CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR “LOVE ACTUALLY THE UNAUTHORIZED PARODY MUSICAL”
Press Contact:
Michael Jorgensen
michael@jorgensenpr.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE
COMPLETE CASTING ANNOUNCED
FOR THE OFF-BROADWAY RETURN OF
“LOVE ACTUALLY?
THE UNAUTHORIZED MUSICAL PARODY”
PERFORMANCES BEGIN NOVEMBER 24
IN THE JERRY ORBACH THEATER
IN NEW YORK CITY
THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
TICKETS NOW ON SALE
HEADSHOTS AVAILABLE HERE
New York, NY (October 25, 2021) – Right Angle Entertainment announced today the complete casting for the off-Broadway return of Love Actually? The Unauthorized Musical Parody, a holiday season sendup of the iconic romantic comedy and Christmas movie Love Actually. The musical is written by Bob and Tobly McSmith, creators of the smash hits The Office! A Musical Parody and Friends! The Musical Parody, with music and orchestration by Basil Winterbottom. Performances begin in New York City on Wednesday, November 24 in the Jerry Orbach Theater at The Theater Center (1627 Broadway), with an Opening Night set for Tuesday, November 30. The limited engagement is set to run through Sunday, January 2, 2022. Tickets, starting at $29, are now available and can be purchased by visiting Ticketmaster.com, by calling 212-921-7862, or by visiting the box office at The Theater Center.
The New York City cast of Love Actually? The Unauthorized Musical Parody features Kayla Catan (Keira Knightley and others), Isaiah Hein (Liam Neeson and others), James Parks (Colin Firth and others), Eric Peters (Hugh Grant and others), Joyah Spangler (Emma Thompson and others), Tony Tillman (Peter and others), Thanos Skouteris (Swing), and Amber Wright (Swing).
The creative team for Love Actually? The Unauthorized Musical Parody includes Bob and Tobly McSmith (book), Basil Winterbottom (music and orchestrations), Tim Drucker (director), and Brooke Engen (choreography), who all helmed the 2019 world premiere. They are joined by Ethan Andersen (music director), Joshua Warner (scenic designer), Dustin Cross (costume designer), Brandon Baruch (lighting designer), Matthew Fischer (sound designer), Conor Donnelly (hair/wig designer), Dana Steingold (associate director), and Meg Halcovage (associate choreographer). The stage manager is Cassie Holzum. Casting is by Holly Buczek.
“Love Actually is the perfect film…to parody. Now more than ever, the holidays are here to remind us that Love is actually all around. This loving lampoon will remind you that Love is in the air, and thanks to our Covid protocols, nothing else!” said creators Bob and Tobly McSmith.
Love Actually? The Unauthorized Musical Parody is a hilarious new musical that follows nine quirky, questionable couples looking for love across the pond, and even 16 years after the movie premiere, we still ask ourselves these questions every Christmas – Is love… Falling for your secretary when you are Prime Minster? Falling for your secretary when you are married to Emma Thompson? Falling for the maid after your wife cheats on you? Falling for your best friend’s wife and showing up with poster boards? Whether you love Love Actually or love to hate Love Actually or have never seen Love Actually, you will actually love this musical! Get ready for awkward meet cutes, over-the-top grand gestures, and lots and lots of love, actually.
The musical is also making its world premiere in Chicago this holiday season at the Apollo Theater. The Chicago cast includes Ann Delaney (Emma Thompson and Others), Jake Elkins (Colin Firth and Others), Ryan Foreman (Peter and Others), Dan Plehal (Hugh Grant and Others), Amanda Walker (Keira Knightley and Others), and Christopher Wayland (Liam Neeson and Others). Understudies for the company are Daryn Alexus, Brie McClellan, and Dylan Obrochta.
