseph Marzullo/WENN
Casting and creative teams have been unveiled for the 2019 National Music Theater Conference at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center this summer. The upcoming season, under the artistic leadership of Tony nominee Alexander Gemignani, will see three new musicals developed and presented throughout the months of June and July.
The O'Neill will welcome back Broadway alums Jessica Vosk (Wicked), Janet Dacal (who performed in In the Heights at the O'Neill in 2005), and Julia Murney, who will be among the cast of Ari Ayesha Afsar and Lauren M. Gunderson's new musical Jeannette, directed by Erin Ortman.
Janet Dacal
Joseph Marzullo/WENN
The new work is based on the true story of American congresswoman Jeanette Rankin, who was elected in 1916 before women had even been granted to right to vote. Rajeer Alford, Dan Domenech, Layan Elwazani, Rodd Farhadi, Asmeret Ghebremichael, Em Grosland, Geena Quintos, Nicholas Ryan, Nikhil Saboo, Rachel Schmeling, and Princess Sasha Victome will also perform in the readings June 29–July 5. Mary-Mitchell Campbell and Meg Zervoulis are co-music supervisors, Adam Kaufman is music director, and Allison Horsley is dramaturg.
This summer's lineup of new musicals also features Undesirables, a new musical with a book and lyrics by Wild Goose Dreams playwright Hansol Jung and lyrics and music by Brian Quijada. The story follows Jin, a recently orphaned Korean girl who, in 1923, finds herself part of Seattle's underground Undesirables: the non-white, female-representing unimportant nobodies with bad papers and super powers.
Ethan Heard directs a cast made up of Cathy Ang, Satya Chavez, Jess Godwin, Carl Clemons- Hopkins, Esco Jouley, Angela Lanza, and Mauricio Perez. Lexy Leuszler is dramaturg and Charity Wicks is music director; performances will run July 6–12.
Rounding out the National Music Theater Conference programming is Bordeline, the story of a young woman living with Borderline Personality Disorder, with a book by Aryanna Garber and music and lyrics by Benjamin Velez. The musical, directed by Jaki Bradley, will feature a cast made up of Florrie Bagel, Charl Brown, Lincoln Clauss, Matt Dallal, Sarah Lynn Marion, Gilli Messer, Andy Taylor, and Tatiana Wechsler. David Gardos is the musical director and Carrie Chapter is dramaturg (June 22–28).
