October 19, 2006

AMTP premieres rock musical ‘Asphalt Beach’ Oct. 27

By Judy Moore

The world premiere of “Asphalt Beach” (Oct. 27-Nov. 12) will be the third new musical to emerge from the recently launched American Music Theatre Project (AMTP).

The new “rock” musical is set in Asphalt Beach, N. J., home of “Our Lady of Suppressed Desire Academy for Rambunctious Young Girls,” where a rag-tag band of misfit girls struggle daily to break free from the dominating headmistress, Sister Severia. The adversity leads them to discover that family isn’t just something you inherit; it also is something you create.

“Asphalt Beach” features music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa, book by T. C. Smith and Peter Spears and direction by Amanda Dehnert. The Gilman & Gonzales-Falla Theater Foundation and Louise and Thomas Middleton are the honorary producers.

Performances will be held from Oct. 27 through Nov. 12 at the Josephine Louis Theatre. The official press opening will be Nov. 3. The show will launch Northwestern’s 2006-07 Mainstage theatre season this fall.

“From the moment I read the laugh-out-loud outline for ‘Asphalt Beach,’ I knew it would make a hilarious stage musical,” said composer/lyricist Andrew Lippa. “What I found out, however, was it was very funny and terrifically moving. I never went to an all-girl Catholic high school (me: Jewish boy). But if I had gone to one I would have laughed and cried all the time. Hey, I do that now.”

“Andrew Lippa is one of the most exciting theatrical composer/lyricists in America,” said AMTP Artistic Director Stuart Oken. “There may not be another theatrical score as fully realized as Andrew’s “The Wild Party” in the past 10 years. Having him in residence, along with Peter Spears, T. C. Smith and Amanda Dehnert, couldn’t say more about the vitality of our initiative.”

“Asphalt Beach” received its first reading in April 2006 as part of TheatreWorks’ new works festival.

The American Music Theatre Project is a new initiative at Northwestern, under the leadership of Oken and Executive Director Dominic Missimi. AMTP is dedicated to nourishing the vitality of American music theatre through the development and production of new musicals by music theatre’s leading artists; increasing opportunities for education and training with Northwestern’s theatre, dance and opera programs; and initiating a broad range of interdisciplinary research projects.

AMTP’s ultimate goal is the establishment of a permanent Center for the American Music Theatre on Northwestern’s Evanston campus. The center would expand upon the work of AMTP, as well as introduce new programs, including an annual summer festival of new musicals.

•   •   •

For more information or to order tickets, call the Theatre and Interpretation Center Box Office at (847) 491-7282 or go to www.tic.northwestern.edu/tickets.html