Auditions Announced for 2024 Musical “Lucky Stiff”

The Garfield Center has announced audition dates for the hilarious musical “Lucky Stiff.” Auditions begin Saturday, December 2nd, at 2 PM and continue on Tuesday and Thursday, December 5th and 7th, at 6:30 PM. It is not necessary to attend all audition dates. Directing the production is GCA’s Executive Director Steven Arnold, and the Music Director is JW Ruth. Performances begin February 9 and will run weekends through February 25th.

Interested performers should come with a prepared song and some form of accompaniment. An accompanist will not be provided but a keyboard will be made available for anyone who brings an accompanist. Singers may perform using a music track from their phones if their phone speaker can be heard from the audience, but a Bluetooth speaker will also be made available through the GCA’s WiFi. A CD player is available for use if pre-arranged with the Director. Do not bring accompaniment on a thumb drive as we cannot guarantee we will be able to access it. Singers should not sing along with recorded voices on their music track.

“Lucky Stiff” premiered Off Broadway in 1988 at New York’s Playwrights Horizons. It was the first successful collaboration between Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty. The two later went on to collaborate on other successful and well-known musicals, including “Ragtime,” “Seussical” and “Once on This Island.”

Based on the novel “The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo” by Michael Butterworth, “Lucky Stiff” has a story reminiscent of the popular film “Weekend at Bernie’s.” London shoe salesman Harry Witherspoon’s distant uncle, Anthony Hendon, has been murdered. As Anthony’s only living relative, Harry will inherit $6,000,000, but only if he takes the embalmed, wheelchair-strapped body on his Uncle’s planned vacation to Monte Carlo. Harry must follow an activity-specific agenda with the body, or the money will go instead to the Universal Dog Home of Brooklyn, whose director, Annabel Glick, follows Harry in the hope that he’ll slip up. Add in a near-sighted and abrasive gangster’s girlfriend, a nervous optometrist, a boisterous and gregarious Italian playboy, a sexy French cabaret singer, and a variety of other over the top characters, and it all results in a story of mistaken identities, disguises, surprising love interests, plot twists and unexpected reveals. “Lucky Stiff” is an over-the-top farce that will keep the laughter coming!

A light rehearsal schedule during December, including a holiday break from rehearsing, is planned. The main rehearsal process will begin in early January. Character descriptions with vocal ranges and age information can be found on the Garfield Center’s website by clicking the Auditions page link at the top of the main page. If an answer to any additional question is not provided there, additional inquiries can be sent by email to the Director at [email protected].