Full cast and creative team information has been announced for the world premiere musical Jollyship the Whiz-Bang, created by Nick Jones and Raja Azar with music by the band Jollyship the Whiz-Bang. Sam Gold will direct the production, which will play Ars Nova, May 14-June 28, with an opening set for June 4.
This pirate-puppet-rock odyssey follows Captain Clamp and his crew as they undertake a ribald and rum-soaked nautical journey.
Led by front-man Jones, Jollyship the Whiz-Bang will be performed by Raja Azar, Steven Boyer, Keith Fredrickson, Daniel Kutcher, Julie Lake and Jesse Wallace.
The creative team will include Azar (musical director), Donyale Werle (set design), Emily Rebholz (costume design), Paul Burn (puppet design) and Ben Stanton (lighting design).
Jones’ prior performance pieces include Canada’s Mid-Riff, Sleepless Fishes, and Crabquistador: Scavenger of God. He is a founding member and artistic director of Jollyship the Whiz-Bang, which is (alternately or simultaneously) a puppet troupe, band, and theater production company. Azar has acted as the bandleader for the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, and composed music for many downtown vaudeville/burlesque acts, including The Wau Wau Sisters, Happy Hour and Murray Hill. Gold’s directorial credits include Rag and Bone, The Joke, The Black Eyed, and Chocolate in Heat.
For more information, visit www.arsnovanyc.com.