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‘Randy Newman’s Faust,’ the Songwriter’s Brilliant but Rarely Produced Stage Musical, Rises Again for a Weekend in L.A. at the Soraya
Randy Newman talks about the one-weekend-only revival of his brilliant musical, 'Faust,' being put on in the L.A. area at the Soraya in Northridge.
This “Faust” is being done with narration to fill in the pieces of the storyline, rather than the between-song dialogue that was part of the only two full productions that were ever done to date, in pre-Broadway tryouts at the La Jolla Playhouse in 1995 followed by the Goodman Theater in 1996 (where David Mamet took a crack at revising Newman’s book). Like this writer (who penned the liner notes for the deluxe edition of Newman’s original album 20 years ago), Steingraber is a proud “Faust” cultist, and these shows represent the culmination of a long dream. Other cast members for the Saroyan production include Jordan Temple, a writer for “Abbott Elementary” who wrote and will deliver the program’s new narration; Ryan McCartan, who originated the lead role in “Heathers: The Musical” in L.A. and did “Wicked” and “Frozen” on Broadway, as the callow Henry Faust; Joanna Lynn-Jacobs, a classically trained vocalist who has done opera as well as musical theater, as Margaret; jazz singer Veronica Swift, who has recorded multiple albums for the Mack Avenue label, as Martha; and the ensemble called Tonality as the chorus, along with Angelica Rowell.
Or read this on Variety
