Joey and Ron is The new, groovy, 60’s musical about when music was gooey and the kids dug it!
All-American high school garage band Ronny and the Sugars have big dreams of winning the Battle of the Bands and going on tour. However, the real world of 1969 is encroaching on their cartoonish, comic book lives in a big way: a band member’s life is suddenly called to the front-lines of war, there’s a secret inner-band love that must be hidden from the world, and a curmudgeon of a teacher is hot on their trail to stop their candy-coated Rock-N-Roll dreams!
Joey and Ron is a love-letter to the golden era of Bubblegum Music. Fans of The Archies, The Monkees, and the 1910 Fruitgum Company will feel right at home in this bright, Saturday Morning Cartoon world. Others will appreciate the snappy songs and tight storytelling. If you ever wanted to see the true power of a catchy tune and some sweet Na Na Na’s, come to The Players Theater loft space this November!
Shows
Thank you to everyone who came to our November 2019 run of Joey and Ron and made it such a success! Joey and Ron will return!
Cast
PJ Adzima - Ron
Select credits include: Elder McKinley in The Book of Mormon (US National Tour/Australian Company), The Tycoons! (RAVE Theater Festival - Outstanding Performance Award).1001 Nights (Atlantic), Volleygirls, TINK, The Cobalteans (NYMF), The Bacchae (La Mama), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Gorilla Rep). TV: "Madam Secretary”. PJ is a Story Pirate, CO/LAB Supporting Artist, and co-star of Royally: An Original Series. Thanks and love to Joel & Louie, the entire J&R family, and always, Julia.
Emily Nash - Daisy
Emily is overjoyed to be a part of the team! She’s Brooklyn-based actor/singer. Recent credits include SPRING AWAKENING (Ilse) at the Argyle Theatre, THE MADWOMAN OF CHAILLOT (Gabrielle/Broker/Music dir.) with the Lunar Stratagem, and world premieres with the Harbor Stage Company, The Flea Theater, The Bushwick Starr, and more. She just performed her original cabaret show BETA B*TCHES & BETA BLOCKERS: AN ANXIOUS CABARET at The Duplex. Select TV/film: EVIL LIVES HERE and ON THE CASE WITH PAULA ZAHN (Investigation Discovery), the award-winning feature film PROM KING 2010, and a whole lotta commercials. BA in Drama from Vassar. @emilykatenash www.emilyknash.com
Jenna Pastuszek - Mrs. F
Proud graduate of NYU & UVA. Other credits include: DINER (Delaware Theatre Co.), BECAUSE OF WINN DIXIE (DTC), SIDE SHOW (Media Theatre), EVITA (Stage Door Theatre), THE LAST FIVE YEARS (Eagle Theatre), SISTER ACT (Lake Dillon Theatre Co.), WINTER WONDERETTES (Walnut Street Theatre), SMILE (Musicals Tonight!). In honor of this production, Jenna is making a donation to Arts for All (arts-for-all.org), a nonprofit that seeks to transform the lives of NYC children who face socio-economic, physical or emotional barriers to exploring the arts. Thanks to the J&R team for this awesome opportunity & thank YOU for supporting new musical theatre. www.JennaP.com
Benny Salerno - Joey
Benny Salerno is ecstatic to be making his NYC theatre debut! He is fresh off a summer season at the Hope Summer Rep Theater, where he performed in shows like West Side Story (Bernardo) and Shakespeare in Love (U/S Ned Allyn). He is a proud graduate of the University of Miami BFA Musical Theatre program. A big THANK YOU to the Joey and Ron team, the cast and crew, and his parents, who would kill him if they were not mentioned. For more Benny, you can visit www.bennysalerno.com or follow him on instagram @bennyfresh20. Enjoy the show!
