“Helldrivers of Daytona” Producers Thank Cast and Crew
The world-premiere production of the pop rock musical Helldrivers of Daytona, which officially opened September 12 at The Royal George Theatre in Chicago, has canceled the remainder of its run. The show’s Producers release the following in thanking their actors, cast and crew.
“We all believed in HELLDRIVERS OF DAYTONA and more importantly believe in creating new works for the American Musical stage. We are disappointed by the critical response, but we knew that it was a risky endeavor. Still, many of the people who saw it were thoroughly entertained and delighted by the work of our fantastic cast and musicians. We have decided to close the production and we will evaluate how we might make changes for future productions of the musical. We want to thank our talented team of designers, our director and co-choreographer, our music director, our cast and crew, and of course our creative team who have all worked so diligently get Helldrivers to the starting (and alas, finishing) line.”
The musical features music by Berton Averre, lyrics by Rob Meurer and a book by Emmy Award winner Mark Saltzman. Following various workshops, this production was billed as a “pre-Broadway tryout” produced by Natasha Davison (Gotta Dance, The Prom) and Richard Friedman (general manager at Theatre at the Center).
Directed and choreographed by Danny Herman with co-choreography by Rocker Verastique and musical direction by Linda Madonia, the cast included Samantha Pauly as Pepper, David Sajewich as Count Porcini Portobello and Jeff Award nominee James Nedrud as Lucky.
The Royal George Theatre will be contacting patrons for refunds.