Andrew Lloyd Webber Invites You to B'way-Bound School of Rock Workshop, Starring Alex Brightman, Tonight!

There's been all sorts of buzz about the Broadway-bound School of Rock workshop, which is currently playing to invited audiences at New York's Gramercy Theatre. The team has just added an extra performance tonight, June 9, and for the first time, $40 tickets will be available to anyone on a first-come, first-served basis, in person at the box office from 6 PM. So if you're interested in checking out Andrew Lloyd Webber's latest project, swing by the Gramercy at 127 East 23rd St, New York, NY 10010, later! The two act show, which stars the previously reported Alex Brightman, will start at 7.30 PM.

Joining Brightman as Dewey are Leslie Kritzer as Patty (Ned's mean girlfriend), Sara Chase as Rosalie (the headmistress) and Andrew Durand as Ned (Dewey's bestie).

The students are as follows: Taylor Caldwell as Shonelle, Evie Dolan as Katie, Aaron Fig as James, Carly Gendell as Marcy, Shayan Hooshmand as Mason, Bobbi Mackenzie as Tomika, Dante Melucci as Freddy, Brandon Niederauer as Zack, Luca Padovan as Billy, Jared Parker as Lawrence, Isabella Russo as Summer, Malachi Samedy as Leonard, Mikayla White as Madison and Corinne Wilson as Sophia. The adult ensemble includes Natalie Charlie Ellis, Alan H. Green, Michael Hartney, John Hemphill, Merritt David Janes, Jaygee Macapugay, Abby Mueller, Tally Sessions, Mariand Torres and Jeremy Woodard.

School of Rock is now scheduled to begin previews slightly later, on November 9, and officially open on December 6 at the Great White Way's Winter Garden Theatre; no confirmation yet on casting for the Main Stem incarnation of the show.

Directed by Les Miz's Laurence Connor, the tuner features music from the movie, as well as new music written by Lloyd Webber and lyricist Glenn Slater, with a book by Downton Abbey’s Julian Fellowes. The film was penned by Mike White, directed by Richard Linklater and starred Jack Black as wannabe rock star Dewey Finn, who poses as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school. When he discovers his students’ musical talents, he enlists his fifth-graders to form a rock group and conquer the Battle of the Bands.

"It’s a wonderful movie about what the power of music can be for kids," Lloyd Webber told Broadway.com in an exclusive interview (see below) about why he was attracted to the story. The theater legend went on to emphasize "that it’s Jack Black’s movie and it’s Mike White’s movie and Mike’s a terrific writer and I do not want in any way to make it a kind of Andrew Lloyd Webber show—it has to be true to the original for it to work."

School of Rock marks the first time Lloyd Webber has opened a show on Broadway before London since Jesus Christ Superstar in 1971.