Matilda’s Lesli Margherita and American Idiot’s P.J. Griffith are set to lead the cast of A Scythe Of Time, a new musical being presented at the New York Musical Festival (NYMF).

Inspired by two Edgar Allan Poe stories and set in 1881 London, the new work follows the mystery of the infamous Blackwood Articles, in which writers take their own lives and record the experience. It is billed as “a bizarre tale of power and love, poetic justice and bloody revenge.”

A Scythe Of Time is written by Alan Harris with music and lyrics by Mark Alan Swanson. It will be directed by David Alpert (associate director of If/Then), with musical direction by Ryan Cantwell (Pippin and Finding Neverland national tours).

“The public can’t get enough of the infamously sensational Blackwood Articles,” begin production notes. “On the other side of town, our heroine Signore Zenobia embarks on a quest to unravel the mystery of the articles in an effort to save her own magazine, and finds time pressing down on her as she composes a Blackwood Article of her very own….A Scythe Of Time shows us just how far one goes for fame and recognition in an absurd world.”

The cast also includes Matt Dengler, Brandon Brune, Blair Alexis Brown, Emily Claire Hughes, Lance Olds, Danny Rutigliano and Alex Syiek. The creative team includes Starlet Jacobs (set design), Lindsay McWilliams (costume design), Nick Solyom (lighting design), David M. Lawson (sound design), Dan Scully (projection design), Marisa Levy (production stage manager), Lisa Dozier King (general manager) and Michael Cassara (casting).

A Scythe Of Time is produced by Nicole Swanson.

The production will begin performances July 21 and run through July 26. Tickets are $27.50 and can be purchased by visiting NYMF.org.