Barrington Stage Company Musical Theatre Lab to Present Joe Iconis' THE BLACK SUITS, 8/16-9/2

Barrington Stage Company, under the leadership of Julianne Boyd, Artistic Director, and TriStan Wilson, Managing Director, presents a workshop production of the new musical The Black Suits with music and lyrics by Joe Iconis and book by Joe Iconis and Robert Emmett Maddock. The Black Suits is part of Barrington Stage’s Musical Theatre Lab, William Finn, Artistic Producer. Directed by John Simpkins, with musical direction by James Sampliner, The Black Suits will run August 16 through September 2 at BSC’s St. Germain Stage (formerly Stage 2), located on the upper level of the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield.

The Black Suits is a rock musical about a high school garage band on suburban Long Island trying to win the St. Anne’s Battle of the Bands. Two teens struggle to learn how to be real friends as the inevitability of adulthood threatens to pull them apart. A musical about dreams, blood, Pop Tarts, records, drug runs, blue hair and the transformative coolness of rock and roll music.

Making their BSC debuts in The Black Suits are Annie Golden (Xanadu/The Full Monty) as Mrs. Werring, Jason Hite (Giant – Dallas Theatre Center) as John, Ben Platt (National Tour: Caroline, Or Change) as Chris, Harrison Chad (Caroline, Or Change) as Brandon, Will Roland as Nato, and Sarah Cetrulo as Lisa.

The Black Suits has sets by Tony Award-winner Derek McLane, costumes by Tony Award-winner Paloma Young, lighting by Jason Lyons, sound by Brad Berridge, and music direction by James Sampliner. Swaine Kaui is the Drama League Directing Fellow. Kate J. Cudworth is production stage manager. Shakina Nayfack is Associate Producer.

The Black Suits is sponsored in part by Gregory Bulger and Richard Dix. The Barrington Stage Company Musical Theatre Lab is sponsored in part by Elayne Bernstein and Sol Schwartz.

Joe Iconis (Book, Music and Lyrics) Joe is a writer, concert performer, and lover of all things Pittsfield. Joe performed his Hell Raisers cabaret at BSC last summer and opened Mr. Finn’s Cabaret in May with Joe Iconis & Family. He has been nominated for two Drama Desk Awards, a Lucille Lortel Award, and is the recipient of an Ed Kleban Award, a Jonathan Larson Award, and an ASCAP Harold Adamson Award. He is the author of Bloodsong of Love, The Black Suits (book co–written with Robert Maddock), ReWrite, Theaterworks USA’s The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks and We The People. The Original Cast Recording of Things To Ruin, Joe’s theatrical rock concert, is available on Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records. www.MrJoeIconis.com.

John Simpkins (Director) John has directed the Off-Broadway productions of Bloodsong of Love, ReWrite, Plant That Ate Dirty Socks, Things to Ruin (co-conceiver) – all with Joe Iconis. He directed last season’s The Bus at 59E59 Theatres. Regional: NC Theatre (Hairspray); Engeman Theatre (A Wonderful Life, Damn Yankees); Sacramento Music Circus (Cabaret, Annie); Lyric Oklahoma (Evita). He has developed new works at Goodspeed, Berkshire Theatre Festival, Second Stage, Ars Nova, NAMT, NYMF, and York Theatre. John is Artistic Director at Sharon Playhouse and faculty at NYU Steinhardt (Floyd Collins, Sweet Smell of Success, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Parade, Violet, The Fix). www.john-simpkins.com

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