Casting has been revealed for TheatreWorksUSA's upcoming Off-Broadway world premiere musical Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical, adapted from Dav Pilkey's popular children's book series.
The work is written by the team behind TheatreWorks' Dog Man: The Musical: 2023 Tony nominee and current Some Like It Hot star Kevin Del Aguila, who wrote the book and lyrics; and Brad Alexander, who penned the music. Performances begin July 21 at the Lucille Lortel Theatre and continue through August 27, with opening night set for July 30.
Starring will be L.R. Davidson, Jamie LaVerdiere (Motown The Musical), Brian Owen, Sonia Roman, Dan Rosales (Trevor), and Markia Nicole Smith. Rounding out the company as understudies will be Jeremy Fuentes and Malynne Smith.
Marlo Hunter is directing and choreographing, leading a creative team that also includes music director Paul Staroba, scenic designer Cameron Anderson, lighting designer David Lander, costume designer Jen Caprio, co-sound designers Scott Stuaffer and Jesse Desrosiers, and puppet designers Fergus Walsh and Matt Acheson of AchesonWalsh Studios.
The musical will follow Cat Kid and Molly Pollywog and their efforts to teach 21 unruly baby frogs to make their own comics.
"We are thrilled to be working with this extraordinary cast and creative team on the world premiere of the musical adaptation of Dav Pilkey’s Cat Kid Comic Club this summer, and happy to be back at the iconic Lucille Lortel Theatre sharing the joy of live theatre with families," says TWUSA Artistic Director Barbara Pasternack.
"When I write and illustrate the Cat Kid Comic Club books, my hope is that kids everywhere are inspired to dream up their own stories, try something new, and most importantly have fun," said Pilkey in an earlier statement. "I can’t wait to see my characters come to life in Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical! I’m grateful to the incredibly talented team at TheatreWorksUSA whose renowned stage adaptations not only entertain, but also encourage empathy, compassion, and imagination." Pilkey is also the creator of the Dog Man book series, which TheatreWorksUSA also brought to the stage.
The work will be the latest in TWUSA's long history of creating theatre for young audiences. Previous TWUSA-produced titles include The Lightning Thief, Junie B. Jones, and The Pout-Pout Fish and Pete the Cat.
Visit CatKidMusical.com.
