Beth Malone Musical Starstruck to Receive Reading With Marc Kudisch and Krysta Rodriguez

The new musical Starstruck will receive an invite-only industry reading on May 8 in New York City, following a developmental residency at Rhinebeck Writers Retreat.

Written by Tony nominee Beth Malone (Fun Home), Emily Saliers of the Indigo Girls, and Mary Ann Stratton, Starstruck is described this way: “Where the universe meets Sawtooth, Idaho, Cyd DeBerg, crusades for International Dark Sky status stirring up a political firestorm and attracting the attention of the NPR podcast, Far Out! with Roxanne Cooley. Roxanne’s magnetism knocks Sawtooth out of its orbit including Cyd’s right hand man, Chris. In Cyrano fashion, Cyd begins a courtship on his behalf, but when words come too easily and feel uncomfortably true, Cyd is forced to concede the world as she knew it. Cyd and Roxanne are upended by the mysterious universe, truths hidden in darkness, and a collision course of love.”

The cast includes Malone in the lead role, Jeb Brown (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical), Claybourne Elder (Company), Ann Harada (Into the Woods), Marc Kudisch (Girl From the North Country), and Krysta Rodriguez (Into the Woods). The reading is directed by Sherri Eden Barber (resident director of Hamilton tour) and music directed by Cynthia Meng.

Kathy Evans, founding executive director of Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, said, “We are so excited to give these talented writers the chance to do a lot of development on their first musical and to see it with a live cast of Broadway veterans for the first time.”