Lyric Stage

Lyric Stage, Dallas County's only locally produced professional musical theater company, presents the world premiere of THE ROAD TO QATAR, Stephen Cole and David Krane's true new musical comedy, October 9-24, 2009 in the Irving Arts Center's Dupree Theater. Performances are Thursday through Saturday evenings @ 8:00 PM ...with matinees on Sundays and Saturday, October 24. Tickets can be Ordered Online at http://www.lyricstage.org or by calling 972-252-2787.

THE ROAD TO QATAR is based on the hysterical real life experience of two New York musical theater writers being commissioned to write the first American musical to premiere in the Middle East. Three years ago both book writer/lyricist Stephen Cole and composer David Krane (who did not know each other at the time) simultaneously received emails that read: "We want you write musical. How much?" Thus began an unbelievable but true journey that introduced the two "short Jews" to an alien world of camels, deserts and crazy Egyptian theatrical producers. During the course of this sensational Arab adventure, Stephen and David starred in their own personal Bob Hope-Bing Crosby "road picture" that took them to Dubai, Qatar, London, Bratislava and back to the USA after writing and presenting a huge original musical for the Emir of Qatar and one thousand of his invited guests. When they returned, they had no other choice but to write their story in the only way they knew how: as a musical! The names have all been changed, but the story is totally true.

For the world premiere, Lyric Stage has assembled a wonderful cast and creative team. After his triumph last season as Fiorello LaGuardia in Lyric Stage's FIORELLO!, Brian Gonzales (Bway's Putnam County Spelling Bee) returns to Lyric Stage as Michael (Cole) and Lee Zarrett (Bway's Putnam County Spelling Bee) as Jeffrey (Krane). Jill Abramovitz (Bway's 9 to 5 The Musical and Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me, Bill Nolte (Bway's The Producers) and Bruce Warren complete the cast.

Phillip George (Forbidden Broadway) directs with music direction by David Caldwell. Scenic and costume design is by Michael Bottari and Ronald Case , lighting design is by Susan A. White and sound design is by Bill Eickenloff. Margaret J. Soch is Production Stage Manager.

Writer/Lyricist Stephen Cole is a Kleban Award winner. His musical After the Fair was Lyric Stage's first world premiere production, winning five Dallas Theater League Leon Rabin Awards including Best Production of a Musical and Best New Play or Musical. After the Fair received an Outer Critics Circle nomination for Best Musical for its Off-Broadway run. Lyric Stage also produced The Night of the Hunter, Cole's musical with composer Claibe Richardson, in the New York Musical Theater Festival. His books include I Could Have Sung All Night with Marni Nixon, Charles Strouse's memoir Put on a Happy Face and That Book about That Girl (Marlo Thomas).

Composer David Krane created the dance music and additional score adaptation for the 2003 Oscar winning movie Chicago directed by Rob Marshall and is currently working on the film version of Nine, also directed by Marshall, which will be released Christmas, 2009. For Broadway, David composed the dance and incidental music for the La Cage Aux Folles revival, the Tony award winning revival of Cabaret (Sam Mendes/Rob Marshall), Man of La Mancha, the new Oklahoma! (London/Broadway) for which he composed a new dream ballet for Susan Stroman, Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Music Man, Show Boat, Victor/Victoria and Ragtime among many others.Read More