Daniel Barrett - Max
Daniel Barrett is a NYC based actor represented by Bret Adams Artist Agency. Daniel graduated with his BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Miami. Most recently, Daniel performed in a developmental reading of “Savage: The Musical”. This summer Daniel performed in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at The Myers Dinner Theatre. In addition Daniel produced his own Cabaret, “Summer Stalk” at The Duplex. Other Credits: Vinnie in Lucky Stiff (The Dutch Apple/ Prather Productions), Ian in Aunt Jack (Empirestage). Daniel would like to thank the entire team for trusting him, and for welcoming him into the Joey and Ron family! www.danielbarrettactor.com
MArty Keiser - Robby Love
Marty Keiser most recently appeared as Herod in James Rutherford's production of Oscar Wilde's Salome. Credits include The Metropolitan Opera (a three-time Principal Guest Artist most recently as a member of the clown troupe in Pagliacci), ESPN, The David Letterman Show, Classic Stage Company, Ontological, Mabou Mines, HERE, Chocolate Factory, Wild Project, PIT, NY Classical, National and International tours, and as a company member of Performance Lab 115. Member of AEA. Past musicals include: Judas (JCS), Applegate (Yankees), Miles (Forum), Action (WestSide), Lion (Wiz), Nicely (GuysDolls). Member of the Tufts Beelzebubs. Dance ambassador for Ecstatic Dance. MFA in Acting from Columbia University. Adjunct Associate Professor at Pace University. Meditates daily, generally groovy. Special thanks to my pal, roommate and likely fourth cousin, Louie.
Samantha Sayah - Toni
Samantha is thrilled to be joining the sugar-sweet cast of Joey and Ron! Regional credits: In The Heights (Pittsburgh Musical Theater) West Side Story, Pippin, James and the Giant Peach (Summer Theatre of New Canaan). Other: Disney Cruise Line (Anne-Marie, Anna u/s) Tokyo Disney Resort (Jasmine), and Junie B.’s Essential Survival Guide…(Nat'l Tour, TWUSA). BFA Montclair State University. Proud member of AEA. Special thanks to Joel, Louie, Elizabeth, Morgan, and Michael for this opportunity! Love to Mom, Dad, Michelle, and Dante www.samsayah.com
Maddie Sykes - Go-G0 Girl
Maddie is a New York- based actor, enchilada chef, and dedicated plant mom. Credits include Dan Cody’s Yacht (Manhattan Theatre Club), Robin Hood (Williamstown Theatre Festival), and the New York premier of Horse Girls (the cell). Select TV/Film: “A Ring for Christmas”, “Evil Lives Here”, “Period Piece”, “The Weekend Detectives”. BFA NYU and The Stella Adler Studio. Extra special thanks to Louie, Joel, and the entire J&R team! www.maddiesykes.com
Crew
Louie PEarlman - Book, Lyrics & Music
Louie Pearlman has been an innovator and maverick of the New York City Comedy and Arts Scene since 2002.
Louie's officially-licenced Archie Comics/Riverdale stories "Nice Girls Finish Last," “Nice Girls Finish Last 2: Hell Week” and “Riverdale’s Worst Nightmare” are currently available on the platform Yarn. Louie also co-hosts and produces the pop culture podcast XOXO Riverdale, and the live streaming radio show/podcast Kick The Jukebox. His pieces have appeared on Gizmodo, Rebeat Magazine and Tough Pigs.
For over ten years Louie has been a producer, director, performer and teaching artist with the nationally recognized arts education company Story Pirates, where he's performed nationally in theaters, music festivals and schools.
Special thanks to all our amazing Kickstarter funders, his wonderful friend and collaborator Joel for going down this six-year candy coated road with him, the entire Joey & Ron family, his pal Allison Johnelle Boron for showing him a whole mod, mod world exists if you just know where to look, the Gods of gum Joey Levine and Ron Dante, and his beloved parents Katie and Pacey who are truly the grooviest cats he knows. www.LouiePearlman.com
Jacob Ready - ASsociate Producer
Jacob Ready is a producer, comedian, and teaching artist dedicated to lifting undiscovered voices through theater. As a producer, Jacob has had the privilege of presenting work from diverse, dedicated artists at venues including the Tank, the Flea Theater, the Cherry Lane Theatre, and Babycastles. Jacob also works as the Outreach Director for the Story Pirates and a Teaching Artist with CO/LAB Theater Group.
