ZACH Theatre has recently announced the cast for the Texas premiere of the soulful musical love story, The Ballad of Klook and Vinette, running April 24 – May 26, 2019 in The Kleberg.  After making a triumphant American premiere last year at the Horizon Theatre, Musical Director Christian Magby will join this production with direction by ZACH’s Producing Artistic Director Dave Steakley. The Ballad of Klook and Vinette has a Book by Ché Walker with Music and Lyrics by Anoushka Lucas and Omar Lyefook.

“The form of this musical is as revolutionary as Hamilton and I'm interested in work that moves the art form forward to respond to a contemporary audience,” Producing Artistic Director Dave Steakley said in regards to why bringing The Ballad of Klook and Vinette to Austin is special to him. “Rodgers and Hammerstein responded to the popular music of their day, just as composers Anoushka Lucas and Omar Lye Fook are responding as African American recording artists and composers in 2019 to this moment. The work is exciting and innovative, and it is a perfect vehicle for ZACH stars CHANEL (Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill) and Roderick Sanford (A Christmas Carol), two of the greatest singers in Austin, who have a long history of thrilling audiences on our stages.”

Tender, funny, and incredibly moving, this contemporary new love story will grab you from the inside out. Klook and Vinette are two lost souls trying to find themselves in one another. Against all odds and with the past at their heels, together they make a tentative stab at happiness. Staged in the intimate Kleberg at ZACH Theatre, this is a seductive premiere musical about inevitability and the thrill of falling in love. Infused with lyrical prose, Jazz, Blues, and Soul, The Ballad of Klook and Vinette is a mesmerizing theatrical experience you won’t want to miss.

The title roles will be played by CHANEL as Vinette and RODERICK SANFORD as Klook.

When: April 24 – May 26, 2019
Where: The Kleberg at ZACH
Tickets: Start at $25 at zachtheatre.org
Age Recommendation: 13 and up

CAST

• CHANEL – Vinette

• Roderick Sanford – Klook

PRODUCTION TEAM

• Dave Steakley – Director

• Christian Magby – Music Director

• Christa Oliver – Choreographer

• Scott Groh – Scenic and Properties Designer

• Carla Nickerson – Costume Designer

• Rachel Atkinson – Lighting Designer

• Craig Brock – Sound Designer