CREATIVE TEAM
BRANDON LAMBERT (Book, Music, Lyrics) loves his family, but… the characters and events in this production are fictitious. No identification with Brandon’s actual family members is intended or should be inferred. His musical At First Sight (co-writer Gary Jaffe) was commissioned and produced by the Mountain Playhouse, and he is currently developing the musical Fun at the Beach Romp-Bomp-a-Lomp!! (co-writer Martin Landry) with Mark Bell, director of Broadway’s The Play That Goes Wrong. He is a proud member of the BMI Workshop (Harrington Award winner) and the Dramatists Guild.
LAUREN GUNDRUM (Book, Lyrics) is an NYC-based lyricist and librettist. Lauren's debut musical PharmaBro (with Joel Esher) ran Off-Broadway in Summer 2017 and was nominated for an Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best New Musical. PharmaBro had a sold-out developmental run at the Workshop Theatre and has been featured in Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, The NY Post and The NY Times among others. Lauren is a member of the Dramatist Guild and a participant in the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop. She held the Players Theatre Production Residency in Spring 2017. Her work has been featured at the Seattle Repertory Theatre, the Duplex, the Triad, the York, and 54 Below. www.laurengundrum.com
GUY STROMAN (Director) is an award-winning director whose work in NYC and around the country includes: collaborations with Sandy Duncan, June Squibb, Lou Diamond Phillips, Sally Struthers, Lynn Redgrave, Jean Stapleton; directing a wide range of productions, including Twelfth Night, The King and I, The Glass Menagerie, Driving Miss Daisy, Man of La Mancha, The 39 Steps, Art, Shakespeare’s R&J, Steel Magnolias, Love Letters, Boeing, Boeing, and numerous, long-running productions of Forever Plaid and Plaid Tidings. Guy originated the role of Frankie in Forever Plaid, in New York, London’s West End, and LA, where he received a Best Actor award from the LA Drama Critics. Most recent: Lewis Black’s One Slight Hitch, David Dean Bottrell Makes Love-A One Man Show (Dixon Place). www.guystroman.com
ALEX RATNER (Music Director / Pianist) is a musical theatre writer, arranger and music director. Recent projects include Tyrell, a musical prequel to Game of Thrones, which made its London debut in 2020, and music direction for The Magnificent Seven, a new piece about the 1996 U.S. Olympic women's gymnastics team, which premiered at Theatre Row in 2022. Member of the BMI Workshop, and winner of BMI's Jerry Harrington Award and Jean Banks Award. As an arranger, Alex adapted the score of Children of Eden, Junior for MTI, and wrote vocal arrangements as part of the Yale Whiffenpoofs. alexratnermusic.com
SIERRA LAI BARNETT (Choreographer) is a proud first-generation Chinese American from Columbus, Ohio, who can’t help her smile or her love of a good homemade dumpling! She earned degrees in dance and business management from Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA. Most recently, she worked as an associate choreographer on the recent revival of Into the Woods at Encores! and through its transfer to Broadway. Barnett was the assistant choreographer on the 2nd National Tour of LCT’s My Fair Lady.
REED RIDGLEY (General Manager/Producer) General Management/Producing highlights include The Scottsboro Boys (world premiere), [title of show] (world premiere), Avenue Q (Vineyard Theatre), The Book of Mormon (first workshops), Carrie (Off Broadway premiere), Wig Out! by Tarell Alvin McCraney (world premiere), The Long Christmas Ride Home by Paula Vogel (world premiere), The Slug Bearers of Kayrol Island (world premiere), and God’s Ear by Jenny Schwartz (world premiere). A graduate of NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Reed is the General Manager at Keen Company, the Producing Director of Mason Holdings Theatre, and a proud member of the teaching staff at Modo Yoga NYC and Sui Yoga NYC.
ZAK BIGGINS (Production Stage Manager) is thrilled to be making their off-Broadway debut! They have created work with 54 Below, Green Room 42, Mercury Lounge, The Cutting Room, and most recently concluded touring the country assisting winners of RuPaul’s Drag Race. They have directed a number of immersive drag experiences with headliners including: Kevin Aviance, Amanda Lepore, Raja, Roxxxy Andrews, Gigi Goode, Trinity the Tuck and more. Film/TV casting: A Star is Born, Euphoria, We Can Be Hero’s, Cruella, Knives Out. BFA: Carnegie Mellon. Much love to Tim, Dolly, Birkin, Panda, and gays of El Paso, Texas.
