Composer and lyricist Joel B. New will premiere his new musical Monkey Trouble Unleashed! in a special concert at New York's Duplex Cabaret Theatre October 6 at 6:30 PM.
The cast for the evening will include Leigh Ellen Caudill (The Onion News Network), Andrew Cristi (A Christmas Story), Amy Jo Jackson (The Brass Menagerie), Ernie Pruneda (Sister Act, Gotham), and Charles Sanchez (Merce, The Series). Charlie Johnson will direct, with Gillian Berkowitz (Avenue Q) serving as music director and pianist. James Pingenot will provide percussion.
A parody mash-up of the Jet Li film Unleashed and 1994 family film Monkey Trouble, the new musical comedy centers on a man who wears a collar and is trained to attack whenever it is removed.
New will preview the concert with weekly podcast releases, each featuring an interview with a cast member and a song from the show. The episodes, which began dropping September 1, are available through New's podcast Something New.
This is the newest musical from New, who was a 2008 Jonathan Larson Grant recipient and winner of MAC's John Wallowitch Award for songwriters under 40 in 2017. Past musical works include Mackenzie and the Missing Boy, To Hell and Back, Standalone: a song cycle, Agatha in the Attic, and RSVP. New's podcast Something New, launched in 2012, has featured interviews and performances from such theatrical artists as Jennifer Sanchez, Sheri Sanders, Drew Gasparini, Nikka Graff Lanzarone, Grace McLean, Shakina Nayfack, Sas Goldberg, and more.
For more information and tickets, visit PurplePass.com.
