We are talking music, musicals, and shows that have a cult following because they were ahead of their time! NIck Blaemire and James Gardiner are here to talk "Glory Days" coming to NY for one night only!
Keen Company, a Drama Desk and Obie Award-winning Off-Broadway theater creating stories that celebrate the complexities of hope and the joys of connection, is thrilled to announce complete casting for its upcoming benefit concert of Glory Days by Nick Blaemire and James Gardiner. Jordan Dobson (Bad Cinderella, Hadestown) and George Salazar (Keen’s Tick, Tick…BOOM!, Be More Chill, Godspell) join Tony nominees Derek Klena (Moulin Rouge, Jagged Little Pill, Anastasia) and Colton Ryan (New York, New York; Dear Evan Hansen) in this one-night-only event directed by Keen Company’s Artistic Director Jonathan Silverstein featuring new musical arrangements by Van Hughes. The concert takes place on Monday, February 12, 2024 at 7pm at Peter Norton Symphony Space (2537 Broadway, Manhattan). Tickets, which start at $25, are currently on sale at www.keencompany.org.
A cult-favorite, coming of age rock musical, Glory Days premiered at Circle in the Square Theatre on Broadway in 2008 and has since been performed all over the world. This benefit concert, with music direction by Lily Ling, reflects Keen Company’s efforts to champion small scale intimate musicals with a large emotional impact. Composer and lyricist Nick Blaemire is familiar to Keen Company audiences from his star turn as Jonathan Larson in their acclaimed 2016 production of Tick, Tick… BOOM!
Glory Days tells the story of four high school friends who meet up at their alma mater one year after graduation to reconnect, crush a few beers, and enact revenge on their former bullies in the form of an elaborate prank. But the guys quickly discover that a lot can change in a year — even the people they thought they knew best. This vibrant, energetic musical about friendship and fulfillment invites us to reminisce on our own heydays gone by and encourages us to live like the best is yet to come.
Nick Blaemire and James Gardiner remarked, “We’re so excited to be taking another look at Glory Days. When we started writing it, back in high school, 20 years ago...!, we envisioned a simple show like The Fantasticks, Suburbia, or Our Town –- one we could produce with just a band and a bench. Keen Company excels at that kind of intimate storytelling. We're lucky to have four of the most exciting actors and singers in New York. Symphony Space is a legendary venue. So it's an honor to introduce this show to the next generation with these wonderful collaborators.”
Proceeds from this special event underwrite Keen Company’s 24th Season including the Off-Broadway premiere of Kia Corthron’s Fish, a new intimate musical commission by Adam Gwon, resources for mid-career writers, and free theater mentorship for students in all five boroughs of NYC.
Please visit www.keencompany.org/glorydays/ for more information.
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