Concert Versions of Ryan Scott Oliver’s 35MM, Darling and Jasper in Deadland to Play 54 Below

Broadway’s hottest nightclub 54 Below will play host to RSO Fest, a series a concerts showcasing three musicals by composer Ryan Scott Oliver. The staged concerts kick off with 35MM: A Musical Exhibition on October 7, followed by Darling on November 4 and finishing up with Jasper in Deadland on November 18. No casting has been announced yet.

In 35mm, each of Gotta Dance! photographer Matthew Murphy’s photos are the inspiration for a song. The show premiered in New York in March 2012 with at the Galapagos Art Space, starring Lindsay Mendez, Betsy Wolfe, Jay Armstrong Johnson, Ben Crawford and Alex Brightman, with an original cast recording on the Ghostlight label. The evening will be directed by John Simpkins and musically directed by Rich Silverstein.

Darling is a coming-of-age story about Ursula Morgan, stolen away from her upper-class family by a mysterious rentboy called Peter in 1929 Boston. Ursula soon finds herself in the seedy underground in a world of sex, drugs and jazz. The show, which was featured on NBC’s The Apprentice, includes a book by Brett Ryback, direction by Jeremy Dobrish and musical direction by Chris Fenwick. 

Jasper in Deadland features a book by Hunter Foster and Oliver and music and lyrics by Oliver. The show will receive a full production in New York as part of Prospect Theater Company’s 2014 season. Directed by Brandon Ivie and musically directed by Ryan Fielding Garett, Jasper in Deadland follows 16-year-old Jasper as he travels through the after-life on a mission to save his best friend, Agnes. In this hybrid underworld, Jasper encounters demons, gods, mortals and monsters from Greek, Egyptian, Roman, Norse, and Judeo-Christian mythology, learning what it means to die and questioning what it means to live.

Check out a video clip of Lindsay Mendez singing “The Ballad of Sara Berry” from 35MM below.