American Pop Anthology's Floyd and Birgitte Mutrux Premiere BOY FROM NEW YORK CITY, 9/20

American Pop Anthology, in association with Scott Prisand (Broadway's Rock of Ages), announced today that they will present the new musical production BOY FROM NEW YORK CITY written and directed by Tony Award-nominee Floyd Mutrux (Broadway's Million Dollar Quartet and Baby It's You!) and choreographed by Birgitte Mutrux (Broadway's Baby It's You!). Performances begin September 20, 2012 for an eight-week run at The Coast Playhouse (8325 Santa Monica Boulevard) in West Hollywood.

BOY FROM NEW YORK CITY will star Vincent Spano (Rumble Fish) as George Goldner, Arielle Jacobs (Broadway's In the Heights) as Reina, Geno Henderson (Broadway's Baby It's You!) Tommy Edwards/and others and Crystal Starr Knighton (Broadway's Baby It's You!) as Lavern Baker. The new musical tells the story of the king and queen of New York rock 'n' roll from 1955-1965 – George Goldner (Vincent Spano), the most characteristic figure in the Golden Era of street corner do-wop and his great love affair with a Puerto Rican dancer named Reina (Arielle Jacobs), whom he met when she was a hat check girl at the Palladium. The production will feature rock 'n' roll favorites like "Why Do Fools Fall in Love," "Tears on My Pillow," "Barbara Ann," "Little Darlin," "Save the Last Dance for Me," "Good Golly Miss Molly," "It's All in the Game of Love" and others.

"The most memorable quote that I ever heard about George Goldner came from his protégé Artie Ripp, who later produced Billy Joel's first solo album. Artie said, 'George had the mind of Einstein and the ears of a teenager'," said Floyd Mutrux, writer/director of BOY FROM NEW YORK CITY and co-head of American Pop Anthology. "George's rock 'n' roll bio is exactly what Birgitte and I are looking for when creating musicals – people who have made the music that changed the culture of our country, these are the stories that American Pop Anthology will produce."

Birgitte Mutrux, choreographer of BOY FROM NEW YORK CITY and co-head of American Pop Anthology added, "It feels wonderful to be back with our third show BOY FROM NEW YORK CITY. There's a very good reason why American Pop is based here in Los Angeles, it's the perfect place to create – Million Dollar Quartet and Baby It's You! also had their start here. To my mind, Los Angeles has a cheerful disposition, which allows for great collaboration."

"Working with Floyd is like being on an amusement park ride – you're spinning on a 45 RPM record – you not only get the sounds of the era, you also get the history and the personalities of rock 'n' roll – and rock 'n' roll has never left the soul of America," said BOY FROM NEW YORK CITY producer Scott Prisand. "American Pop Anthology is like the master conductor of that era and I'm thrilled to combine our worlds."

BOY FROM NEW YORK CITY is presented by American Pop Anthology in association with Scott Prisand. The new musical is written and directed by Floyd Mutrux and choreographed by Birgitte Mutrux. Joining the creative team is Joel Scott (Baby It's You!) as Musical Director. Bruce Bendell serves as Executive Producer.

Full casting and the design team along with ticket information will be announced at a later date.

More Articles by This Author...