Industry Presentation of The Ladies Man
On November 3rd in NYC
Written by Justin Mortelliti Music & Lyrics by Justin Mortelliti and Shannon Hunt
Kate Rockwell, Anthony Norman and Amber Ardolino
Lead the Cast
Directed by Matt DiCarlo
Music Direction by Ben Cohn
New York – The Ladies Man, a new musical with 24 original songs by Justin Mortelliti and Shannon Hunt, will have a private industry reading on November 3 in New York.
The creative team is Justin Mortelliti (book, music & lyrics), Shannon Hunt (music & lyrics), Ben Cohn (music direction) and Matt DiCarlo (director). It is produced by Just-Mort Entertainment. Martian Entertainment (Carl D. White and Michael Guariglia) are general managers.
The cast is led by Kate Rockwell (Mom) and Anthony Norman (Julian) and Amber Ardolino (Tina). Bryan Fenkart (Dad), John-Michael Lyles (Jamie), Alexa Moster (Holly), Brent Comer (Jake/Jordan), Josh Jordan (Tommy/Lucas), Bryan J. Cortes (Andy/Sparrow), Tasia Jungbauer (Courtney), Kyra Belle Johnson (Donna), Erica Sweany (Aunt Jean), Peter Dager (Vinnie), Wes Zurick (Craig/Steve), and Scott Doyal (Young Julian) round out the cast.
The Ladies Man begins in the late 80s and tells the story of Julian, an Italian American boy from New Jersey who is coming out and coming-of-age under the watch (and guilt) of strict Roman Catholicism. His search for love, God, and himself is aided by a coterie of colorful, hilarious, and fiercely loyal friends, as well as a generous helping of Jersey attitude. Julian navigates his way into adulthood as he accepts his own truth but comes to discover that shame follows. The Ladies Man takes Julian through to the 2010’s and is a dark, gritty, and often very funny story that exists in a world where HBO’s Euphoria meets Dear Evan Hansen, Fun Home and Next to Normal.
Justin Mortelliti says, “There is a desperate need in our world for stories like this, stories that can save lives. Art allows us the opportunity to be understood, to feel seen and less alone. The gay community has come a long way, but there is still work to be done and stories to tell to stop the pain that continues to echo through it. I feel a responsibility to tell these stories, so that young hearts have a chance to love, be loved and most importantly love themselves.”
Ian Morgan, Associate Artistic Director of The New Group said, “The Ladies Man is engaging and not in any generic way; the world of the piece feels beautifully specific. The characters are well drawn and multifaceted and the pain of the story balanced with the humor and warmth of the relationships makes it both fun and ultimately more moving. The music complements the action by capturing the time and place and spirit of the characters. As with any family drama, the story itself may not be completely unique and so it is all in the telling. This piece tells it in a truly engaging way and finds unexpected depth.”
CREATIVE TEAM BIOS
JUSTIN MORTELLITI (Writer and Creator) is an actor, writer and singer/songwriter born in Philadelphia and raised in Washington Township, NJ. He studied music, voice and violin and furthered his education with acting training at Mason Gross School of the Arts (Rutgers University) and The London Academy of Theater. Justin has built a career in theater, television and film in Los Angeles, New York and Las Vegas. Broadway: Escape to Margaritaville (original cast). Off-Broadway/NY: Clueless: The Musical, The Columbine Project (Dylan Klebold), Las Vegas: Rock of Ages (Drew in the original cast). Regional Theater: Escape to Margaritaville (La Jolla), Oswald: The Musical, Rent (Roger), Pippin (Pippin). Los Angeles: For the Record: Scorsese An American Crime Requiem (The Wallis), For the Record: Boogie Nights (Rockwell), The Bedroom Window (The Odyssey), Happy Days (The Falcon Theatre), Expecting to Fly (The Elephant Theatre) TV/Film: AMC’s “TURN: Washington’s Spies”, “NCIS: New Orleans”, “Law & Order: Organized Crime”, “Manhunt: Deadly Games”, “Orange is the New Black,” “Numb3rs,” “Victorious,” “The Collection” and “Dog Tags.” His musical releases include the EPs “The Fall and Rise” and the “The Prince of April” as well several pop singles including “Hello/Alive”, “I Want Your Love”, “Big Hair” and “Graduwasted”. Three of Justin’s singles received radio play and his song ‘The Fall’ hit the Top 10 on Highway Radio’s The Highway Vibe in California, Nevada and Arizona. ‘The Fall’ has been featured in the film Dog Tags and was the title song for the web series ‘Gossip Boy’. He also co-wrote the song ‘You Amaze Me’ which was featured in the gay cult film Eating Out: The Open Weekend.
SHANNON HUNT (Music & Lyrics) graduated from High Point University with a BA in business and economics, but her love of music steered her to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a singer/songwriter. Over the last 10 years, she has recorded two solo albums, opened for The Zac Brown Band and Sheryl Crow, written jingles for Coca-Cola and Dasani, had original songs featured in various film and television projects. She produced music videos for both of her bands, produced other commercial projects and co-fronted two pop duos: including “Stefi and Pepper” with Justin Mortelliti. Shannon is currently a vocal coach in Los Angeles.
MATT DiCARLO (Director) was born and raised in New Jersey. He is currently the Associate Director for the Broadway and North American Touring productions of Moulin Rouge, and the Associate Director for the upcoming production of Sing Street at Huntington Theatre Company. Matt staged the Off-Broadway, Chicago, and North American touring productions of The Play That Goes Wrong and restaged the original Broadway production of Beetlejuice for its run in Seoul. He was the Associate Director for the first national tour of The Color Purple revival and the second national tour of Rock of Ages. Matt is on the faculty at Columbia University and graduated with a BFA from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University.
BEN COHN (Music Director) was most recently music director on Broadway’s Once Upon a One More Time, the Dear Evan Hansen movie, and music director and associate supervisor for Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway/tour/London. Previous Broadway projects: Wicked, The Woman in White, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Wonderful Town, In My Life. Pre-Broadway: The Book of Mormon, 9 to 5, Anastasia, Finding Neverland. Ben is also music director for Clay Aiken, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s 21 Chump Street, Stephanie J. Block, Michael Ball, and many other performing artists. Ben’s arrangements have been heard on TV, albums, concerts, theme parks and cruise lines. Ben is an Ithaca College and NYU grad.