This week’s Director Selects does not include an artist interview, as it does most Fridays. Nonetheless, this is one of the most important installments, and one I’m sure you’ll find very exciting. I am thrilled to share with you the cast for our upcoming performance of Randy Newman’s FAUST: The Concert.
We already announced that the leading roles will be filled by two bona fide Broadway mega-talents. Javier Muñoz (Hamilton, In the Heights) returns to The Soraya, this time portraying the Lord, bringing to Randy Newman’s depiction a warmth and complexity of character as well as a powerful musical command. Co-starring with Javier will be Reeve Carney (Hadestown, Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark), making his Soraya debut as the Devil. His soaring vocals have a rock ‘n roll edge that complements his vivid characterizations.
For the title role, we introduce Ryan McCartan, a young powerhouse who is best known for his work on television (Fox’s remake of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Disney Channel’s “Liv and Maddie” and more). In Randy Newman‘s depiction, Faust is a college kid with a mean streak and obsession for violent video games. McCartan will bring exceptional breadth as an actor who embodies a chameleon-like presence.
Two Los Angeles-based performers round out the cast – Veronica Swift as Martha and Joanna Lynn-Jacobs as Margaret. Veronica Swift is a versatile artist known for her jazz and pop vocal prowess, among other styles. Swift made a heralded mainstage splash at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 2022. Joanna Lynn-Jacobs is an exquisite vocal artist and interpreter of opera and new music who is known to LA audiences for appearances at Walt Disney Concert Hall among other venues.
In The Soraya’s version of Randy Newman’s Faust, the proceedings will be overseen by a narrator who guides us through Newman’s contemporary interpretation of the classic tale. For the occasion, we found someone with a sense of humor to match Newman’s — screenwriter and comedian Jordan Temple who joins us between episodes of the hit television comedy “Abbott Elementary” where he is a regular in the writer’s room.
Faust is a rarely performed gem and seeing it will be a once in a lifetime experience. We’re sure you will agree that we assembled the right team to bring it to life for this historic occasion.
Gratefully,
