Buckle up for Ruthless! The Musical, the hilariously twisted comedy where the spotlight can be deadly, launching Island City Stage’s 14thSouth Florida Season on November 6. Meet eight-year-old Tina Denmark—a pint-sized diva who knows she was destined to play Pippi Longstocking in her school musical, and if she has to knock off the competition to get the part? Well, that’s showbiz! This Off-Broadway cult favorite is a deliciously campy satire packed with sharp wit, outrageous twists, and over-the-top characters. The show will run through December 7.
The book and lyrics of Ruthless! The Musical are by Joel Paley, music by Marvin Laird, and the production is directed by Island City Stage’s Artistic Director, Andy Rogow.
“When people ask me about Ruthless! The Musical, I say, ‘Imagine a mash up of The Bad Seed, All About Eve and Gypsy,’ and they immediately start laughing,” said Rogow. “Every time Ruthless! The Musical has been produced in South Florida it has won Carbonell Awards because the roles in it are gold mines for musical theatre performers. Island City Stage has been fortunate to assemble a truly gifted cast chock full of award-winning South Florida musical theatre stars.”
Ruthless! The Musical opened at the Players Theatre in New York City’s Greenwich Village on March 13, 1992 and ran for 342 performances. The lead role of Tina was originally played by nine-year-old Laura Bell Bundy, best known today as a highly successful country music artist and TV, stage and screen actress. A bit of trivia: two other stars of tomorrow, Natalie Portman and Britney Spears, served as understudies for the original production. The show won the 1993 New York Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical. The show opened in Los Angeles in 1993, in Miami in 1995 and in London in 2002, among many other venues since then.
Island City Stage’s production of Ruthless! The Musical stars nine-year-old child actressDaisyTanner (Tina Denmark), Lindsey Corey (Judy/Ginger), Leah Sessa (Louise/Eve), Maribeth Graham (Miss Thorn/Reporter), Michael Ursua (Sylvia St. Croix) and Aaron Bower (Lita).