Playbill
Chilina Kennedy, Crystal Lucas-Perry, Ryan Silverman, More Set for Sign of the Times Reading
By Andrew Gans
October 10, 2023

An industry reading of the new musical A Sign of the Times, featuring the songs of Petula Clark and other pop hits of the 1960s, will be presented October 20 at 2 PM at the Baryshnikov Arts Center.

Gabriel Barre (Almost Maine, The Wild Party) will direct the reading, presented for potential investors in a 2024 New York City production that features revised material since the 2018 Delaware Theatre Company staging.

The upcoming reading will feature Chilina Kennedy (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical) as Cindy, Tony nominee Crystal Lucas-Perry (1776) as Tanya, Ryan Silverman (The Phantom of the Opera) as Brian, Justin Matthew Sargent (Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark) as Matt, and Alex Joseph Grayson (Parade) as Cody, with Melessie Clark, Jeremy Gaston (Aladdin), Tyler Hanes (Cats), Maggie McDowell (Disaster!), Lindsay Moore, Greg Sim, Paige Catherine Smallwood (Hamilton), and Edward Staudenmayer (Girl from the North Country).

Featuring a book by Lindsey Hope Pearlman (Roar!) and two-time Emmy winner Bruce Vilanch (Divine Madness), based on an original story by Richard J. Robin, A Sign of the Times also has choreography by JoAnn M. Hunter (School of Rock) and music direction and orchestrations by Joseph Church (The Lion King).

Set during the progressive era of Women’s Liberation, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Vietnam War protests, A Sign of the Times follows Cindy, a young woman from Middle America, who comes to New York City in 1965, where she finds her voice. Songs include “Downtown,” “You Don’t Own Me,” “Don’t Sleep in the Subway,” “The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss),” and “The Boy From New York City,” among others.

The musical had its world premiere at Goodspeed Musical’s Norma Terris Theatre in 2016 and subsequently played at the Delaware Theatre Company in 2018.

The executive producer for A Sign of the Times is Richard J. Robin, Wells Street Productions LLC.

The post Industry Reading Set For Bruce Vilanch’s Jukebox Musical, Sign Of The Times first appeared on We Got Bruce!.

Chilina Kennedy, who recently departed the titular role in Broadway’s “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” has signed on to lead “A Sign of the Times” as part of Delaware Theater Company’s 40th anniversary season. The musical, which had its world premiere at Goodspeed Musicals in 2016, features the songbook of recording artist Petula Clark, and a book by six-time Emmy Award winner Bruce Vilanch. Gabriel Barre directs the production, which will also star Drew Seeley, Crystal Lucas-Perry, and Ryan Silverman. Performances will begin Nov. 28 and are slated to run through Dec. 23.

The post Delaware audiences are in for a theatrical treat. Bruce Vilanch’s Musical “A Sign of the Times” Is Coming! first appeared on We Got Bruce!.

A Sign of the Times, a new musical featuring the songs of Petula Clark and multiple hit-makers of the 1960s, will join the Delaware Theater Company’s 40th Anniversary Season, from November 28 – December 23.

Featuring a book by legendary comedy writer and six-time Emmy Award-winner Bruce Vilanch, based on an original story by Richard Robin, the show is directed by Gabriel Barre (Amazing Grace) with choreography by JoAnn M. Hunter (School of Rock). The production will star Broadway notables Chilina Kennedy (Beautiful), Drew Seeley (Jersey Boys), Crystal Lucas-Perry (Lincoln Center’s Bull In A China Shop), and Ryan Silverman (The Phantom of the Opera). Complete casting will be announced at a later date. Opening night is set for December 4.

Featuring the songs of a generation, A Sign of the Times tells the story of Cindy (Kennedy), a young woman pursuing her passion and finding her voice in New York City in 1965. Set against the backdrop of women’s liberation, the civil rights movement, and the Vietnam War – events as relevant today as they were then, A Sign of the Times will transport audiences to the big city in the 60s with heart and soul, featuring such classic songs as “Downtown,” “You Don’t Own Me,” “Don’t Sleep in the Subway,” “The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss),” and “The Boy From New York City.”

Additional creative team members include Paul Tate DePoo lII (Scenic Design), Jennifer Caprio (Costume Design), Ken Billington (Lighting Design), Benjamin Pearcy (Projection Design), Shannon Slaton (Sound Design), J. Jared Janas (Hair Design), Rick Fox (Music Direction),Joseph Church (Music Supervision & Orchestrations), Alchemy Production Group (General Management) and Tara Rubin Casting (Casting). A Sign of the Times played a nearly sold out world premiere engagement at Goodspeed Musicals in 2016.

Tickets are now on-sale. For performance schedule and pricing, visit: www.DelawareTheatre.org.

