"Empire: The Musical" comes home to New York City-the musical revolving around the Empire State Building makes its NYC premiere on July 1.
With book, music and lyrics by Caroline Sherman and Robert Hull, "Empire" follows the stories of architects, industrialists, immigrants, and other people who what for decades was New York's tallest skyscraper. The plot unfolds over three generations, in the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, and the Bicentennial Year of 1976. As magnificent as the building itself, it offers "dramatic tales of derring-do through spectacular choreography, foot-tapping music, and colorful, timeless characters."
Taking on a different role, directing the musical is actress Cady Huffman, who won a Tony award for playing Ulla in "The Producers" and a nomination for her role in "The Will Roger Follies." The cast will include Kaitlyn Davidson, Alexandra Frohlinger, Matt Gibson, Albert Guerzon, Howard Kaye, J Savage, and Ethan Saviet.
It will also feature choreography by Lorna Ventura, scenes by Walt Spangler, costumes by Tina McCartney, music supervision and orchestrations by Lena Gabrielle, arrangements by Robert Hull and Lena Gabrielle, and music direction by Gillian Berkowitz.
First staged in 2003 at Hudson Backstage in Los Angeles, the musical earned three LA Theatre Ovation Award nominations. It then went to La Mirada Theatre in 2016. "Empire's" twelve-week New York run happens at New World Stages from July 1 to Sept. 22.
