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Jazz artists Lillie Bryant Howard and Sheila Jordan will join Richmond Shepard for Beatnik Café, a musical revue of the Jazz Beat Generation, which will make its New York City premiere at the Richmond Shepard Theater on April 11, at 7 pm. Naomi Bennett will direct.

Written by Namaya, the piece interweaves songs with stories and writings from Jack Kerouac's On the Road, Allen Ginsberg, and other beat generation writers, and the humor of Lord Buckley (to be portrayed by Shepard). The cast also includes Jake Lewis as Jack Kerouac, and playwright Namaya as the Beat Poet who guides the audience through the cultural, history, politics, music and stories of the beat era.

Musicians will include musical director Chris Bakriges on piano with Chris Sullivan on bass, Michael T.A.Thompson on percussion, Allen Won on saxophone, and Maggie Kus and Kat Gang as background jazz vocalists.

For more information, visit www.richmondshepard.com.