Richard Maltby Jr. and David Shire present their new musical at Red Bull Theater.
Red Bull Theater has announced casting for its concert reading of The Country Wife. The new musical is adapted by Richard Maltby Jr. from the play of the same name by William Wycherley, with lyrics by Maltby, music by David Shire, and direction by Maltby. The concert performances will be held on Sunday, June 18, and Monday, June 19, at the Duke on 42nd Street.
In The Country Wife, the upper-class rake Harry Horner begins a campaign for seducing as many respectable ladies as possible and devises a unique and hilarious way to do it. But his scheme gets derailed by the arrival of an inexperienced young "country wife." Award-winning songwriting partners Maltby and Shire are best known for penning the scores to the musicals Closer Than Ever and Baby.
The cast will feature Andréa Burns (On Your Feet!), Louis Butelli (Sleep No More), Bryan Terrell Clark (Hamilton), Lilli Cooper (SpongeBob SquarePants), Ed Dixon (Anything Goes), Bernard Dotson (Finian's Rainbow), John Edwards (Jersey Boys), Carson Elrod (Peter and the Starcatcher), Kim Exum (The Book of Mormon), Ann Harada (Avenue Q), Sydney James Harcourt (Hamilton), Jeremy Morse (Waitress), Maria-Christina Oliveras (Amélie), T. Oliver Reid (Sister Act), and LaVon Fisher Wilson (Chicago).
Brad Haak will serve as music director.