Jerry Christmas
2006 Festival
Director
David Warren
Cast
Kim Bromwell, Stephen DeRosa, Tiffany Haas, Jenn Harris, Adam Heller, Leslie Kritzer, Janet Metz, David Reiser, Steven L. Rosenhaus, Douglas Sills and Lillias White
Number of Acts: 2
Number of Principals (Male): 5
Number of Principals (Female): 4
Preferred Ensemble Size: 4
Total Cast Size: 13
Orchestra Breakdown:
As big as Andrew can get away with.
Casting Notes:
Female chorus could range from 2 to 6.
Genre & Style:
Synopsis
It’s 1961, and after three flops, funny man Jerry Barron is in need of a hit. His family is keeping secrets and losing patience. And he’s wallowing in despair. Luckily, Maury Mintz calls and offers him the chance of a lifetime: to put his family on the air on live television in a Christmas special called JERRY CHRISTMAS! Only problem is, they’re Jewish. As Jerry wrestles with his career, his family, his identity, and his faith, one major question looms – will the special put Jerry back on top? Jerry Christmas has music and lyrics by Drama Desk and Richard Rodgers Award winner Andrew Lippa (The Wild Party, A Little Princess, NAMT Festival 2005) and book by Daniel Goldfarb (Modern Orthodox, Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me, Party Come Here, NAMT Festival 2005).
Development History
Jerry Christmas was performed in a staged reading in July 2006 as part of New York Stage and Film’s Summer Theater Season, and was developed at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto and by the Araca Group.
Festival Successes
Staged readings at The Araca Group (NY) and New York Stage and Film (NY) in 2007.