Goldstein, a new musical about family, with music and lyrics by Michael Roberts and a book by Charlie Schulman, will open Off-Broadway on Thursday, April 5th at 7PM at the Actors’ Temple Theatre (339 West 47 Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues). Previews begin Monday, March 26th. Goldstein is directed by Brad Rouse, with musical staging by Sarah O’Gelby. The full cast is soon-to-be-announced.
Louis Goldstein has written a tell-all family memoir. While it is a best-seller, his family claims that it isn’t true. Goldstein goes back in time to uncover 90 years of secrets, sacrifice, and love lost and found. This original musical is a celebration of the challenges and triumphs of an immigrant Jewish American family.
Michael Roberts (Composer/Lyricist) is best known as the author, composer and lyricist of the Off-Broadway comedy Golf: The Musical. After its 2003-2004 Off-Broadway run, productions of Golf followed in over twenty states and seven countries, with two Off-Broadway revivals. Roberts also composed the songs for The Fartiste (winner: Best Musical, 2006 NY Fringe), which saw productions in New York and London. He wrote both the book and songs for the Off-Broadway musical Greed at New World Stages in 2014. Roberts’s music for film includes Tri-Star’s Love Walked In starring Denis Leary. His television music includes four seasons as a composer for AMC’s Emmy-winning sitcom Remember WENN. Roberts served as music director/pianist for Betty Buckley, Donna Murphy, Rupert Holmes, Lesley Gore, Stephanie Mills, Bobby Sherman, and Joan Rivers. As a conductor and coach, he has worked with directors Hal Prince, Susan Stroman and Kathleen Marshall. Roberts was a nominee for a 2012 Broadway World Award, and is a two-time recipient of the ASCAP Plus Award for his work in musical theater.
Charlie Schulman’s (Book) play The Kitchen, was presented at the National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in 1998 and is the inspiration for Goldstein. This is his second Off-Broadway collaboration with Michael Roberts. Their first, The Fartiste, (NYC/International Fringe Festival – Outstanding Musical) was based on his original screenplay of the same name, with productions in New York and London. Other Off-Broadway credits include: Angel of Death (American Jewish Theater), The Ground Zero Club (Playwrights Horizons – Young Playwrights Festival), and The Birthday Present (Circle Rep. – YPF). Schulman is a three-time winner of The Avery Hopwood Award in Drama from The University of Michigan, as well as the Charles MacArthur Award for Comedy from The National Playwrights Conference. Schulman wrote for the nationally syndicated sketch-comedy show The Apollo Comedy Hour (Inner City Broadcasting/Tribune Company). His plays are published by The Dramatists Play Service and Dell/Bantam. This spring he produced and performed his one man quick-change show Natural History X (Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater). Natural History X is part of his new play A Funny Play (For Troubled Times).
Brad Rouse (Director) has directed plays and musicals at the Public Theater (NYC), City Center Encores!, Ahmanson Theater (CTG), Hartford Stage, Juilliard, LaMama, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, New Dramatists, Barrow Group Theatre, and NYU. Last season, he directed Hit The Body Alarm at The Performing Garage and Just One Q (by Ellen Fitzhugh and Ted Shen) as part of Inner Voices. Other credits include world premieres by Billy Porter (Drama League and GLAAD award nominee), Laurence O’Keefe-Nell Benjamin-Julia Jordan (Best Director nominations, Los Angeles and Philadelphia), Winsome Brown, and Cusi Cram, plus workshop presentations of plays by Adam Rapp and Daniel Goldfarb. His work has been featured on CBS’s 60 Minutes II and NPR’s All Things Considered. Recently, he directed Pop! by Maggie-Kate Coleman and Anna K. Jacobs starring Anthony Rapp and choreographed by Billy Porter.
The playing schedule for Goldstein is Monday through Thursday at 7:30PM, Saturday at 8PM, with matinees on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at 3PM. Tickets are $79 and are available by visiting www.goldsteinmusical.com or calling 212-239-6200.
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