Dust & Shadow in Concert

Do you know Lyndsay Faye’s book Dust and Shadow? It’s available through the Web Store.  https://bit.ly/2uzRzCz

Dust and Shadow

Here’s the description from the Web Page.

From the gritty streets of nineteenth century London, the loyal and courageous Dr. Watson offers a tale unearthed after generations of lore: the harrowing story of Sherlock Holmes’s attempt to hunt down Jack the Ripper.

As England’s greatest specialist in criminal detection, Sherlock Holmes is unwavering in his quest to capture the killer responsible for terrifying London’s East End. He hires an “unfortunate” known as Mary Ann Monk, the friend of a fellow streetwalker who was one of the Ripper’s earliest victims; and he relies heavily on the steadfast and devoted Dr. John H. Watson. When Holmes himself is wounded in Whitechapel during an attempt to catch the savage monster, the popular press launches an investigation of its own, questioning the great detective’s role in the very crimes he is so fervently struggling to prevent. Stripped of his credibility, Holmes is left with no choice but to break every rule in the desperate race to find the madman known as “the Knife” before it is too late.

A masterly re-creation of history’s most diabolical villain, Lyndsay Faye’s debut brings unparalleled authenticity to the atmosphere of Whitechapel and London in the fledgling days of tabloid journalism and recalls the ideals evinced by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most beloved and world-renowned characters. Jack the Ripper’s identity, still hotly debated around the world more than a century after his crimes were committed, remains a mystery ripe for speculation. Dust and Shadow explores the terrifying prospect of tracking a serial killer without the advantage of modern forensics, and the result is a lightning-paced novel brimming with historical detail that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

*****

On Monday, July 17, Dust and Shadow was performed as a concert at the Highline Ballroom in New York City.

DustandShadow1-700x394-538x301

Here’s the Broadway cast.

IMG_2266

This was the description of the show from the Highline Ballroom’s site.

The July 17th concert marks the first time “Dust and Shadow” will be presented to the public.Rachel Flynn will be directing the star-studded evening with music by Jonathan Reid Gealt, lyrics by Dustin Sullivan and a book by Kasey Marino. Matt Hinkley will be rounding out the evening’s creative team with orchestrations, additional arrangements and musical supervision.

The evening features TONY and GRAMMY nominee Bryce Pinkham (Gentleman’s Guide) as Sherlock Holmes, Drew Gehling (Waitress, Roman Holiday) as Dr. John Watson, Lilli Cooper(Spring Awakening, Wicked) as Mary Ann Monk, Kevin Massey (Gentleman’s Guide, Memphis) as Constable Edward Bennett, D. C. Anderson (Phantom of the Opera) as George Lusk, Alexa Green as Mary Ann Nichols, Julia Burrows as Annie Chapman, Sally Eidmanas Elizabeth Stride, Amy Toporek as Catherine Eddowes, Jenny Ashman as Mary Jane Kelly and Michael Deleget as Johnny Blackstone. The concert also features Patrick Massey, Nicholas Ryan, Jamal Lee and Kyle Robert Carter.

“Dust and Shadow,” based on the novel by Lyndsay Faye, transports audiences to the underbelly of Victorian London as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson pursue the infamous Jack the Ripper.

*****

It may have been the first time “Dust and Shadow” was presented to the public, but with any luck, it won’t be the last. The songs were clever. The casting was excellent. At times the musicians overwhelmed the voices, but, they were doing sound checks right up to the last minute. There were a few small issues with the sound, but nothing that can’t be worked out if the show goes anywhere.

Good luck to Lyndsay Faye with the future of Dust and Shadow.