The Menier Chocloate Factory has officially announced casting for the world premiere or Paradise Found and revealed a few new details about the plot. Kate Baldwin, John Cullum, Shuler Hensley and Judy Kaye will all join Mandy Patinkin in the show, which tells the tale of the Shah of Persia’s trip to Vienna with his Eunuch (Patinkin) in tow for some new adventures, during which the Shah (Cullum) promptly falls in love with the Empress of the Empire, much to the dismay of her husband, so a resident of the local brothel – who is a double for the Empress – is substituted for a night of passion. As it happens, she’s in love with a Baron, who’s having an affair with the Soap Manufacturer Wife.
It sounds a bit like A Little Night Music meets the Arabian Nights. It’s interesting, then, that the music for this will be provided posthumously by “The Waltz King” himself, Johann Strauss II, whose music for the show has been adapted and arranged by Jonathan Tunick, with lyrics provided by Ellen Fitzhugh.
With a book by Richard Nelson, based on Joseph Roth’s novel The Tale Of The 1002nd Night, the show will be co-directed by Harold Prince and Susan Stroman, opening for a limited run at the Menier Chocloate Factory on 19 May.
Purchases from Amazon.com
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT:
1. The Tale of the 1002nd Night by Joseph Roth.
Musical Cyberspace 
WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN
With a book by Jeffrey Lane, the musical tells the tale of a group of women in late 20th-century Madrid whose relationships with men lead to a tumultuous 48 hours of love, confusion and passion. The production has been developed in a series of workshops over the past year with input from Almodóvar himself.
Directed by Bartlett Sher, under the auspices of the Lincoln Center Theater, the show aims to start previews on 2nd October, with opening night set for November 4th at the Belasco Theatre on West 44th Street.
I know some will disagree, but I think Yazbeck is an interesting match for the material and discovering that Almodóvar himself has been involved in the workshops is certainly an intriguing tidbit. With this and Paradise Found on the cards already, this upcoming season is already looking more interesting to me than the current one as it draws to a close.
Purchases from Amazon.com
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT:
1. Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown DVD.