Vampires seem to be lurking everywhere these days—on television, in movie theatres, in books, and now in musical theatre.
This fall you can catch pop-culture creatures of the night on stage in “The Cure,” as part of the sixth annual New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF).
NYMF brings theatre to the masses
Posted by on 10:10 pm Sep 3rd, 2009(More news)
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NYMF, hailed by many theatre-goers as the “Sundance of musical theatre,” provides new and emerging playwrights with the opportunity to produce full productions of their works, giving audiences the chance to find the next big thing in musical theatre before it hits a Broadway stage. Shows like Altar Boyz and Next to Normal started at NYMF. This year’s festival runs from September 28 to October 18 in various venues around Manhattan.
“The Cure” is one of the thirty full productions showing at NYMF this year. Penned as a rock n’ roll fable, The Cure tells the story of two friends who must decide between humanity and immortality after discovering the world’s last surviving vampires.
Author Mark Weiser describes the inspiration for his rocking vampire tale as having two components: a luscious rock score and a vampire story grounded in the real, physical world.
First, Weiser wanted to follow in the rock-theatre tradition of shows like “Hair” and “Rent” while adhering to a strong and structured storyline. “I took it as a challenge to see if I could tell a great story without losing the power of a solid rock score—a thrill ride, where you can still walk out humming.”
Second, he wanted to stray from the fantasy elements of most vampire stories and create “a true exploration of what that life would be like if vampirism were a medical condition, an affliction of the blood.”
Thus, “The Cure” was created, and with perfect timing, considering the recent obsession that many people have with vampires and the great success that Broadway rock musicals are enjoying right now with the revival of “Hair” and the new show “Rock Of Ages”.
As Weiser explains, “I cannot recall a time when vampires were so pervasive in the minds of the public—True Blood on TV, Twilight in the multiplex, The Strain on The New York Times Best Sellers’ List, and now “The Cure,” coming to a stage near you!”
The Cure is playing at the American Theatre of Actors: Chernuchin (314 W. 54th Street) from September 29 through October 11.
After you see “The Cure,” be sure to check out the other full productions as well as the dozens of special events being held by NYMF. This year’s festival has a little something for everyone.
Whether you’re interested in politics and social affairs, love sci-fi and graphic novels or prefer R&B and Hip-Hop music, NYMF has a show for you.
Also for the first time, NYMF will put on four musicals from around the globe—Korea, Kenya, Scotland, and Mexico will all be represented at this year’s festival.
Ticket prices for the New York Musical Theatre Festival are perfect for students strapped for cash. Full price tickets are only $20 and there are $10 student rush tickets available an hour before each show.
The theatres are also very intimate—about 99 to 199 seats—so any seat you get brings you up close and personal to the talent on stage.
For more information on “The Cure” or any other shows at NYMF, please visit nymf.org. You can also become a fan of the New York Musical Theatre Festival Student Leadership Program on Facebook, to be the first to find out about student themed programming and events.
