“Murder Ballad,†a rock musical by Julia Jordan and the singer-songwriter Juliana Nash, will return for a nine-week commercial run at the Union Square Theater, starting May 7. Staged in a barroom setting in which the actors roamed through the audience, the show had a sold-out premiere run last fall at Manhattan Theater Club’s Studio at Stage II.
Praised as “steamy†and “self-conscious in just the right way†by Ben Brantley in The New York Times, “Murder Ballad†centers on Sara, an Upper West Side wife and mother, and her relationships with Michael, her husband, and Tom, an old boyfriend with whom she shares a rekindled passion.
John Ellison Conlee (Michael), Will Swenson (Tom) and Rebecca Naomi Jones (the Narrator) are returning to the roles they created. Caissie Levy, who originated the role of Molly Jensen in the Broadway and West End productions of “Ghost The Musical,†is taking over as Sara from Karen Olivo, who was widely praised in the role.
Ms. Olivo, a Tony winner for “West Side Story,†is apparently making good on a desire, expressed recently on her blog, to “leave behind the actor†and “start learning how to be me.†She will be heard on the “Murder Ballad†cast album, which is due the spring on Yellow Sound Label Records.
Trip Cullman is the director of the show, which features sets by Mark Wendland and costumes by Jessica Pabst.
