COMPLETE CASTING FOR “FOWL PLAY - A NEW MUSICAL COMEDY” INDUSTRY READING
Press Contact:
Michael Jorgensen
michael@jorgensenpr.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE
COMPLETE CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR
INDUSTRY READING OF
“FOWL PLAY
A NEW MUSICAL COMEDY”
STARRING “RuPAUL’S DRAG RACE” FINALIST
ROSÉ
ALSO FEATURING
MICHAEL JAMES SCOTT
BRENDA BRAXTON
NICK ADAMS
JJ NIEMANN
SAV SOUZA
KATE LOPREST
CHRIS MEDLIN
MAYA LAGERSTAM
MURPHY TAYLOR SMITH
DIRECTED BY JOHN TARTAGLIA
MUSIC & LYRICS BY BILLY RECCE
BOOK BY BILLY RECCE AND YONI WEISS
INDUSTRY READING TO BE HELD
DECEMBER 16 AT CARROLL STUDIOS
HEADSHOTS AVAILABLE HERE
New York, NY (December 7, 2021) – Jacob Stuckelman and Joseph Hayes announced today the complete casting for the industry reading of Fowl Play – A New Musical Comedy. Alongside previously announced star Rosé (“RuPaul’s Drag Race” Season 13 Finalist), the cast of Fowl Play will feature Michael James Scott (Aladdin), Tony Award nominee Brenda Braxton (“The Good Fight”), Nick Adams (Fire Island), JJ Niemann (The Book of Mormon), Sav Souza (1776), Kate Loprest (“Boardwalk Empire”), Chris Medlin (“Sweet Magnolias”), Maya Lagerstam, and Murphy Taylor Smith.
With direction by Tony Award and three-time Emmy Award nominee John Tartaglia, book by Billy Recce (Little Black Book concept album) and Yoni Weiss, and music/lyrics by Billy Recce, the industry reading of Fowl Play will be held Thursday, December 16 at Carroll Studios (625 West 55th Street). Music Supervision by Jon Audric Nelson. The reading will be stage managed by Kaleigh Bernier.
Fowl Play is a new musical comedy about two queer musical theatre writers who are commissioned to write an apology musical for a certain homophobic fried chicken corporation...you know which one. With theaters closing left and right to be replaced by Targets, Apple Stores, and fast-food franchises, the down-on-their-luck writing duo, Archie and Xander, are faced with the promise of a major payout and the rebirth of the Broadway musical comedy, if they can satiate the new CEO, Kimberly Chickadee, played by “RuPaul’s Drag Race” star Rosé. In the style of a Mickey and Judy musical extravaganza, Fowl Play is a take-no-prisoners satire about the commodification and commercialization of queer culture.
Fowl Play is produced by Jacob Stuckelman and Joseph Hayes, and general managed by Fourth Wall Theatricals. Casting is by Joseph Hayes.
For more information, please email rsvp@fwtheatricals.com.
