Jeb Brown, Jerry Dixon & Emily Swallow Join New Musical Romantic Poetry

Jeb Brown, Jerry Dixon and Emily Swallow will complete the cast of Manhattan Theatre Club's forthcoming production of Romantic Poetry, a new musical with book and lyrics by John Patrick Shanley Doubt and music by Henry Krieger Dreamgirls. They join previously announced stars Mark Linn-Baker, Ivan Hernandez and Patina Renea Miller. The limited engagement of Romantic Poetry will begin at New York City Center Stage I on September 30 and open on October 28, directed by Shanley.

Brown's Broadway credits include Grease, High Fidelity, Ring of Fire, Aida, I'm Not Rappaport, Bring Back Birdie and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Dixon's New York theater credits include Once on This Island, tick, tick… BOOM!, Bright Lights, Big City, Five Guys Named Moe, newyorkers and The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin. Swallow has appeared on Broadway in High Fidelity and off-Broadway in The Black Eyed, Measure for Pleasure, Much Ado About Nothing, King Lear, Orange Lemon Egg Canary and Like Love.

Described as a crackpot musical romance, Romantic Poetry includes characters like Connie of Woodmere, who has just married Fred of Newark, but her exes are back in the picture and not sure they approve of the union. Mary of Greenpoint climbs Frankie of Little Italy's fire escape with amorous erotic intent, but things go awry as she reaches for her dream. As in Shanley's Oscar-winning screenplay for Moonstruck, emotion and ideals crisscross like a night of shooting stars.

The creative team will include David Korins scenic design, Laura Bauer costume design, Donald Holder lighting design, Brian Ronan sound design, Devanand Janki musical staging, Sam Davis music director/vocal arrangements, August Eriksmoen orchestrations and Howard Joines music coordinator.