CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM ANNOUNCED
J2 SPOTLIGHT MUSICAL THEATER COMPANY
INAUGURAL SEASON CONTINUES
WITH
“NO STRINGS”
BOOK BY SAMUEL TAYLOR
MUSIC AND LYICS BY RICHARD RODGERS
CHOREOGRAPHY BY DEIDRE GOODWIN
MUSIC DIRECTION BY GRANT STROM
CO-DIRECTED BY DEIDRE GOODWIN AND ROBERT W. SCHNEIDER
SPECIAL BONUS “LAGNIAPPES” SERIES ADDED
FEBRUARY 27 – MARCH 8, 2020
AT THEATRE ROW
(410 WEST 42ND STREET – NYC)
TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE
New York, NY (February 6, 2020) – The newly formed J2 Spotlight Musical Theater Company (Jim Jimirro, Executive Producer/Co-Founder; Robert W. Schneider, Artistic Director/Co-Founder) has announced the cast and creative team for the second of the three productions in the company’s inaugural 2020 season: the 1962 hit musical, No Strings, with book by Samuel Taylor, and music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers. Performances begin on Thursday, February 27, 2020 at 7:30pm and continue through March 8, 2020 at Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street – between 9th and Dyer Avenues). No Strings is presented through special arrangement with R & H Theatricals: www.rnh.com. Opening Night is Thursday, February 27, 2020 at 7:30pm.
The second production in J2 Spotlight Musical Theatre Company’s inaugural season is the 1962 hit musical No Strings, with book by Samuel Taylor and music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers, the only musical for which he wrote both music and lyrics. No Strings explores the allure of Paris and its seductive embrace. A successful high-fashion model from Harlem meets and falls in love with an American writer who has made Paris his home. Convinced that their love only needs one another to survive, they embark on a romantic adventure through Europe, clinging to the City of Lights as the harsh reality of America threatens their union. Songs include: “The Sweetest Sounds,” “No Strings,” and “Nobody Told Me.” No Strings opened on Broadway in 1962 starring Diahann Carroll and Richard Kiley and ran for 580 performances. It received 9 Tony Award nominations including Best Musical, and received 3 Tony Awards for Best Lead Actress, Best Score and Best Choreography.
Co-Directed and Choreographed by Deidre Goodwin, with Co-Director Robert W. Schneider (J2 Artistic Director/Co-Founder), and music direction by Grant Strom, the No Strings) cast will feature Jordan Bollwerk✧, Cameron Bond✧, Patrick Connaghan✧, Tim Ewing✧, Annabelle Fox✧, Luke Hamilton✧, Heather Klobukowski✧, Keyonnna Knight, Ashlee Lee, Logan Mortier, Anne Otto✧, Emilee Theno, Anne Wechsler✧, and Sandy York✧. (✧Equity Approved Showcase. These actors are appearing courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association.)
“We couldn’t be more excited about having No Strings as the second offering of our premiere season,” stated Jim Jimirro, Executive Producer and Co-Founder. “It is always so noteworthy that Richard Rodgers, after decades of working only with Larry Hart and Oscar Hammerstein, decided to go it alone for this score. He later said that writing lyrics was more difficult than writing music, but as the glorious songs for No Strings illustrate, he was more than up to the task.”
The creative team includes Joshua Zecher-Ross (Music Supervisor), Ryan J. Douglass (Scenic Designer), Ethan Steimel (Lighting Designer), Matthew Soloman (Costume Designer), Addison Calvin (Technical Director/Master Electrician). David Ward is Production Stage Manager and Jordan Stam is Assistant Stage Manager. Casting is by WOJCIK | SEAY, Holly Buczek.
“I am thrilled to collaborate with Robert W. Schneider and J2 Spotlight on this beautifully wrapped, ‘in pink and gold with a big blue ribbon’ gem of a show,” said co-director and choreographer Deidre Goodwin.