CAST BIOGRAPHIES
ROSÉ (Kimberly Chickadee) is one of the most noteworthy and distinguished drag performers to emerge from New York City nightlife in recent years. After a wildly successful run as a finalist on Season 13 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race”, she has continued time and time again to prove that her dense and lifelong training as a competitive performer have led her to being one of the most professional and well-rounded queens ever to come out of the “Drag Race” franchise. A decorated actor and singer/songwriter, Rosé is also one third of the internationally-acclaimed drag pop girl group, Stephanie’s Child, who have appeared on both “America’s Got Talent” and NBC’s “The Voice” alongside pop artist, Jessie J. Rosé is originally and proudly from Scotland, but resides now in New York City with her cat, Julius. That last part was a lie — she is allergic to cat dander and absolutely refuses to be anywhere near Julius. She did have a fish once tho but it died :/
MICHAEL JAMES SCOTT has played the Genie in Disney’s Aladdin internationally including Broadway, London, the North American tour, and originating the role in the Australian Production for which he won the prestigious Helpmann Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. He’s also known for originating Dr. Gotswana (aka The Maggots Guy) in the Tony-winning phenomenon The Book of Mormon. Other Broadway credits include Mamma Mia!, Tarzan, All Shook Up, The Pirate Queen, Elf, and Hair. On the West End, he was the associate choreographer and performed in the Broadway revival transfer of Hair. Off-Broadway, co-starring in Here’s to the Public opposite Donna McKechnie, and was also part of the concert cast of Jerry Springer: The Opera at Carnegie Hall. He was the standby for the legendary Ben Vereen in the international tour of Fosse, taking over the role in Paris, France at the Théâtre du Châtelet. Outside NYC, original Las Vegas company of Jersey Boys and in Shrek the Musical as the Donkey at the famous St. Louis Muny. Regional credits include Aida, Ragtime, South Pacific, Cinderella, and Little Shop of Horrors to name a few. Numerous television and film appearances include “The Carrie Diaries” (The WB), Independent Woman (Feature Film), “The View” (ABC), “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” (NBC), “The Late Show with Conan O’Brien” (NBC), “Good Morning America” (ABC), “The Today Show” (NBC), “The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade” (CBS), “The Tony Awards” (CBS), and the new Showtime series “Black Monday”. MichaelJamesScott.com (Instagram/Twitter @iamMJScott)
BRENDA BRAXTON was nominated for a Tony Award for her starring role in Smokey Joe's Café and has received the NAACP Theater Award, Chicago's Jefferson Award, and a Grammy for Best Musical Show Album. Other Broadway Credits include Velma Kelly in Broadway’s hit musical Chicago, Jelly’s Last Jam, Cats, Legs Diamond, and the original production of Dreamgirls. Her TV credits include “Nurse Jackie”, “Smash”, and most recently Partner Madeline Gilford on “The Good Fight” on Paramount+. She is the author of The Little Black Book of Backstage Etiquette.
NICK ADAMS is an actor, singer and dancer with a vast career in Broadway, Film and Television. He stars as Cooper in the upcoming Fox/Searchlight feature film Fire Island due for release in spring of 2022. Notably, he originated and starred as Adam/Felicia in the Tony winning Broadway musical Priscilla Queen of the Desert which earned him an honor from the American Theater Hall of Fame, two Broadway Audience Choice Awards, and an Astaire Award nomination for Best Dancer on Broadway. He received National critical acclaim for his portrayal of Whizzer in the North American Tour of Lincoln Center Theatre’s Broadway production of Falsettos (dir. James Lapine). Nick was the final actor to play Fiyero in the First National company of Wicked. He originated the role of Damian in the world premiere of Mary and Max at Theatre Calgary. Nick is one of the founding members of the Forest of Arden acting company and performed the new work American Dream Study under the direction of Michael Arden. Other Broadway credits include A Chorus Line, Guys and Dolls, Chicago, La Cage Aux Folles, and The Pirate Queen. TV/Film highlights include Dallas Drake on “The Other Two” (HBO Max), “Inventing Anna” (Netflix), Sex and the City 2, An Englishman in New York, Still Waiting in the Wings, “Smash”, “As the World Turns”, “Guiding Light”. Concerts: NY Pops (Carnegie Hall), Boston Pops, Indianapolis Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Naples Philharmonic, Erie Philharmonic, Guest soloist with NYC Gay Men’s Chorus, Guest soloist with Boston Gay Men’s Chorus, Feinstein’s San Francisco, Feinstein’s 54 Below, Joe’s Pub, Birdland. Nick holds a BFA from the prestigious Boston Conservatory. @thenickadams
