The “Othelloâ€-inspired “Venice,†which Time magazine heralded as the best musical of 2010 during its run in Kansas City, Mo., will finally reach New York in May for a production at the Public Theater, executives there announced Thursday. Set in the near future, in a war-torn city weary of totalitarian brutality, “Venice†mixes romance, sibling betrayal and political allegory with a score that blends hip-hop and rock music.
The show is a collaboration of the book writer Eric Rosen and the composer Matt Sax; they wrote the lyrics together, and the work features additional music by Curtis Moore. Mr. Rosen and Mr. Sax previously collaborated on the hip-hop musical “Clay,†which ran off Broadway in 2008. Mr. Rosen will direct “Venice†at the Public; he first staged the show at Kansas City Repertory T heater, where he is artistic director, and then later in 2010 at Center Theater Group in Los Angeles.
The musical will be part of the theater's Public Lab series, which usually presents scaled-down productions of new works and Shakespeare plays at low ticket prices; single tickets for “Venice†will cost $15. The show is scheduled to begin preview performances on May 28 at the Public's Anspacher Theater and officially open on June 13; it is scheduled to run through June 23.
