Former New York Magazine critic Sara Holdren will direct the production, which features original songs by The Lobbyists.
Former New Kids on the Block star Joey McIntyre, seen on Broadway in Waitress and Wicked, will play Orsino in William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night at New Jersey’s Two River Theater.
Directed by Sara Holdren (who recently left her position as theatre critic at New York Magazine), the production will begin at the Red Bank venue January 11, 2020, prior to an official opening January 17. The romantic comedy, featuring original songs composed by the band/theatre collective The Lobbyists, will continue through February 2.
Joining McIntyre will be Hannah Rose Caton as Viola, Celeste Ciulla as Maria, Tommy Crawford as Feste, Richard Hollis as Malvolio, Carman Lacivita as Antonio, Kathleen Littlefield as Olivia, Luis Quintero as Sir Andrew Aguecheek, Kurt Rhoads as Sir Toby Belch, Rudy Roushdi as Sebastian, Will Turner as Sea Captain, and Tony Aidan Vo as Fabian.
“Twelfth Night is, perhaps, Shakespeare’s most perfect comedy,” stated director Holdren. “It is also, paradoxically and gorgeously, his farewell to the purely comic genre—poignant and tinged with music, melancholy, mortality amidst the silliness and joy. Separated twins, mistaken identities, and questions of identity, loneliness, and love propel this gender-bending tale, which asks if it is ever possible truly to know the soul of the loved one, or truly to reveal our own.”
The creative team includes scenic designer Claire DeLiso, costume designer Fabian Aguilar, lighting designer Caitlin Smith Rapoport, and sound designers Kate Marvin and Kathy Ruvuna. The casting is by Binder Casting/Chad Eric Murnane, the assistant stage manager is Larry Copeland, and the production stage manager is Brett Anders.