Tony Nominee Lucas Steele Joins the Cast of Emojiland: The Musical

It was announced today that Tony nominee Lucas Steele (Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812) will join the off-Broadway cast of Emojiland: The Musical as Skull for its eight-week limited engagement at the Duke on 42nd Street. Performances will begin January 9, 2020, ahead of a January 19 opening, and will run through March 8.

In addition to The Great Comet, Steele has also been seen on Broadway in The Threepenny Opera alongside Alan Cumming and Cyndi Lauper. His off-Broadway credits also include Saint Vincent's Project (Rattlestick Playwrights Theater), Myths and Hymns (Prospect Theater Company), The Kid (The New Group), Wickets (3LD), Oliver Twist (Theatre for a New Audience), and Corpus Christie (Bowery Lane).

Steele joins a cast featuring Lesli Margherita (Matilda) as Princess, Josh Lamon (The Prom) as Prince, George Abud (The Band's Visit) as Nerd Face, Emojiland cowriter Laura Schein as Smiling Face with Smiling Eyes (aka "Smize"), Emmy winner Felicia Boswell (NBC's Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert) as Police Officer, Natalie Weiss (Everyday Rapture) as Construction Worker, and Ann Harada (Avenue Q) as Pile of Poo.

Directed by Thomas Caruso with choreography by Kenny Ingram, Emojiland features a book, music, and lyrics by Keith Harrison and Schein. The show is described as follows: "Emojiland is an electric ensemble piece about a diverse community of archetypes who take one another at face value: a smiling face dealing with depression; a princess who doesn't want a prince; a skull dying for deletion; a nerd face too smart for his own good; a face with sunglasses who can't see past his own reflection; and a police officer and construction worker who just want to work together. When a software update threatens to destroy life as they know it, Emojiland faces the most fundamental questions a society — and a heart — can face: Who are we? And who matters?"

Emojiland was a Grand Jury Selection of the 2018 New York Musical Festival.