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  The New Picasso, a new musical by Jonathan David Sloate, staged its premiere reading at Off-Broadway's New World Stages, located at 340 West 50th Street in Manhattan. The single performance took place on October 10th for industry professionals. Blending fantasy, romance, comedy, thriller, and drama on a grand scale, the epic story depicts a gifted artist who seeks redemption from the torment of his mother's suicide by chasing after fame and true love.
For General Inquiries about The New Picasso contact: inquiries@blackforestproductions.com
 
The creative team for the staged reading was comprised of Director Sam Scalamoni (Lestat, Beauty and the Beast), Music Director Jan Rosenberg (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Jekyll & Hyde, The Who's Tommy) and Composer, Lyricist and Librettist Jonathan David Sloate, who also created the new musical The Tower Of Babel. As composer, Jonathan David Sloate wrote the scores for Warner Bros.' Mortal Kombat Conquest and USA Networks' Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm. Casting was by Mungioli Theatricals and Arnold J. Mungioli, C.S.A (Fosse, Ragtime, Show Boat). David Ferdinand's One Dream Sound provided sound design. Pianist Jan Rosenberg conducted Keyboardist Kristin Dabaghian, Bassist Ray Kilday (The Drowsy Chaperone, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Spamalot, The Color Purple), and Percussionist Paul Davis (Fiddler On The Roof, Laugh Whore, Paper Mill Playhouse: Godspell). Production Stage Manager Beverly Jenkins (Oklahoma!, Aida, The Lion King, Miss Saigon) led Stage Managers Karyn Meek (Fiddler On The Roof, Rent) and Jovon E. Shuck (The Graduate, Noises Off).
Robert Cuccioli (Jekyll & Hyde, Les Miserables, Off-B'way: Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well...), who has won the Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk and FANY Awards as well as a Tony nomination, along with Michael Gillis (National Tour: The Phantom of the Opera, Goodspeed Opera House: The 60's Project, Walnut Street Theatre: West Side Story), Felicia Finley (The Wedding Singer, Aida, Smokey Joe's Cafe), Brooke Sunny Moriber (The Threepenny Opera, Les Miserables), William Parry (Gypsy, Passion, Sunday in the Park with George), and Christiane Noll (It Ain't Nothin But the Blues, Jekyll & Hyde, Grease) led the cast that included (listed alphabetically): Ashley Amber (The Wedding Singer, All Shook Up, Aida, Boy from Oz), Bob Barth (Off-B'way: Treaty 321! A Musical, Damn Yankees), Sara Chase (Paper Mill Playhouse: Godspell, Off-B’way: Slut), Tara Cornetto (Off-B'way: Treaty 321! A Musical, The People Garden), Joe Dellger (Lestat, Ragtime), Elizabeth Earley (Baltimore and Las Vegas: Beauty and the Beast), Tony Freeman (The Lion King, Caroline, or Change), Jerry Gallagher (Paper Mill Playhouse: Crazy For You, Guys and Dolls), Steven M. Goldsmith (National Tour: Joseph...Dreamcoat, European Tour: Fame), Rodney Hicks (Jesus Christ Superstar, Rent), John Jeffrey Martin (Good Vibrations, Hairspray, The Rocky Horror Show), and Nyjah Moore Westbrooks (The Frank Sinatra Show, Benefit: Chess).
The New Picasso and The Tower Of Babel have garnered 43 Awards at worldwide film festivals and writing competitions and are currently ranked as the 1st and 2nd most award-winning fantasy scripts and romance scripts over the past decade.
Alton Fitzgerald White (The Color Purple, The Lion King) performed earlier recordings of several songs from The New Picasso along with Josh Moore, Billy Genuario, Melody Moore, Brian Kremer, Shauna McCoy, and Maxim Radio Sirius Host Diana Falzone.
If you would like to listen to some of the songs from The New Picasso and The Tower Of Babel feel free to click on any of the Official MySpace.com web pages:
Jonathan David Sloate
The New Picasso
The Tower Of Babel
Score Highlights to The Musical Concept Albums of
The New Picasso and The Tower Of Babel
You can also listen to all of the songs in The New Picasso for free at my Official page on BroadwaySpace.com:
BroadwaySpace.com/profile/JonathanDavidSloate
Click here for all the latest news.
