Sophie Hayden, Shira Gregory, Janine DaVita Join When Midnight Strikes

The Hive Theatre will present WHEN MIDNIGHT STRIKES by Kevin Hammonds and Charles Miller, being performed as part of The Hive's Exposed Series; staged readings of new and underexposed plays or musicals. The Hive Exposed Series is designed to nurture the artistic development of playwrights, book writers and lyricists. WHEN MIDNIGHT STRIKES will be performed on Friday, December 9th and Saturday, December 10th at The Cell at 8pm.

This free staged reading of WHEN MIDNIGHT STRIKES will star Sophie Hayden (Tony nominee for The Most Happy Fella), Shira Gregory (Broadway: Frost/Nixon), Janine DaVita (Broadway: Grease), Alan Winner (Gone with the Wind in the West End with Trevor Nunn), and Chris Critelli (The New Hopeville Comics Off-Broadway). The cast is rounded out by John Ambrosino, Ron Bopst, Dana de Celis, Alyssa Malgeri, Marissa Parness, and Kristin Piacentile. Admission is FREE and tickets will be distributed at the door on evening of each performance starting at 7:30pm on a first come, first served basis.

WHEN MIDNIGHT STRIKES is set in New York City on New Year's Eve, 1999. Jennifer and Christopher West, the seemingly perfect, sophisticated married couple, are throwing an intimate dinner party to ring in a brand new millennium. As doubts swirl regarding fears of Y2K and the end of the world, Jennifer, the consummate hostess, has worries of her own to contend with, after discovering that her husband is having an affair.

The stage is set for the party of the millennium. As the hosts confront their unraveling marriage, old friends and new strangers grapple with their resolutions, past mistakes, and an uncertain future. When midnight strikes, and the world doesn't end, the guests still find themselves saddled with the same problems and distractions. Tired of keeping up the act of "Little Miss Perfect", Jennifer comes to terms with her own demons, throwing out the social niceties that have confined her, and starts letting the guests know exactly how she feels. This brutal, but refreshing, honesty sends the guests into a tailspin, launching these twelve characters into an explosive and life-altering evening. WHEN MIDNIGHT STRIKES is a party you don't want to miss.

WHEN MIDNIGHT STRIKES was first written in year 2000 for The London School of Musical Theatre. With an unwieldy cast of 24, the musical was re-written four years later with a scaled down cast of twelve, and received a critically acclaimed professional production at The Finborough Theatre in London. After being hailed as "a witty and entertaining piece of musical theatre that restores one's faith in musical theatre " by the British Theatre Guide, it has since enjoyed productions regionally across the United Kingdom, and was also translated into Norwegian and performed in Norway. Although the show has enjoyed great success in Europe, The Hive's production will be the American debut of WHEN MIDNIGHT STRIKES.

CAST INCLUDES:
John Ambrosino - BRADLEY
Ron Bopst – EDWARD
Chris Critelli – Christopher West
Dana de Celis – Jennifer West
Janine DaVita – NICOLE
Shira Gregory – JOSEPHINA
Sophie Hayden – ZOE
Alyssa Malgeri – RACHEL
Marissa Parness – MURIEL
Kristin Piacentile - TWYLA
Alan Winner – GREG WEST