Kathleen Marshall has directed a reading of the new musical, SCKBSTD (“Sick Bastard”), that will be performed in Manhattan tonight. Part of the Virginia Stage Company’s American Soil programme, the musical will have a fully produced premiere production at the start of next year.

With a book by Clay McLeod Chapman, the show deals with the events following the arrival of a stranger into a small town, one who starts cruising the streets in his Dodge and sparking off feverish rumors from the town’s inhabitants. The score is written by Bruce Hornsby and Chip deMatteo, with 8 of the 19 songs in the score having appeared on Hornby’s 2009 album, Levitate.

The cast for the reading includes Robert Spencer, Jill Paice, Tom Wopat, John Cullum, Natalie Belcon, William Parry, Becky Ann Baker, Anastasia Barzee, Bryan Tyree Henry, Joey Sorge, James Moye, Dalton Harrod, Riley Costello and Brynn Williams.

Purchases from Amazon.com

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT:
1. Levitate CD.