Acclaimed Canadian Musical Premieres
THIS COULD BE LOVE
September 18 - 29 at Sage Theater
** as part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival **
"The year's best musical, far and away" -- The National Post of Canada
4 stars out of 4 -- Canada Globe and Mail
"musical theatre gold." -- Toronto Eye Weekly
"wonderfully fresh and delightfully old-fashioned." -- Toronto Sun
New York Musical Theatre Festival presents the US Premiere of THIS COULD BE LOVE, a new musical comedy with book, music, and lyrics by Brock Simpson. Producers Derrick Chua & Krista Sutton bring director Dennis Garnhum's production of the Dora Award (Toronto's Tony's) nominated show to New York, following an acclaimed run in Toronto.
He's a jingle writer; she's a full-time temp. Stood up and fed up, they decide to cheat fate and fall in love...whether they like each other or not. After all, this COULD be love...
Sweet & cynical, joyous and jaded, this Canadian charmer is a love story for our times.
Featuring an all-star Canadian musical theatre team, this NYMF production of THIS COULD BE LOVE brings some of Canada's finest talents together for its US Premiere. Original cast member Krista Sutton (whose original turn led to a Dora nomination for Outstanding Female Performance and praise as "musical theatre gold" from the Globe and Mail's Theatre Critic and who starred in the original Canadian production of The Vagina Monologues) is joined by transplanted Canadian and Broadway performer Graham Rowat (recently acclaimed for his performance as Bob Wallace in Irving Berlin's White Christmas) and director Dennis Garnhum (Artistic Director of Theatre Calgary; recent US productions include Rat in the Skull at the Berkshire Theatre Festival and the premiere of Theresa Rebek's Two Orphans).
Simpson has written some of has written some of Toronto's most successful indie musicals including Kid Canuck, Skyland, and Lust's Labour's Lost. He has also co-written several shows with Torontonians Lisa (The Drowsy Chaperone) Lambert and John Mitchell: Honest Ed: The Bargain Musical, People Park, Rock that Rainbow, and All Hams on Deck! Producer Derrick Chua has helmed over 25 productions including the Woody Harrelson directed This Is Our Youth, Toronto's Matt & Ben, Canadian premiere of The Laramie Project, Top Gun! The Musical in Toronto and NYMF. Musical director Michael Barber has music directed over 30 professional shows, and most recently played for Martin Short's Fame Becomes Me and Monty Python's SPAMalot at Toronto's Canon Theatre.
Performances will be presented on the following schedule: Mon, Sep. 18 at 8pm / Wed, Sep. 20 at 1pm / Sat, Sep. 23 at 1pm / Sun, Sep. 24 at 8pm / Wed, Sep. 27 at 4:30pm / Fri, Sep. 29 at 8pm. Sage Theater is located at 711 7th Ave, bet 47 & 48 -- accessible from the C,E trains at 50th St.). Tickets are $20 available at nymf.org.
THIS COULD BE LOVE BIOGRAPHIES
Brock Simpson (Author) has written some of Toronto's most successful indie musicals including Kid Canuck, Skyland, and Lust's Labour's Lost. He has also co-written several shows with Torontonians Lisa (The Drowsy Chaperone) Lambert and John Mitchell: Honest Ed: The Bargain Musical, People Park, Rock that Rainbow, and All Hams on Deck! As a singer-songwriter he will be releasing his first CD, Polymythical, in October.
Dennis Garnhum (Director) is the Artistic Director of Theatre Calgary. He has directed at most of the major theatre companies in Canada including the Stratford Festival (The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Scarlet Pimpernel), the Shaw Festival, (The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Still Life, Sorry, Wrong Number, and S.S. Tenacity) and Theatre Calgary (Of Mice And Men this fall). He recently worked at the Long Wharf Theatre to assist in the development of the opera project Brundibar (Tony Kushner / Maurice Sendak). In 2005, he directed Rat in the Skull at the Berkshire Theatre Festival and the premiere of the musical Two Orphans by Theresa Rebek in Boston.
Graham Rowat (He) is a Broadway performer who recently completed the world premiere of Lucy Simon's Zhivago at the La Jolla Playhouse, directed by Des McAnuff (Jersey Boys). This past holiday season, he starred as Bob Wallace in the San Francisco production of Irving Berlin's White Christmas. Broadway credits include Dracula-The Musical and Beauty and the Beast (also Toronto). Off-Broadway: The Thing About Men. Mr. Rowat has performed throughout North America and Asia with the National touring company of Les Miserables.
Krista Sutton (She / Producer) is a Dora Award Nominee for This Could Be Love. Her stage credits include The Vagina Monologues (original Canadian Cast), The House of Bernard Alba, Sleepless, Lust's Labour's Lost (Brock Simpson), Pericles, A Midsummer Night's Dream and MacBeth (Robert Lepage). She is well-known in Canada for her roles on film/tv including the long running Train 48 and on West Wing, Kevin Hill, Missing, Me and My Shadows, The Dogwalker (2004 Genie Nomination), American Psycho and the upcoming Stir Of Echos II. She is also the co-star of the popular comedic travel show Suite and Simple.
Michael Barber (Music Director) has music directed over 30 professional shows, and most recently played for Martin Short's Fame Becomes Me and Monty Python's SPAMalot at Toronto's Canon Theatre. He has created original music for Michael Kennard's The Hollow, and recently completed his first full length musical Blackbeard's Ghost with collaborator Caroline Smith. His debut CD with singer Nathalie Nadon, So In Love, was released to critical acclaim in February, 2006. He is on the Faculty of Musical Theatre at Sheridan College, Toronto.
Derrick Chua (Producer) is an entertainment lawyer and award-winning theatre & film producer. His producing credits include the Canadian premiere of The Laramie Project, Top Gun! The Musical in Toronto and at NYMF, Matt & Ben, and the Woody Harrelson directed This Is Our Youth. He is currently President of the Board for the Toronto Fringe Festival. He is also producing Jerome Sable & Eli Batalion's J.O.B. The Hip-Hopera at NYMF.