About Delaware Theater Company

Currently in their 40th season, Delaware Theatre Company (DTC) is Delaware’s premier non-profit professional theatre. Recognized as a cornerstone in the Brandywine Valley’s rich cultural landscape, DTC has produced nearly 200 plays for over one million residents and visitors in its community. For more than two decades, DTC has been a pioneer in the revitalization of Wilmington’s Christina Riverfront and cultural district as the only LORT theatre in the state. Since Bud Martin’s arrival in 2012, DTC has seen a 54% increase in subscribers and a 234% increase in single ticket buyers, making Delaware Theatre Company an up and coming player in the regional theatre community.

The post Bruce Vilanch’s A SIGN OF THE TIMES to Premiere at Delaware Theater Co first appeared on We Got Bruce!.

Industry presentations of the new musical A Sign of the Times, featuring songs made famous by Petula Clark and other 1960s hit-makers, will be presented December 14–15 in Manhattan.

The cast will feature Chilina Kennedy (currently starring as Carole King in Broadway’s Beautiful) as Cindy, Ryan Silverman (Side Show) as Brian, Van Hughes (Spring Awakening) as Dennis, Drew Seeley (Jersey Boys) as Matt, and Crystal Lucas-Perry (Bull in a China Shop) as Tanya.

Directed by Gabriel Barre (Amazing Grace) with choreography by JoAnn M. Hunter (School of Rock), the musical made its world premiere last summer at Goodspeed Musicals in Connecticut. Lucas-Perry reprises her performance from the previous engagement; the rest of the principal company is new to the title.

The ensemble will comprise Lauren Boyd, Brad Bradley, Lauren Nicole Chapman, Melessie Clark, Natalie Charle Ellis, Mylinda Hull, Jeremy Gaston, Jeremiah Ginn, Lindsay Moore, Kevin Santos, Nathan Scherich, and Amos Wolff.

The new musical, conceived and created by Richard Robin with a book by Emmy-winning writer and performer Bruce Vilanch, concerns Cindy, whose passion for making a difference in the world takes her from her small Midwestern town to New York City. Set against the backdrop of the events in 1965—The Civil Rights Movement, Women’s Liberation, and the war in Vietnam—songs include “Downtown,” “I Know a Place,” “The Boy from New York City,” “The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s in His Kiss),” and “If I Can Dream.”

Music supervision is by Joseph Church (The Lion King, Tommy) with music direction by Rick Fox (Jesus Christ Superstar), and casting by Tara Rubin Casting.

“It was quite an experience for A Sign of the Times to have had such a positive response during its first production at Goodspeed,” said creator and producer Richard Robin in a statement. “Using feedback from the Goodspeed audience and ongoing discussions with the creative team, the December presentations will showcase a number of changes to the book and score. As options for the next production are being explored, we hope that A Sign of the Times will make its next appearance on stage in 2018.”

The post Bruce Vilanch’s New Musical, A Sign Of The Times, To Have Industry Reading In New York first appeared on We Got Bruce!.

A stage-show based around the songs of the 1960’s British songstress, Petula Clark, has opened up in Connecticut, titled A Sign of the Times.

What to expect?
According to the press release, the story is not that of Petula Clark herself, despite featuring quite a good number of her songs. Instead, the play tells of an original story of a girl named Cindy who runs away from Middle America to Manhattan in the year of 1965, and the various misadventures that ensue. A press release give the show the tagline of “Forget all your troubles, forget all your cares —go “Downtown” and find out who you are!,” taken from Clark’s song, “Downtown,” which is one of the many songs featured in the show.

In the current show, Cindy is played by Ephie Aardema, a Broadway veteran. Other actors include Robert Lenzi, Bryan Fenkart, Nick Bailey, and Crystal Lucas-Perry. Esnsemble includes Lauren Boyd, Lauren Nicole Chapman, Jeremy Gaston, Alexandra Matteo, Kevin Santos, Keven Quillon, Dave Schoonover and Alet Taylor, many of whom have appeared in Broadway shows as well as other shows for the Connecticut theatre.

The book or libretto was written by Bruce Vilanch and the story was created by Richard Robin. Gabriel Barre serves as director. JoAnn M. Hunter serves as a choreographer. Performances will begin July 29 and will last until early September at the Norma Terris Theatre, which is owned by the Goodspeed Musicals theater company, in Chester, Connecticut. Tickets can be purchased through the theatre’s box office or online at Goodspeed’s website.

The show includes such popular Clark songs as “Color My World,” “Kiss Me Goodbye,” “Who Am I,” “Call Me,” “Don’t Sleep in the Subway” and “The Boy From New York City,” in addition to the namesake song, which can be seen below.

That said, Petula Clark is not the only icon of the Sixties to be a part of the show. In addition, the show is said to feature songs from other artists of the decade, such as Lesley Gore’s “You Don’t Own Me” and the Fontella Bass number, “Rescue Me.” Even one Elvis number, “If I Can Dream,” will appear in the show. #Music

The post Musical based around Petula Clark songs opens up in Connecticut. What to expect? first appeared on We Got Bruce!.