CAST
J.D. DAW (Frank) Regional: Spamalot (Sir Dennis Galahad), Forever Plaid (Jinx), The Music Man (Jacey Squires), and Funny Girl (Ziegfeld Tenor) for North Shore Music Theatre; Next to Normal (Dr. Madden) for TheaterWorks Hartford; Music Man (Jacey Squires) for the MUNY St. Louis and for Sacramento Music Circus; Moon Over the Brewery, I Love You, You’re Perfect..., Comedy of Tenors, The Affections of May, One Slight Hitch for The Mountain Playhouse; and Rags (Irish Tenor/Sal understudy) for Goodspeed Opera House. J.D. played Jinx in Forever Plaid for the inaugural productions of both the Cosmopolitan Cabaret in Sacramento and the Pittsburgh CLO Cabaret directed by the much adored Guy Stroman.
JULIAN DIAZ-GRANADOS (Timmy) is thrilled to be reprising the role of Timmy! Broadway: Dear Evan Hansen (Jared/Connor), Ruben and Clay’s Christmas Show. National Tour: Dear Evan Hansen (Jared/Connor). NYC/Regional Favorites: Newsies (Jack Kelly), Ordinary Days (Jason), Cabaret (Cliff). Endless gratitude to Brandon and Lauren for their creative genius. Love to Mama, Papa, Noah, Sam, family, friends, teachers, and my beautiful wife, Kateryna. @juliandiazgranados
JENNIFER DINOLFO (Claire) is so excited to be making her off-Broadway debut! Most recently, Jennifer was seen in Kinky Boots at North Shore Music Theatre playing the Milan Stage Manager and u/s Lauren. Prior to Kinky Boots, Jennifer spent a year at sea playing Tracy in Hairspray for Royal Caribbean International. Favorite past credits: Songs For a New World (Woman 1), Legally Blonde (Paulette) and Curious George (Nettie). Jennifer holds a BFA in musical theatre from The Boston Conservatory. You can find her released cover track of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” on Spotify, Apple, and all other major music streaming platforms. Endless gratitude to Brandon, Lauren, Guy, the cast and team of I Love My Family, But, her agent Chris Davis and most of all love to her parents who never miss show. jenniferdinolfo.com, @jenniferdinolfo
KATIE OXMAN (she/her, Martha) is so thrilled to bring this show off Broadway, after being with the show since it was just an idea on a piano and post-it’s on Lauren’s wall. Katie is a creative across many disciplines and this year was selected to be one of 22 creators in the Disney Creators Lab. She has performed at Pittsburgh CLO, Prime Stage Theatre, Mountain Playhouse, Summer Theatre of New Canaan and across the country with the Candid Camera Live tour. Recently she performed in a reading of ‘Beach Romp Bomp a-Lomp’ in NYC directed by Mark Bell. She is also the voice of ‘Retro Recipes’ and often can be found singing new material for the geniuses at BMI (like Lambert & Gundrum!). For a myriad of other creative things and pictures of her very handsome fiancé who she can’t wait to marry this October, visit @katherinealice on Instagram and @katieoxmanoffical on TikTok.
SOHO PLAYHOUSE TEAM
SoHo Playhouse (General Manager: Britt LaField) has been one of Off Broadway’s primary venues for new plays for the past 80 years. Formerly “Vandam Playhouse” the theatre has been home to countless dreams and movements. Many actors, directors, choreographers, production designers, theatre managers, technicians, and producers all received their start at SoHo Playhouse. Writers: Sam Shepard, Edward Albee, Tracy Letts, Charles Buch, Leroi Jones and Lanford Wilson have all made this venue their home. Award winning shows have included: The Boys in the Band, Killer Joe, The Divine Sister, Mindgame, Krapp, 39, Piaf, Room Service, Jamaica Farewell, Belly of a Drunken Piano, Bukowski From Beyond, The Emperor Jones, Triassic Parq, Rap Guide To Climate Chaos, The Other Josh Cohen, Bill W and Dr Bob, Bright Colors And Bold Patterns, Josephine: A Burlesque Cabaret Dream Play, and recently Hannah Gadsby’s Nanette, Daniel Sloss’ X, and Phoebe Waller Bridge in Fleabag. The Playhouse has also proudly served as home to the International Fringe Encore Series since 2005. Mr. Cole has served as Artistic Director since 2004.
Press: Everyman Agency
Production Photographer: Gundrum Photography
Key Art: Alan Buttar
Special Thanks: Jim & Cathy Harless, Ray Verzasconi, Patrick & Sara Lambert, Mindy Cicali & Stacie Santoleri, Larry Gundrum, Ed & Edie Hahlbeck, Will Hall & Andrea Heyman, Peter Hull & Manuel Guzman-Garrow, Rebecca Miller, Shannon & Phil F. Lee, Susan Weinzierl, Thomas Honeck, Lisa Moss, Karen Cahn, Laura Dobrzynski, Wendy Gundrum, Casi Riegle, Caitlin Bower