Acclaimed Actors and Actresses Join RRCA in the New Audio Drama Debut of "The Songbird"
NEWS RELEASE
BROADWAY SONGBIRD KELLI O’HARA STARS WITH SHIRLEY JONES AND ED ASNER IN NEW AUDIO DRAMA FROM THE RADIO REPERTORY COMPANY OF AMERICA
Acclaimed Actors and Actresses Join RRCA in the New Audio Drama Debut
(Saddle Brook, NJ) The Radio Repertory Company of America’s newest audio production, “The Songbird,” will make its broadcast debut on the XM/Sirius Satellite book channels on Friday, April 29. The science fiction fantasy comedy stars three-time Tony nominee, Kelli O’Hara, and Hollywood legends, Shirley Jones and Ed Asner.
In “The Songbird,” O’Hara plays the part of Maureen Barnet, a famous diva trying to recover from a nervous breakdown, brought on partly by a spoiled and out-of-control daughter. The breakdown has left Barnet unable to sing in front of large crowds and an overwhelming sense of guilt for having abandoned her daughter during the years as an intergalactic star. As if Maureen needed more problems, enter Shirley Jones as aging chanteuse, Amelia Storm, who needs to pass on a mystical song to a younger singer. The song enables the generation’s most beautiful voice to see the future. Amelia Storm tricks Barnet into acquiring the gift. When Maureen dreams that her daughter will be kidnapped, she turns to retired cop Henry Powell, played by Asner, who reluctantly accepts the case because he cannot get any other work.
O’Hara became a Broadway star with her Tony Award nominated portrayal of Clara Johnson in “Light in the Piazza.” She later starred alongside Harry Connick, Jr. in “The Pajama Game,” and, most recently, she starred as Nellie Forbush in the Lincoln Center production of “South Pacific.”
The Book Talk channel on Sirius is 117 and 163 on XM. “The Songbird” will also be available for download on iTunes in May and can be purchased as a double CD package from the RRCA website. Amazon, Buzzy Multimedia, Audible, and the ZBS Foundation will also offer the show on their websites.
The Radio Repertory Company of America has been producing original since 1995, when its first series, “Garson Krebs: Private Eye” was broadcast on National Public Radio’s NPR Playhouse. It was an original contributor to XM Satellite Radio, when it introduced its award-winning Anne Manx series. To date, the company has produced eight feature length audio programs and more than two dozen programs in total for XM/Sirius Satellite Radio. The company has won two Mark Time awards and one Golden Headset award for audio excellence. RRCA anticipates beginning production on a sixth Anne Manx installment in June.
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