- WHAT INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS ARE SAYING ABOUT -
JONATHAN DAVID SLOATE AND HIS MUSICALS
"...An Immense Talent!..."
"...Unmatched inventiveness..."
"...Given the lack of memorable music on Broadway today, there is an unusually impressive amount of fantastic music in THE NEW PICASSO..."
"...Jules and Trixie are so delightfully over the top..."
"...THE NEW PICASSO
is a boldly-drawn screenplay,
the script certainly is a bristling narrative and the songs are lushly produced..."
"...[Jonathan] is without a doubt an expert storyteller..."
"...The expanse, detail, and magnitude of [THE NEW PICASSO] are overwhelming..."
"...[THE TOWER OF BABEL] has a solid premise that features an old fashioned fairy tale with the classic storybook damsel (princess) in distress..."
"...The songs are wonderful on many, many levels. One of the most important reasons the music works successfully in your screenplay is that the lyrics are true plot elements that always move the story forward. (If they didn't serve as part of the plot and the action, then the overall story would have stalled out and perhaps stagnated.) To your credit, this never happened. Great job on the music!..."
"...An epic musical..."
"...Jonathan is one of the most prolific composers I have ever encountered. The music literally pours out of him..."
"...[Jonathan] has a good gift for writing lyrics..."
"...[Jonathan] weaves a seamless tapestry that results in intelligent, well composed theatre..."
"...An immeasurable and inspiring talent..."
"...[THE NEW PICASSO] has all the appeal of a Disney production, a score that blends the cinematic magic of Danny Elfman with the drama of Puccini, as well as a storyline that reminisces the greatness of Rodgers and Hammerstein..."
"...Breathtaking!... Amazing!..."
"...A piece of grand scale and scope, THE NEW PICASSO has the potential to sit up alongside such classics as LES MISERABLES..."
"...Truly a beautiful score... flawless..."
"...Foremost is [Jonathan's] passion to tell a story from the perspective of the heart, from the true passion within the characters themselves..."
"...Outstanding!..."
"...An imagination that has no boundaries and is determined to constantly reinvent itself never getting locked into one method, one style or one way of doing anything..."
"...Completely moving music..."
"...Simple, infecting melodies that most important capture the spirit of the character singing them and enhance the mood of the setting in which they are placed..."
"...Inspirational!..."
"...[Jonathan] comes from the honest place of telling a story, simply and effectively so that it can inspire and deeply influence a new generation of theatrical audiences everywhere..."
"...THE TOWER OF BABEL promises a potential to eventually live along with many of Musical Theatre’s classics, both contemporary and historical..."
"...There is something infectious about the innocence of [THE NEW PICASSO] and there are some daring plot twists for this sort of musical..."
"...Jonathan constantly strives for strong story in his dialogue and lyric, and this is then whole-heartedly supported by the musical knowledge of his composition..."
"...Wow – Bravo!! Andrew Lloyd Webber look out!! Jonathan David Sloate is knocking on your door..."
"...[THE NEW PICASSO] is an action packed story, and the moments between Jennifer Robbins and Jon Bernard are especially touching..."
"...The strength of [THE TOWER OF BABEL] is its actual book..."
"...[Jonathan's] detail to character, his in-depth knowledge of structure, his versatility in dealing effectively with any plot situation whether is comic or dramatic are just a few of his impressive abilities..."
"...Jonathan stands out as a new force in the future of Musical Theatre..."
"...The songs are wonderful and very well written. [THE NEW PICASSO] gets very dramatic... It is original and passionate..."
"...A clear knack for writing clear, concise scenes that move the story forward..."
"...Will somebody please go out and buy me a paper stamp with huge pre-inked red letters that says “Brilliant”!..."
"...[THE TOWER OF BABEL] has many of the elements of
a Disney type film such as a spunky heroine, a villain, battle scenes, lush backgrounds, special effects and scenes of spectacle..."
"...[Jonathan] shows a great deal of originality in marrying song and dance with story..."
"...[Jonathan's] sense of detail is impressive..."
"...I was repeatedly amazed by the knowledge [Jonathan] has of almost any human condition, experience or situation be it present day or what he would imagine it to be centuries ago and how he is able to adapt that to an array of different settings and stories..."