Co-director and J2 Spotlight Artistic Director/Co-Founder Robert W. Schneider shared, “No Strings contains one of the most romantic scores written for the American Musical Theatre. I am so excited that New York audiences will rediscover this gem of a musical and discover the brilliance that is Deidre Goodwin. Deidre, who is one of Broadway’s most beloved dancers, has created a sensual, vibrant production that will transport audiences to a world of high fashion and immense passion.”
The Honorary Board members for the Company are Lynn Ahrens, Jim Brochu, Peter Filichia, Stephen Flaherty, Randy Graff, LaChanze, Donna McKechnie, Mel Miller, James Morgan, Lonny Price, Ken Page, Robbie Rozelle, Stephen Schwartz, and Allyson Tucker-Mitchell.
The J2 Spotlight Musical Theater Company series will play the following performance schedule: Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30p.m. and Sundays at 3:00 p.m.
NOW ON SALE: Single tickets are priced at $55 and may be purchased at telecharge.com, or by calling 212-239-6200. $25 Student Rush tickets will be available on the day of performance.
SPECIAL ADDED BONUS: Free and open to ticket holders, Lagniappes, from the Louisiana French meaning a bonus or a gift, are designed to enhance audience appreciation of classic works with cast talkbacks, visits with the producers, and interviews with the cast and personnel of the original productions.
THE LAGNIAPPES SCHEDULE FOR _NO STRINGS_:
• FRIDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 27: THE SWEETEST SOUNDS
Join Ted Chapin, President of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization,
in a Q&A about the development of No Strings.
Moderator: Artistic Director and Co-Founder Robert W. Schneider
• SATURDAY AFTERNOON, FEBRUARY 29 AT 2:00PM: BEHIND THE CURTAIN
A Post-Show Talk Back with the cast and creatives of No Strings.
Moderator: Associate Artistic Director Benjamin Nissen.
• SUNDAY AFTERNOON, MARCH 1 AT 2:00PM: THE STORY OF NO STRINGS
Richard Rodgers after decades of working with Oscar Hammerstein and
Larry Hart, goes it alone. This talk will be presented by Executive
Producer and Co-Founder Jim Jimirro.
• THURSDAY EVENING, MARCH 5 AT 6:30PM: Q&A WITH YVONNE CONSTANT
Yvonne Constant, who played Jeanette in the original Broadway production of No Strings,
will be on hand to look back on the show and the creative process.
• SATURDAY AFTERNOON, MARCH 7 AT 2:00PM: BEHIND THE CURTAIN
A Post-Show Talk Back with the cast and creatives of No Strings.
Moderator: Associate Artistic Director Benjamin Nissen.
The J2 Spotlight Musical Theater Company’s inaugural season launches with the 1972 musical Seesaw, with book by Michael Bennett, music by Cy Coleman and lyrics by Dorothy Fields, based on the play Two for the Seesaw by William Gibson. From the composing team of Sweet Charity, Seesaw tells the story of Jerry Ryan, a reserved lawyer from Omaha, who has fled to New York City looking for a change in his life. There he meets Gittel Mosca, a single, loveable lunatic who lives life to the fullest. Will their love affair be able to survive the big, noisy, dirty island known as Manhattan? Songs include: “It’s Not Where You Start,” It’s Where You Finish,” “Welcome to Holiday Inn,” and “Nobody Does It Like Me.” Seesaw is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc., a Concord Theatricals Company. Performances begin Thursday, February 13, 2020 for a limited run through February 23, 2020.
Closing out the inaugural season is the third production in the series the 2001 musical A Class Act with book by Linda Kline and Lonny Price, music and lyrics by Edward Kleban. Ed Kleban, the Tony Award winning lyricist of A Chorus Line and one of the unsung champions of Broadway, returns to his own memorial service to set the record straight in A Class Act, this vibrant musical about musicals. A colorful gallery of friends and loved ones in Ed’s life including the relentlessly peppy Marvin Hamlisch and stage wizard Michael Bennett all appear to celebrate Ed’s life, loves, and legacy. Songs include: “Better,” “Paris Through the Window,” and “The Next Best Thing to Love.” A Class Act is presented through special arrangement with R & H Theatricals: www.rnh.com. Performances begin Thursday, March 12, 2020 for a limited run through March 22, 2020.
