KC Rep’s ‘Venice’ Gets a Run at NY’s Public Theater
KC Rep’s ‘Venice’ Gets a Run at NY’s Public Theater - KansasCity.com
“Venice,” an original musical that received its world premiere in 2010 at Kansas City Repertory Theatre, will be staged at one of New York’s most prestigious off-Broadway theaters.
While other shows carrying the Rep’s name as a co-producer — including “A Christmas Story” and “Tom Sawyer” — have played New York, this production will be a milestone for Kansas City’s leading nonprofit theater company. It was written by Eric Rosen, the Rep’s artistic director, and Matt Sax, who composed the music, and much of the early work on the show was done in Kansas City.
“It feels like its DNA is in this town, and that was very different from ‘A Christmas Story,’ ” Rosen said. “ ’Christmas Story’ originated in the mind of its producer, Jerry Goehring, and we were brought the project to develop. For this, Matt and I came up with the idea, and we wrote every word in it.”
“Venice” is set in a city in the not-so-distant future. All the elders have died in a costly war, and now the younger generation is struggling to plot the city’s future. The music is a mashup of hip-hop, soul, pop and rock.