Starkid to premiere new show in Chicago, 'Holy Musical B@man!'
This superhero-send up features a book by Matt Lang and Nick Lang, original music and lyrics by Nick Gage, with additional music by Scott Lamps. "Holy Musical B@man!" will be presented at the Hoover-Leppen Theatre at Center on Halsted, at 3656 North Halsted in Chicago, for four performances only, March 22-25. A special weekend of preview performances will run March 16-18. The limited run of live performances will be offered free of charge for all audiences, with a YouTube release slated for April 2012.
"Holy Musical B@man!" features the world's most beloved superheroes and be-loathed villains in a way they were never meant to be seen - singing and dancing. After witnessing the murder of his parents, a young billionaire makes a solemn vow to dress up like a bat and wage a one-man war on crime; but when this solitary savior realizes that “one” is the loneliest number to wage a war with, he'll set out on a musical adventure to rescue the city - and find a super friend.
Since its founding in 2009, Chicago-based new-media and theatre production company Team StarKid has garnered over 112 million YouTube views, and a devoted fan following of 225,000 online subscribers, 174,000 Facebook fans, and 94,000 Twitter followers worldwide. Capturing the attention of national media such as Vanity Fair, New York Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, “Access Hollywood,” “Entertainment Tonight,” NPR, MTV, and VH1, StarKid remains committed to pioneering the internet as a new outlet for theatre and music distribution. With "Holy Musical B@man!" - an unofficial parody produced exclusively for the enjoyment of comic book fans - StarKid returns to its roots of free musical comedies.
StarKid first invaded the Internet with "A Very Potter Musical" - a fan-made parody that premiered on YouTube and immediately went viral. Filmed during a live Basement Arts performance at U-M, the show was an instant hit with fans of the Harry Potter franchise and quickly garnered nearly 2 million views. In March 2010, StarKid's second production, "Me and My D***," debuted at #11 on the Billboard charts for “Original Cast Recording” - a first for any non-commercial production. The show not only solidified StarKid as a real player in comedy musicals, but also grabbed national attention from the likes of blogger Perez Hilton and The Hollywood Reporter. In May 2010, StarKid returned to Hogwarts with "A Very Potter Sequel," receiving over 4,000 ticket requests for 400 available seats. The production - which was quickly named to Entertainment Weekly’s “Must List” - premiered to packed houses with fans from across the world lining up for hours before the show. In February 2011, StarKid’s debut Chicago production, "Starship," sold out in twenty-four hours before hitting the internet in April of 2011. The original cast album went to #1 on Billboard for “Original Cast Recording” and peaked at #4 on iTunes.
In November 2011, StarKid teamed up with Live Nation to present The Space Tour, a 15-city retrospective concert that sold out club venues across North America. "The SPACE Tour: Live" DVD, a behind-the-scenes look at StarKid’s creative, rehearsal, and performance processes, and "The SPACE Tour: Live at The Gramercy Theatre" - the group’s first live concert album - are slated for release in the spring of 2012.
The world premiere production of "Holy Musical B@man!" is written and directed by Matt Lang and Nick Lang, co-writers and directors of StarKid’s "A Very Potter Musical" and "Sequel," "Me and My D***," and "Starship," and recipients of last season’s BroadwayWorld Chicago Award for Best New Work (2011) for "Starship."