ABOUT THE CAST
Cameron Bond (David Jordan). Broadway: Be More Chill (standby for Squip, Jake, and Mr. Heere), Finding Neverland (u/s JM Barrie). National Tours: Finding Neverland, Beauty and the Beast (Gaston). Regional: La Mirada, Musical Theatre West, 3D Theatricals, Moonlight, Disney Cruise Line. Producer: Bury Me In Armo_r (Short Film), “SuperPowerless” (web-series). Investor: Hadestown_. Thank you Creatives, and BJDKNCS. @cameronjbond
Keyonna Knight (Barbara Woodruff) is ecstatic to be making her Off-Broadway debut! Most recently was a Swing for Hairspray at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. She thanks her Mom and Dad for their unconditional support and her Grandparents for their tremendous love and guidance. This one is for you Betty Cool. @keyonnaknight IG: @keyonnaknight Website: www.keyonnaknight.com
ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM
Samuel Taylor (Book) was best know for his play Sabrina Fair and the popular Audrey Hepburn movie that followed it, Sabrina, as well as co-writing the screenplay of the screenplay of the classic Alfred Hitchcock picture, Vertigo. Mr. Taylor started out in New York in the 1930s as a play doctor, rewriting and repairing dozens of plays. He wrote for the show, “The Adrich Family,” in the 1940s, while working on his own plays nights and weekends. His first play, The Happy Time, opened in 1950 and was a big hit, giving Mr. Taylor breathing room to concentrate on new work of his own. His second play, Sabrina Fair, and his third one, The Pleasure of His Company, written with Cornelia Otis Skinner, were also successful and at the time same time he was getting work as a screenwriter – notably on Sabrina and Vertigo, but also on such films as The Eddy Duchin Story (1956), and the well-known pianist and bandleader, and Goodbye Again (1961), an Ingrid Bergman love triangle story shot in Paris. In the 1960s, Mr. Taylor partnered with the composer Richard Rodgers and wrote the book for the new Rodgers musical, No Strings, about the romance between a white writer and a black model, set in Paris. Mr. Taylor, who lived with his family in New York, did several other plays and movies during the 1960s and 1970s. The Taylors moved to a village on the coast of Maine in 1968.
Richard Rodgers (Music and Lyrics) (born June 28, 1902, New York City—died Dec. 30, 1979, New York City), one of the dominant composers of American musical comedy, known especially for his works in collaboration with the librettists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II. As a youth Rodgers composed songs for amateur boys’ club shows. In 1918 he entered Columbia University. There he met Hart, with whom he collaborated on Columbia’s varsity show of 1919, Fly with Me. After a year and a half he left Columbia, intending to work full time composing for the musical theatre. He studied composition for two years at the Institute of Musical Art (now Juilliard School of Music), New York City, and produced several amateur shows with Hart.
Rodgers and Hart’s first professional success was a revue, The Garrick Gaieties (1925), which included the song “Manhattan.” In 1936 their comedy On Your Toes was produced. This production, with the jazz ballet Slaughter on Tenth Avenue (choreography by George Balanchine), introduced ballet and established serious dance as a permanent part of musical comedy. Among their other collaborations were Babes in Arms (1937), including the songs “My Funny Valentine” and “The Lady Is a Tramp”; I Married an Angel (1938); and The Boys from Syracuse (1938), adapted from Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors. Their Pal Joey (1940), adapted by John O’Hara from a series of his short stories, turned away from purely escapist entertainment to serious drama. Too realistic for its time when first produced, it was revived in 1952 with enormous success. Among its songs was “Bewitched.” Their final collaboration, one year before Hart’s death, was By Jupiter (1942).