Songs in this spoof of the hodge-podge montage rom-com include:
"Messages of Love, Actually"
"He's the Prime Minister (of Rom-Coms)"
"Dark Deeds in Dark Corners"
"British Girls" - Colin, God of Sex
"Keira Knightley Actually"
"A Joni Mitchell CD? (For Your Continued Emotional Education)"
"The Lament of Laura Linney"
"The Language of Love" - Colin Firth & Maid
"American Girls" - Colin, God of Sex
"The 11 O'Clock Grand Gesture Number"
"Love is Actually"
For more information, visit www.LoveActuallyParody.com.
BIOGRAPHIES
KAYLA CATAN (Keira Knightley and others) is thrilled to reprise the last role she performed live before the world ended! Pre-pandemic credits include: Pinkalicious, Fashion Academy (Vital Theatre Company); Truffles (Aaron Grant Theatrical); and the national tour of Berenstain Bears LIVE! Her first projects in the city were puppeteering with Shadow Box Theatre and devising political pieces with Theater in Asylum. Many thanks to her family, given and chosen, and to the arts for staying alive no matter what. Long live NYC! www.kaylacatan.com
ISAIAH HEIN (Liam Neeson and others) makes his Off-Broadway debut in Love Actually? The Unauthorized Musical Parody. Recent credits include Romeo and Juliet (Nurse/Prince) and Godspell (We Beseech Thee track). Additionally, Isaiah has toured with ArtsPower National Touring Theatre, originating roles in their new musical Judy Moody and Stink. He is a graduate of the University of Louisville and studied at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York City.
JAMES PARKS (Colin Firth and others). Thank you for wearing a mask and supporting live theater! James is thrilled to be reprising these roles in Love Actually? as his formal return to the stage. During the shutdown James participated in various zoom productions including The Boy Who Listened to Paintings, and has most recently wrapped the filming of The Pumpkin Spice Musical. Quack. www.TheJamesParks.com @TheJamesParks
ERIC PETERS (Hugh Grant and others) is a proud Minneapolis native and graduate of Northwestern University where he studied Musical Theatre and Mathematics. National Tour: Motown the Musical. Off-Broadway: Young Pilgrims (RAVE Theater Festival), The Voice of Broadway (NYTF Winterfest). Many thanks to the family, the friends, and About Artists! Web: www.erictpeters.com, IG: @ericfromminnesota.
JOYAH SPANGLER (Emma Thompson and others) (They/She) Off-Broadway: The Office!, Love Actually?, Kerrigan and Lowdermilk’s The Bad Years. Regional: Williamstown (Songs for a Future Generation, Jonah), A.C.T. (Fields of Gold), NYMF (Ultimate man!, Held), Theatreworks (Andrew Lippa’s A Little Princess), Forestburgh Playhouse (Legally Blonde, Rocky Horror, The Sound of Music, West Side Story). Film/TV: Do You Dance Miss Parker, “The Following” (Fox). A highly caffeinated multi-hyphenate, Joyah has directed, choreographed & taught all over the country including the National Theatre of Student Artists, Friends! (Off-Broadway/North American Tour - AD) Steelstacks, the Flea and Reckless Theatre. www.joyahlovespangler.com @joyahlove
TONY TILLMAN (Peter and others) is very excited to be joining the cast of Love Actually? again. He is a graduate of Duke Ellington School of the Performing Arts High School in Washington DC, and Virginia Commonwealth University. Other Off-Broadway credits include Steven in Mr. Chickee's Funny Money at the Atlantic Theater Company. Some of his favorite credits include: National Tours- Kinky Boots and Mamma Mia. Regionally: Angel in RENT, Donkey in Shrek, and Seaweed in Hairspray aboard Royal Caribbean's Oasis of Seas. Instagram: Tony_T_Tillman
THANOS SKOUTERIS (Swing) is thrilled, actually, to be returning to this joyful show!! Favorite Credits - US National Tour: The Sound of Music (Swing, u/s Captain Von Trapp, u/s Max Detweiler), A Christmas Carol (Young Scrooge). US Regional: Camelot (Lancelot, The Phoenix Theatre Co.), Beauty and the Beast (Gaston, Woodstock Playhouse), Mamma Mia! (Harry, City Springs Theatre Co.), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (u/s Dom Claude Frollo, The Argyle Theatre). A thousand thanks to Right Angle and ATB Talent! www.thanoskouteris.com @thanoskouteris
AMBER WRIGHT (Swing) was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, and is thrilled to have her debut show in NY, here at the Jerry Orbach Theater. She has recently been seen playing the role of Narrator in Joseph… at the Candlelight Pavilion. She has other wise been seen at Disneyland as her favorite froggy princess, and has also traveled from Hong Kong Disneyland to Universal studios Japan and various Cruise ships that have taken her all around the world. She is so grateful for this opportunity and thanks god for the gift she has been given.
