UnsungMusicalsCo. (UMC) will continue its 2014 developmental reading series July 24 at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center with a presentation of I Had a Ball in the Bruno Walter Auditorium.

The 2:30 PM reading will star Emmy Award winner Bruce Vilanch (Hairspray, “Hollywood Squares”) — in the role originated by comedian Buddy Hackett — and Natalie Venetia Belcon (Matilda, Avenue Q). Ben West directs. Additional casting will be announced at a later time.

I Had a Ball, the 1964 Coney Island musical comedy, has a book by Tony Award winner Jerome Chodorov and a score by Stan Freeman and Jack Lawrence. The score has been newly arranged by musical director Fran Minarik.

I Had a Ball is described as “a vibrant, colorful confection following the delightfully eccentric denizens of Coney Island and the feisty fortune-teller who singlehandedly sets off a series of raucous romantic entanglements. Sparks fly, love blossoms, and hilarious hijinks ensue in this bright and brassy entertainment!”

The Bruno Walter Auditorium of The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts is located at 111 Amsterdam Avenue, between 64th and 65th Streets. Admission is free, and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information visit www.UnsungMusicals.org.

The post Bruce Vilanch and Natalie Venetia Belcon Will Have a Ball in Upcoming Reading of Vintage Musical Comedy first appeared on We Got Bruce!.

UnsungMusicalsCo. will offer a special presentation of the 1964 Coney Island musical I Had a Ball as part of its 2014 developmental reading series at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center. The show features a book by Tony Award winner Jerome Chodorov (Wonderful Town) and a score by Stan Freeman and Jack Lawrence. Directed by Ben West, the performance will be held at 2:30pm on Thursday, July 24, in the Bruno Walter Auditorium. Admission is free and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Set on the Coney Island boardwalk, I Had a Ball centers on a matchmaking fortune teller who sets off a series of raucous romantic entanglements. The reading will star Emmy Award winner Bruce Vilanch (Hairspray) in the role originated by Buddy Hackett. The cast will also include Natalie Venetia Belcon (Matilda The Musical), with additional casting to be announced shortly. Musical director Fran Minarik will lend new arrangements to the score.

UnsungMusicalsCo. is a New York-based not-for-profit production company dedicated to the preservation of musical theater through the revitalization and presentation of obscure but artistically sound works. The company primarily focuses on works from 1931-71.

The post Bruce Vilanch to Star in Reading of I Had a Ball first appeared on We Got Bruce!.