In 1942 Rodgers began working with Hammerstein on an adaptation of Lynn Riggs’s play Green Grow the Lilacs. The result, the 1944 Pulitzer Prize-winning Oklahoma! (1943; film, 1955), enjoyed a then-unprecedented Broadway run of 2,248 performances. Choreographed by Agnes de Mille and including the songs “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning,” “The Surrey with the Fringe on Top,” and “People Will Say We’re in Love,” it marked the beginning of a 17-year partnership that ended with Hammerstein’s death. Carousel (1945) and the experimental Allegro (1947) were somewhat less successful, but South Pacific (1949) had a Broadway run almost as long as that of Oklahoma! and won a second Pulitzer Prize (1950). Unusual in its treatment of racial prejudice and skillful matching of music to character, it included the songs “Younger than Springtime,” “Some Enchanted Evening,” and “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair.” There followed The King and I (1951), remarkable for its exotic character; Pipe Dream (1955); The Flower Drum Song (1958); and one of their major successes, The Sound of Music (1959).
Deidre Goodwin (Co-Director/Choreographer) has been in 8 Broadway shows and has made numerous television and film appearances. Some of her Broadway credits include: A Chorus Line (Shelia Bryant), Chicago (Velma Kelly) and Nine (Our Lady of the Spa). She can also be seen in the Oscar winning film Chicago, Every Little Step, Ocean’s 8 and more. TV appearances include “Chicago Med” (NBC), “Pose” (FX), “Broad City” (Comedy Central), “Madam Secretary” (CBS), “Divorce,” Season 3 (HBO) and “30 Rock” (NBC). As a voice over artist, she can be heard on numerous promos and voice overs including on BET and BETher and as the voice of WCBS 880 and KYW Newsradio. As a choreographer, Deidre’s work includes choreography for productions including Nine, Cabaret and the past three Galas for The Abingdon Theatre Company.
Jim Jimirro (Executive Producer & Co- Founder) is the creator and founding President of The Disney Channel and Walt Disney Home Video. During his tenure at the helm of The Disney Channel, Mr. Jimirro was responsible for the conception, development and launching of the fastest-growing pay service in history. Under Mr. Jimirro’s guidance, The Disney Channel introduced many innovations, such as interactive programming and The Disney Channel Magazine. He has been honored as Distinguished Alumnus by Penn State and was the Vision Fund of America honoree for achievement in the entertainment industry. Mr. Jimirro is a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Oscars). He is active in a number of enterprises involving the Great American Songbook, the music of Porter, Rodgers and Berlin, et al. These include having served as chairman of the selection committee in the Traditional Pop category at The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (Grammys).
Robert W. Schneider (Artistic Director & Co-Founder) is an original programming producer for Feinstein’s/54 Below in New York City. In this capacity he has been heavily involved in the MAC Award Winning 54 Sings… series which brings both classic and obscure musicals back to New York City. Such shows include the OBC reunion of Curtains, the NYC premiere of We Will Rock You, and star-studded concert versions of cult musicals Woman of the Year, Golden Rainbow, A Broadway Musical, and Working amongst over 80 others. He has had the great honor of collaborating with such theatrical institutions as Second Stage, Manhattan Theater Club, The York Theater, Walnut Street Theater, Center Theater Group. Robert also holds academic positions with Penn State University, the New York Film Academy and has guest lectured at Yale University. He co-hosts the podcast Behind the Curtain: Broadway’s Living Legends and is the co-author of the upcoming book “Fifty Key Musicals,” which will be published by Routledge Press in 2021.
J2 Spotlight Musical Theater Company presents professional revivals of worthy Broadway musicals; in doing so it provides an opportunity for patrons to re-visit these shows and, in some cases, experience them for the first time. The Company chooses shows that it deems deserving of continued exposure. The company, as part of its casting, will introduce audiences to emerging artists within the New York theatrical community; they will work alongside established actors. The productions will include frequent lagniappes✫ designed to enhance audience appreciation of the classic works. ✫Lagniappes: from the Louisiana French, meaning a bonus or a gift. These will include cast talk-backs, visits with the producers, and even interviews with the cast and personnel of the original productions.