Village Theatre’s highly anticipated annual Festival of New Musicals returns for an eighth year, featuring staged readings of six new musicals: Chasing Nicolette, Killala Bay, Dennis The Menace, The Alchemists, The Gypsy King, and The Yellow Wood. These are fully sung presentations of six brand new musicals, performed with scripts-in-hand.
Admission to this event is an exclusive benefit for Village Originals member. Go ahead and check out the line-up below and, remember, it’s never too late to become a Village Originals Member!
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Chasing Nicolette is a light-hearted new musical based on the medieval French romantic epic Aucassin and Nicolette. In the year 1224, Aucassin, a young French lord, and Nicolette, a slave girl who is the long-lost Carthaginian princess, fall in love, despite the vast difference in their cultural and social statuses. Aucassin’s father discovers their relationship and angrily separates the pair, who must overcome the odds to be reunited, facing a bloodthirsty count, a clueless suitor, and some gender mix-ups along the way. Follow resourceful Nicolette and romantic Aucassin through their touching, hilarious, and sometimes farcical adventures in their pursuit of true love.
Killala Bay. A newcomer to Ennismuck, a small town on the shores of Killala Bay in Ireland, American Grace O’Connor is searching for her roots in the town of her ancestors. She is surprised when she also finds friendship, love, and a home, as she joins Mulcahy, a local artist, and the townspeople in exposing the corruption of a local mining company and rallies her new friends to take control of their town under the nose of the greedy mayor. Although her relationship with Mulcahy is volatile, Grace’s passion may be enough to heal his cynicism. This is a touching story of one woman’s search for where she belongs.
Dennis The Menace. The boy you’ve known for years as a comic character comes to life in this vibrant and heartwarming new musical! The story begins when the Mitchell family, including their rambunctious, blonde-haired, overall-wearing son Dennis, moves from the city to a small, quiet town — and things certainly don’t stay quiet for long. Next-door neighbor George Wilson, a retired mailman, doesn’t take too kindly to the excitable boy and his constant antics. Will he ever be able to get along with Dennis? A fun and lively score accompanies this musical that the whole family will enjoy!
The Alchemists. In early 19th century England, childhood friends Stanley, Nicholas, Nathanial, Marcus, and Anne parted ways as they became adults. When Stanley and Anne announce their engagement, the four young men must confront their past and the tangled relationships among themselves and Anne, the woman who has been their muse, friend, sister, and beloved. In a time when none of them can admit what they truly desire, they must discover their own strengths as they carve out their places in the world and with each other.
The Gypsy King. Leo and Frederick, a father-son acting duo, are seriously down on their luck, and Frederick wishes only for a place to belong. But when he falls for a princess disguised as a peasant girl, and is then captured by the royal guard, Frederick very quickly gets a lot more than he bargained for. Meanwhile, the prince Alfonse, who bears a curious resemblance to Frederick, hears of an assassination plot against him. Alfonse’s scheming right-hand-man, Sergei, suggests the prisoner Frederick take the prince’s dangerous position — and with Frederick at the helm, chaos ensues for all. Make sure to catch this musical full of fast-paced action and over-the-top hilarity!
The Yellow Wood gives us a glimpse into the world of Adam Davies, a high-school student with Attention Deficit Disorder who desires nothing more than to lead a “normal” life. Faced with the constant pressure of friends, parents, a persistently present sister, and the need to memorize a poem by seventh period, Adam refuses to take his medication, believing that he must be able to go without it in order to fit in. This dynamic musical is layered with the undercurrent of Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken,” we follow Adam’s journey as he strives to understand the poem and, ultimately, his own identity.
For more information, visit the Festival of New Musicals page of our website.
I have to say, this festival was an absolute joy to attend. As an audience member, I got to see 6 new musicals in a variety of styles, “performed” by my favorite actors. Perhaps we’ll see several of them in the next season’s lineup.