JJ NIEMANN is a New York City-based Broadway actor, content creator, choreographer and coach. After growing up in Wilmington, NC, JJ graduated in 2017 with a BFA in Music Theatre from Elon University. Shortly after, he joined the Broadway cast of The Book of Mormon as a Swing, where he performed from June 2017 to December 2019. During his time in Mormon, JJ was part of the developmental workshops of the new musical BLISS. In February 2020, he performed in the BLISS World Premiere at The 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle, and is currently back with them developing the show to come to NYC. During the pandemic, he became an avid TikTok and Instagram creator, reaching over 975k followers and 300 million video views across platforms with his theatre comedy videos. He also partook in the online phenomenon Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical and performed in its Drama League-Nominated virtual concert. Most recently, JJ choreographed his first full regional production Godspell at Grandstreet Theatre, and performed in Footloose at The Rev Theatre Company. Additional regional credits include The Muny, Pittsburgh CLO, Bay Street Theatre, Artpark. In addition to performing, JJ teaches workshops around the country and his own dance classes in the city called Jazzing With JJ, and coaches regularly with The Broadway Collective’s virtual programs. Connect with him on Instagram or TikTok @jjniemann
SAV SOUZA is queer and trans performer and musical theatre writer breaking apart the binary in the New York theatre scene. They are a Barrymore nominated actor, writer, and trans advocate, working to amplify the voices of the trans community in their work. Select performance credits include: 1776 (A.R.T./Roundabout; upcoming); Lempicka (Williamstown Theatre Festival); The Elementary Spacetime Show (Philly Fringe, Playwrights Downtown); Normativity, and The Material World (The Polyphone Festival). Up next, Sav will be joining the cast of Other World (Delaware Theatre Company) before making their Broadway debut in the A.R.T./Roundabout revival production of 1776. Stay up to date with Sav at by following them @saaaavv or www.savsouza.com
KATE LOPREST. Broadway: First Date (Allison), Hairspray (Amber), Xanadu, Wonderland, Drowsy Chaperone. Tour: Wicked (Glinda, Nessa u/s), Little House on the Prairie (Nellie Oleson, 1st Nat’l). Regional: The Guthrie, Asolo Rep, The Old Globe, Barrington Stage, Ogunquit Playhouse, Washington National and Dallas Opera Theatre. TV: “Boardwalk Empire”, "I Love You...But I Lied", “Running Wilde”, “All My Children”. Kate is the creator and host of Living Small NYC, now streaming on Broadway on Demand. www.KateLoprest.com.
CHRIS MEDLIN. Best known for his breakout TV performance as Isaac Downey on Netflix's “Sweet Magnolias”, Chris has also been seen on stages across the country and in Europe. He currently plays Graham in the original cast of Broadway's Diana The Musical, which was filmed during the pandemic for a Netflix premiere in the fall of 2021. Chris made his Broadway debut as an original cast member of Tina Fey's Mean Girls following having been part of the show's world premiere at the National Theatre in D.C.. He recently performed at The Met Gala 2021 and has been seen in the pre-Broadway world premiere of The Prom at the Alliance Theatre, on “The Vampire Diaries”, and on stage alongside Missy Elliott, Pharrell, and Daft Punk. Chris looks forward to continuing to develop roles both on screen and stage that empower the misfits and underdogs while carving out space for diverse stories and perspectives. All thanks and love to family and CGF Talent. @MrMedlin
MAYA LAGERSTAM is originally from Illinois. She has performed at theaters across the Midwest including Hope Summer Repertory Theater, Ten Thousand Things, Parallel45, and the Guthrie Theater. Recent concert appearances have been at The Green Room 42, National Sawdust, and Feinstein’s/54 Below. Some of her favorite roles include Dorothy in The Wiz (HSRT), Maria in The Sound of Music (P45), and Belle in A Christmas Carol (Guthrie). Upcoming: The Tempest at the Guthrie Theater. Maya is a proud Interlochen Arts Academy and Camp alum and UMN/Guthrie BFA graduate. IG: @mayalagerstam
MURPHY TAYLOR SMITH is a trans woman performer and composer/lyricist. Webseries: “Bedlam: The Series” (Doll). Originated the roles of Kitty Minx in Joe Iconis’ Love in Hate Nation and Arabella in Sam Salmond’s Dust and Embers. 2019 York Theatre N/E/O Writer of the Future. Music/lyrics for Elektric, RADIO: A Musical Ghost Story (comm. by UNC Greensboro), The Smith Twins are... Terminally Online!!! (Feinstein's/54 Below). BFA from Penn State Musical Theatre. @msmurphysmith // MurphyTaylorSmith.com
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