Joel Esher - Music, Lyrics & Book
Joel is a composer and lyricist living in New York City. Off-Broadway: Music and additional lyrics, PharmaBro, an American Douchical! (OBA Nom, Best Musical). Collaborating composer and additional lyrics, Folk Wandering (Pipeline Theatre/ART). NYC: Bagels from Benny and Sammy Spider, (Kaufman Center). Superhots! (Soundbites). Other: Music and additional lyrics, The Clumsy Princess (Jessica Puller, playwright; Beverly Hills Theatre Guild Award recipient). Joel is the Music Supervisor of the Story Pirates, and has contributed multiple original songs to Story Pirates’ globally recognized podcast (regularly top #10 in Kids and Family on iTunes, 1M downloads/month). B.M, Northwestern University (Joseph L. Siegel scholarship award for Music Theater). Member of the BMI Advanced Musical Theatre Writing Program. Other current project: Noplace. www.joelesher.com
Alex Grover - Set Design
Alexander Grover is an international performance designer and visual artist. He is interested in interrogating frustrating and potentially unanswerable questions through his manipulation of installed space and visual gestures. Recent international work includes READY! SET! for the 2019 Prague Quadrennial Studio Festival. Other international work includes THE END, THE END, THE END . . . and Gunshot Medley for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, as well as Associate Designer for Buried Child at Hong Kong Repertory Theatre.
Other projects include Hamlet with Scarlett Kim, Jackie with Blake Harris, COBBLEFUCK STONETOWN - an adaptation of Titus Andronicus in a parking lot with members of the devised performance group Dead Practice, Rain, River, Ocean with Monty Cole, Caroline Island with Salvatore Mannino, and KOLOB with choreographer Jodi Porter at the Sharon Disney Lund Dance Theater.
Elizabeth Nestlerode - Director
Elizabeth is an actor-musician, director, and teaching artist. Directing credits include: The Spitfire Grill, Nunsense, and countless educational theater productions of KIDS, Jr. and full-length musicals and plays. She has directed, music directed, and taught at ArteCentro Paiz in Guatemala City, Guatemala, University of Miami, Cape Playhouse, Bucks County Student Theatre Festival, Adirondack Lakes Summer Theater Festival, ArtsWest Theater, Village Theatre KIDSTAGE, Madrona Children’s Theater, and First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn. Elizabeth spent four summers teaching at The American School In Switzerland where she wrote and directed three world-premiere musicals, which were each performed by a cast of children from around the world. Recent onstage credits include: Diane Cohen and the music captain in the Off-Broadway musical The Other Josh Cohen, and Girl in her 4th regional production of Once at Cape Playhouse, both directed by Hunter Foster. In addition to teaching private voice and piano lessons, she has taught for Disney Theatrical Group for the last seven years. She hails from Seattle, WA and has a BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Miami. www.ElizabethNestlerode.com
Alex Golden - Associate Music Director
Alex Goldie Golden is delighted to be returning to Joey and Ron after music directing the developmental workshop last spring. Recent credits: Williamstown Theatre Festival (AMD, Late-Night Cabaret Series, MD: Cody Owen Stine), Ars Nova workshop production of The Hole Story, (MD, Composer: Andrew R. Butler), Beauty and the Beast (MD, New London Barn Playhouse), Ghost the Musical (Conductor/Keys 1), and Next to Normal (MD). She was a featured composer in the 2019 New York Musical Festival concert, Head and Heart. She works with Music Theatre International and is a pianist for the incredible Story Pirates. B.A. Theatre with Honors in Music Direction, Bucknell University. @goldiegolden65
Contact Us
Player’s Theatre
115 MacDougal St.
New York NY 10012