BOB AND TOBLY McSMITH (Writers) are best friends who have created too many parody musicals over the last 15 years including: FRIENDS! The Musical Parody (New York, Las Vegas, US and UK tour); The Office! An Unauthorized Musical Parody (New York and US Tour); Bayside! The Saved by the Bell Musical (NYTimes Critics Pick), Katdashians! The Musical, 90210! The Parody Musical! (New York and Chicago); Showgirls! The Musical Parody (New York, San Francisco); Full House! The Musical Parody (starring Perez Hilton), Love Actually? The Unauthorized Parody Musical (New York, upcoming US tour), and The Office! A Murder Mystery Parody: Who is the Scranton Strangler? They are hard at work on their next musical: Sopranos: On Ice! A Figure Skating Parody.
BASIL WINTERBOTTOM (Music & Orchestrations) is a British composer and orchestrator from Yorkshire, England. He discovered his love for the stage ‘treading the boards’ as Nanki-Poo and made his first critical success with the rip-roaring period comedy Mother, Where’s the Goose? After a successful tenure writing musical theatre in New York he returned to the UK, where he lives with his wife and pet ferret, Rat Boy Slim.
TIM DRUCKER (Director) is thrilled to be working with the McSmiths again. Directing credits include the recent North American tour of Friends! the Musical Parody and the long running off-Broadway comedy Sex Tips... as well as the North American tour and the current Vegas production at the Paris. He co-wrote the Off-Broadway musicals Gigantic (Vineyard Theater, licensed through Stage Rights); previously as Fat Camp (Off-Broadway at the ATA produced by Dodger Theatricals; Playhouse in the Square, Cleveland; and NYMF 2009); Spidermusical, and Perez Hilton Saves the Universe (NY Fringe Best Musical and encore run at the Barrow Street Theater). For all the fun: www.timdrucker.com
BROOKE ENGEN (Choreographer). Choreographer of the Marvel series “Runaways” (Hulu), “Hart of Dixie” (CW), and the musical film Sing For Your Supper. Associate Choreographer for “Hairspray Live” (NBC). Assistant Choreographer: For The Record: BAZ in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Garry Marshall Theatre), Sleepless in Seattle (Pasadena Playhouse), “Code Black” (CBS), and RuPaul’s Drag Race Battle Of The Seasons Tour. National Commercial for Men’s Warehouse, Groundling’s Garbage Pail Kids. Associate Director of Ringling Brothers circus Legends.
RIGHT ANGLE ENTERTAINMENT (Producer) specializes in the production, marketing, management and distribution of live theatrical, digital and concert events. RAE’s proud roster includes: America's Got Talent Live!, The Price is Right LIVE!, The Masked Singer National Tour, The Simon and Garfunkel Story, The Office! An Unauthorized Musical Parody (Off Broadway and National Tour), FRIENDS! A Musical Parody (Off-Broadway and National Tour), Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (National Tour and Grand Old Opry), Together Live with Abby Wambach and Glennon Doyle, Sasha Velour’s Smoke & Mirrors Tour, among many others.
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