"...[Jonathan] is a vast talent..."
"...[THE NEW PICASSO] is remarkably innovative seamlessly blending musical drama, musical comedy and melodrama..."
"...[Jonathan] constantly experiments with new possibilities for telling a story while juggling dozens of potential tales in his head..."
"...Jonathan’s creativity, collaboration, and enthusiastic spirit is unparalleled..."
"...The lyrics to the songs are solid and show strength..."
"...[Jonathan] is a throwback to the swashbuckling scores of Hollywood's legendary composers Bernard Herrmann and Max Steiner..."
"...[Jonathan] is a wonderfully imaginative writer..."
"...The story in [THE NEW PICASSO] moves along well, putting Jon Bernard [the protagonist] on an emotional roller coaster with plenty of peaks and valleys including a solid twist that really shakes things up... Jules de Medici is very effective as the scheming antagonist... Every song is fully realized. It is an impressive achievement..."
"...[Jonathan] is a talented musician with a good sense of narrative..."
"...[Jonathan] proves yet again that he has a good eye for story and for music..."
"...[THE TOWER OF BABEL] is a fantastic concept for a musical with great music to back it up..."
"...[Jonathan] has a gift for story..."
"...[Jonathan] has a unique voice and an engaging writing style...the lyrics are quite good...[THE TOWER OF BABEL] is extremely creative..."
"...[THE NEW PICASSO] is an interesting story with a unique premise...the characters are engaging, especially Jon Bernard [the protagonist]. [Jonathan] has a great ear for dialogue. The tone and flow of the story is good..."
"...The rich detail of your story and its setting in [THE TOWER OF BABEL] is captivating and easy to follow. With Alana you have created a strong heroine that an audience can bond with, especially a young girl. Your script works well when thought of in terms of an animated musical like in films such as THE LITTLE MERMAID or ALADDIN.
Using the idea of the father telling the story to his children works nicely and the interjections of the daughter add a nice touch as he begins to tell his tale. In general, you have done very well with painting pictures of relationships, especially for instance, the relationship between Alana and Bathsheba.
The conflict between Alana and Tiras is well written and you add a lot of interesting touches to the discord between their characters. Elements like the Black Falcon that operates in conjunction with Tiras work well. For instance, when the Black Falcon causes Canaan to fall off the plank during the Tournament of Babylon, it sets up the Black Falcon as Tiras' henchman well. Additionally, the use of the Black Falcon as Tiras' helper and the Little Bird as Alana's helper works nicely to contrast the two pairs that essentially stand for the symbolism of good and evil.
The relationship between Bathsheba and Canaan is sweetly orchestrated. Using Bathsheba as not only Canaan's relationship advisor, but also as a mother figure that Canaan can confide in opens up the bond between the two and paves the way for Canaan to fully enter into Alana's life.
Supporting figures like the Chambermaid and Castle Servant serve well to add both a wise tone and comic relief to the script..."
"...The premise is sweet. Jon Bernard is a sympathetic protagonist. The song lyrics serve the progression of the plot. The cast of supporting characters is amusing. The twist in [THE NEW PICASSO] is good..."
"...The language is good and the songs are quite interesting. The twins' rivalry is a good setup..."
"...As always, [Jonathan's] writing is very creative and [his] songs are imaginative!..."
"...The story is compelling and the potential for visual imagery is great..."
"...[THE NEW PICASSO] has the potential to be visually stunning..."
"...[Jonathan] has a wonderful sense of space and time and both [THE NEW PICASSO] and [THE TOWER OF BABEL] are insightful and fascinating. His compositions appropriately match the feeling of each script and add profundity to his work..."
"...We truly enjoyed reading this piece and were very impressed with your work. I found the characters in [THE NEW PICASSO] to be very accessible and interesting. I was especially able to identify with Jon Bernard's quest for self-acceptance and appreciated his determination. [Jonathan's] use of the villain is intriguing and I found myself sucked into the sordid world of de Medici..."
"...[THE NEW PICASSO Concept Album] CD sounds great..."
