More than 15 WVU staff, students and alumni will participate in this weekend’s reading of “ELVIS: The Musical,” hosted by West Virginia Public Theatre.
The reading will take place at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 25 and at 2 p.m. Jan. 26 in the Gladys Davis Theatre at the Creative Arts Center. Admission is free, and seating is on a first-come-first-served basis.
WVPT is collaborating with Stageworks Productions, Authentic Brands Group, the Elvis Estate and Graceland to develop the brand-new bio-musical based on the life and times of Elvis Presley, featuring his biggest hits. The musical will feature a book by WVU Alumnus Sean Cercone and David Abbinanti, as well as musical arrangements and orchestrations by Abbinanti. The reading will feature the esteemed David Pepin, assistant conductor of Broadway’s “Wicked,” as the music director as well as Kent Nicholson, the Musical Producing Associate at Playwrights Horizon.
“There are five current students in the cast, five alumni actors and three alumni musicians,” said Jerry McGonigle, professor of acting and directing at WVU and artistic director of WVPT. “The Bridge between academia and the professional world is as much a part of our mission as preparing the students for the professional world.”
ELVIS: The Musical will explore pivotal moments in Elvis’s life through the perspective of those who knew him best. The show features more than 40 Elvis hits and iconic songs including “That’s All Right,” “Blue Moon of Kentucky,” “All Shook up,” “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Burning Love,” “Good Rockin’ Tonight,” “Hound Dog,” “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “Are You Lonesome,” and “Blue Suede Shoes”.
WVPT is committed to bringing works of art to the area that not only have played on Broadway in the past, but also works that may be seen on Broadway in the near future. In the spirit of celebrating the creation of new and original works, WVPT will be holding a developmental workshop of a new musical or play every January.
WVPT’s hope is to create a space where new works can be incubated, a place where artists can develop and showcase their creations while also cultivating a positive environment for those creations to grow into something greater.
“It is so exciting to bring together such a powerful creative team of composers, writers, directors, a company of 16 talented actors from California to New York and an orchestra of 10 highly skilled musicians all working intensely for eight days to create this one of a kind experience for our audiences,” McGonigle said. “To be able to be a part of something with so much potential, something that will soon be talked about throughout the national theatre community, and for it to be happening right here in Morgantown is what West Virginia Public Theatre is all about. We want to make Morgantown proud and I think we are moving in the right direction.”