"Holy Musical B@man!" features original music and lyrics by veteran Chicago composer and StarKid newcomer Nick Gage, with additional music by Scott Lamps. Combining the styles of rock, soul, psychedelic folk, and pop, Gage has produced multiple independent albums including: "The Dude," "Winnebago," and "Songs I Made for Friends." His acclaimed work as a songwriter was featured on the soundtrack for the 2008 independent film "The Beckoning of Lovely." In addition to his work as a writer, director and actor in Chicago’s annual musical, "Denis & Stas: Christmas Fantastic," Gage’s songs have accompanied the stories of New York Times best-selling author Amy Krouse Rosenthal. Both Gage and writing partner Scott Lamps are graduates of the University of Wisconsin. Lamps, a former student of Richard Davis, Leslie Thimmig and Stephen Dembski, spent four years as contributing songwriter, producer and music director of the nationally-touring band The Profits, selling more than 10,000 albums and winning four MAMA Awards including “Best Overall Artist” (2005). Lamps’ collection of piano sonatas, "Evensong," was honored with two MAMA Awards including Best Classical Album” (2010). "Holy Musical B@man!" is his sixth work for musical theatre. Previous theater works include "Evolution/Creation" (2010), produced by the Quest Theatre Ensemble (nominated for five Joseph Jefferson Citations, including Best New Work and Best Production, Musical). Lamps recently composed the songs and underscore for the film "Kindred," which was awarded Best Documentary Short at the 2011 Illinois International Film Festival. The film will appear on Illinois Public Television this spring. "Holy Musical B@man!" boasts an all-star cast of StarKid veterans including: Julia Albain (Crabbe and various characters in "A Very Potter Musical" and "Sequel," Specs in Starship); Chris Allen (Duder Reese in "Little White Lie"); Jamie Lyn Beatty (Ginny Weasley in "A Very Potter Musical," Rita Skeeter in "A Very Potter Sequel," Sally in "Me and My D***," Veeto Mosquito in "Starship"); Denise Donovan (February in "Starship"); Brian Holden (Remus Lupin in "A Very Potter Sequel," Flopsy in "Me and My D***," Junior in "Starship"); Nick Lang (various characters in "A Very Potter Sequel" and "Starship"); Lauren Lopez (Draco Malfoy in "A Very Potter Musical" and "Sequel," Taz/Bugette in "Starship"); Jim Povolo (Goyle and various characters in "A Very Potter Musical" and "Sequel," and The Overqueen in "Starship"); Dylan Saunders (Dumbledore in "A Very Potter Musical" and "Sequel," Tootsie/Pincer in "Starship"); Meredith Stepien (Mega-Girl in "Starship"); Nicholas Strauss (Old Snatch in "Me and My D***," Sirius Black in "A Very Potter Sequel"); and Joseph Walker (Lord Voldemort in "A Very Potter Musical," Dolores Umbridge in "A Very Potter Sequel," title character in "Me and My D***," Up in "Starship"). The cast also includes two new additions to the StarKid acting company: Nico Ager and Jeff Blim. "Holy Musical B@man!" features choreography by Katie Spelman (Goodman Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Paramount Theatre), set designs by Corey Lubowich ("Me and My D***," "A Very Potter Sequel," "Starship," The Space Tour), costume designs by June Saito ("Starship"), lighting design by Sarah Petty ("A Very Potter Sequel," "Starship," The Space Tour), and sound design by Mark Swiderski ("Starship," The Space Tour).
StarKid Productions is a new-media production company committed to telling ambitious, relevant, and relatable stories through original plays and music, with a focus on organic artistic collaboration. Formed at the University of Michigan in 2009, StarKid represents an ensemble of writers, directors, actors and designers dedicated to creating accessible, quality entertainment. As pioneers of theatre for the modern era, StarKid blends the art of live performance with the accessibility of the internet, creating top-quality HD films for an international audience, and establishing a new world of distribution and opportunity for the arts. "Holy Musical B@man!" will be presented at the Hoover-Leppen Theatre at Center on Halsted, 3656 North Halsted in Chicago, from Thursday, March 22 to Sunday, March 25, with preview performances running Friday, March 16 to Sunday, March 18. Free tickets will be available to the general public via online lottery, beginning Wednesday, February 22 at http://tinyurl.com/7zjmomc. Winners will be notified by email for ticketing confirmation. In the event of a sold out performance, a limited number of standby tickets may be available beginning one hour prior to listed curtain time at the theatre box office. For more information about StarKid Productions or "Holy Musical B@man!", visit www.teamstarkid.com. To view past productions, visit www.youtube.com/user/starkidpotter.