On the Town star Alysha Umphress will head the cast of two industry readings of the new musical The Outrageous Sophie Tucker July 31 at 4 and 8 PM ET at Open Jar Studios in New York City.
Umphress will play the "Last of the Red Hot Mamas" title role opposite Capathia Jenkins, Phillip Attmore, Stephanie Gibson, Saint Aubyn, Hannah Corneau, Anne L. Nathan, Mark Price, Christopher Sieber, Ryan Vasquez, Gabriel Amato, and Christine Sienicki.
The musical tells the real-life story of Sophie Tucker, one of the first performing icons of the 20th century—a fixture in concert halls, Vaudeville, and even the Ziegfeld Follies. The musical will include many of the songs Tucker was famous for performing, including "I'm the Last of the Red Hot Mamas," "Nobody Loves a Fat Girl (But Oh How a Fat Girl Can Love)," and "Some of These Days." The book is written by Susan and Lloyd Ecker.
Director-choreographer Shea Sullivan leads a creative team that includes orchestrator Sam Davis, dramaturg Stephanie Prugh, script consultant Harrison David Rivers, music director Ted Arthur, and associate director Amina Robinson. Victoria Navarro stage manages, with Jen Bender serving as line producer and Lisa Dozier of LDK Productions as general manager.
Casting for The Outrageous Sophie Tucker is by Tara Rubin.
Industry members interested in attending can contact [email protected].