"...[THE NEW PICASSO Concept Album] is terrific, I loved it!...Curiously enough, it's unlike anything I've heard before so I'm thrilled...lately we've had LEGALLY BLONDE, GOOD VIBRATIONS, ALL SHOOK UP, THE WEDDING SINGER, and HAIRSPRAY and they all sort of sound alike, but [THE NEW PICASSO] has some wonderful, sweeping, very upbeat qualities about it...I liked it from the first hammering of the baton...Great work!...There's no expiration date on [Jonathan's] talent..."
"...[THE TOWER OF BABEL's] libretto is well-structured...and the music is melodious..."
"...This new score, written by the brilliant Jonathan David Sloate, is hopefully an indication of what musical theatre is becoming...or, more accurately, how it's being reinvented...beautiful music, clever and moving lyrics, and a serious yet poignant storyline. THE NEW PICASSO is just what musical theatre needs! And the performers on this recording are nothing short of Broadway's best: Max von Essen (LES MISERABLES), Christiane Noll (JEKYLL & HYDE), Robert Cuccioli (JEKYLL & HYDE), Ashley Amber (DANCE OF THE VAMPIRES), Brooke Sunny Moriber (PARADE), and Rodney Hicks (RENT) lead the cast.
Although this is only a "concept recording" (meaning the score is bound to change in some way before a production is staged), the quality of the performances is excellent. My favorite songs include "I Believe," "Wind Up Doll," "Save Tomorrow for Another Day," "Live Your Dream," "Act I Finale," "All the Lonely People," "Girl of My Dreams," "He's the One," and "A Hero to Me." But this score is one to be enjoyed in its entirety. And, if you love musical theatre the way I do, you're going to enjoy this score in its entirety!..."
"...[THE NEW PICASSO Concept Album CD] is wonderful. The music is unbelievable!..."
"...Immediately upon hearing the intense, pounding opening of the overture, you know you're in for angst and high drama with THE NEW PICASSO. What follows reinforces that first impression: oh, the music is churning! ... the characters are yearning! ... the flame of love is burning! ... the emotional tide is turning! This story of a man with a passion to be a great painter who has his share of troubles with professional rejection and personal/romantic troubles, encouraged finally by a departed loved one to stick to it and believe in himself, thus has a bit in common with SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE. However, often its intensity, florid flavor, and leaning toward musical melodrama is more in the vein of SUNSET BOULEVARD and this non-cheery, sometimes dreary show, in its declamatory and tragic numbers recalls the anguish of characters in LES MISERABLES, if less miserable.
Often grand and sweeping, it also has some quiet, sincere, heart-on-the-sleeve numbers that are tender. There are some very attractive melodies ("Wind-Up Doll," "Girl of My Dreams") and some powerful and elegant ones ("I Believe" is, I believe, both at the same time)...There's talent evident in the work of this writer, with a gift for melody and capturing a strong if generalized sense of emotion in the musical choices.
Some of the tracks were recorded with a 59-piece orchestra in Prague - not what you might expect on a demo recording. With impressive commitment, sensitivity and fervor playing the lead character Jon [Bernard] is Max von Essen and he's featured on half the vocal tracks. His performance is often exciting and vocally dynamic - throbbing and sobbing to be sure, but with several especially rewarding subtle moments. Robert Cuccioli is the "ever-scheming" art dealer, clearly the villain of the piece and he sings and fumes with diabolical rage, going full throttle. His performance recalls his work in JEKYLL AND HYDE (his co-star from that musical, Christiane Noll, has a small but striking role as the mother, with the anthem-like "Live Your Dream," heard in both acts). Brooke Sunny Moriber has some lovely moments on the act one disc as the childhood sweetheart (her character apparently disappears in the second act or has no singing there). The other main female singer, Ashley Amber, appears in both acts and is given a variety of material which she handles well, including a sentimental but rather effective duet with Max von Essen, "Tell Me with Your Heart."
Probably best appreciated by musical theatre fans with a preference for earnest or grandiose tones, this is a musical described on the album as an "epic tale of betrayal, obsession, resurrection and the quest for love's ultimate redemption: The Soul." It does feel epic to the max - and Max turns in a star performance..."
The music playing in the background on this page is an instrumental version of a song taken from THE NEW PICASSO, which was recorded by the 59-piece Prague Symphony Orchestra in Europe. |
