National Asian Artists Project (NAAP) and Prospect Theater Company are partnering for a third year to present a special one-night-only concert reading of Into the Woods on Saturday, October 20 at 7:30 p.m. at The Times Center (242 W. 41st Street).
Directed by Steven Eng and music directed by Kristen Lee Rosenfeld, NAAP brings a new and unique voice to interpret a modern classic. James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim’s Tony Award-winning book and score interweave favorite storybook characters, creating a timeless yet relevant piece on the power of story and the nature of family.
This event is part of NAAP’s annual Rediscover Series, which explores classic musicals with professional artists of Asian descent, proving that great works of theater speak to all communities. The event is also part of Prospect’s ongoing IGNITE concert series.
The cast of Into The Woods features Viveca C. (Miss Saigon, Broadway) as Cinderella; Alex Chester (How the Grinch Stole Christmas, MSG) as Little Red Riding Hood; Cindy Cheung (Thirteen Reasons Why, High Maintenance) as the Baker’s Wife; Karl Josef Co(CSC’s Pacific Overtures) as Cinderella’s Prince; Daniel J. Edwards (Anything Goes, Broadway) as Rapunzel’s Prince; Lydia Gaston (The King and I, Broadway) as Jack’s Mother; Ann Harada (Broadway: Avenue Q, Cinderella) as the Witch; Kennedy Kanagawa (Dinner with Georgette, NYTW) as Jack; Raymond J. Lee (Broadway: Groundhog Day, Honeymoon in Vegas) as The Baker; and Jason Ma (writer / composer, Gold Mountain) as the Mysterious Man.
Other cast members include Rona Figueroa, Kimbirdlee Fadner, Rebecca Lee Lerman, Colin Miyamoto, David Shih, Laura Yen Solito, Virginia Wing, and Xiaoqing Zhang. The Associate Director is Cassey Kivnick, and the Assistant Musical Director is Griffin Strout. Julie Miller is the line producer.
“NAAP is excited to bring together a remarkable ensemble of some of NYC’s finest actors — joining with the celebrated NAAP Broadway Community Chorus and the award-winning NAAP Kids — for a single night, to perform this rich, poignant, and very fun piece of theater,” said director Steven Eng. “Prospect is honored to continue our fruitful partnership with NAAP, bringing to life one of the great modern classics of American musical theater,” said Prospect’s Producing Artistic Director, Cara Reichel.
