Piece of My Heart Beats Again in “Pre-Broadway” Industry Reading; Casting Announced | Playbill

News Piece of My Heart Beats Again in “Pre-Broadway” Industry Reading; Casting Announced Piece of My Heart, the Off-Broadway musical about rock pioneer Bert Berns, will get Feb. 26 and 27 New York industry readings that are aimed at preparing the show for a Broadway transfer.

Subtitled “The Bert Berns Story,” Piece of My Heart has a book by Daniel Goldfarb that traces the career of the 1960s composer of songs including the Beatles’ “Twist and Shout,” plus “Brown Eyed Girl,” “Cry Baby,” “Under the Boardwalk," "Hang on Sloopy” and the Janis Joplin hit that gives the show its title. Berns died in 1967 at 38 of heart failure.

"I Want Candy"! Zak Resnick Is Legendary Songwriter Bert Berns in Off-Broadway's Piece of My Heart

The initial Off-Broadway production ran July through September 2014 at the Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center.

This week’s readings, open to invited theatre industry audiences only, will be performed by Zak Resnick (as Berns), Drama Desk Award nominee Leslie Kritzer, Tony Award nominee de’Adre Aziza, Theatre World Award winner Linda Hart, plus Derrick Baskin, Carleigh Bettiol, Bryan Fenkart, Joseph Siravo and Mark Zeisler, with an ensemble that includes Teresa Gattison, Shonica Gooden, Ralph Meitzler, Harris Milgrim, Michael Millan, Gabrielle Ruiz and Heather Parcells.

Directed and choreographed by Denis Jones, the reading is being produced by Merged Work Productions and Jack Thomas. A production release said the show is “headed for Broadway,” but contained no Broadway dates or theatre.

Also on the creative team: Garry Sherman (music supervision, orchestrations & arrangements) and Lon Hoyt (music direction and additional vocal arrangements).

Click here for details on the 2014 Off-Broadway run, and the initial announcement of the planned Broadway transfer.

 
Today’s Most Popular News:
 X

Blocking belongs
on the stage,
not on websites.

Our website is made possible by
displaying online advertisements to our visitors.

Please consider supporting us by
whitelisting playbill.com with your ad blocker.
Thank you!