EXCLUSIVE: The British thesp currently appearing as U.S. Secretary Of State in Netflix’s House Of Cards and alumna of 24 will play the wife of the prolific French sci-fi writer in Jules Verne: From the Earth To The Moon, a new music-and-drama mashup presented at BAM by multimedia group Ensemble Of The Romantic Century. The musico-dramatico project will blend the dramatic story of Verne’s meeting with American journalist Nellie Bly (played by Samantha Hill, Cossette in the Broadway revival of Les Miserables) with live period music by French and American composers. Playing Verne in the limited run is New York stage veteran Jonathan Hadary (Rocket To The Moon).
The events take place in 1889, when Bly sets out to beat the global circumnavigation feat of Verne’s Around The World In 80 Days hero Phileas Fogg. The triumphant journo stops in Paris to meet the aging Verne. The staged concert, first performed by the 14-year-old group in 2008, interweaves drama, video, and the music of Chausson, Stephen Foster, Gottschalk, and Chaminade, played by a chamber ensemble with additional musicians and, yes, a barbershop quartet. It’s written by ERC founder Eve Wolf and directed by Donald T. Sanders.
The limited run at BAM’s experimental space, BAM Fisher, is set for April 8-12.
Subscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy.