Brilliant Bacharach

Show Description

Get ready for a spectacular musical experience! The cabaret company that thrilled you with Dreaming of Thunder Road last summer is back, and they’re bringing the magic of Brilliant Bacharach to the stage.

Prepare to be dazzled by this unique tribute to legendary composer Burt Bacharach and his long-time lyricist Hal David. These iconic songwriters, much like the incredible Carole King, launched their careers at the famed Brill Building in the 1960s and went on to shape the sound of an era.

The hits of fellow Brill Building alumnus Neil Diamond are also featured in a special tribute by Jersey City, New Jersey, celebrity GOMO.

Cast

• Rachel Murdy, lead vocalist
• Peter Szep, piano
• Matthew Milligan, guitar
• Joey Slater, percussion/vocals
• GOMO, featured performer
• Special appearance by Bibi the Chihuahua

Performer Bios

Rachel Murdy

Rachel Murdy is a character actor, cabaret singer, performance artist, and theater deviser-director-creative producer. She was a member of Diane Paulus’ company Project 400 Theater Group for 10 years after receiving her MFA from Columbia and is co-creator and original cast member of The Donkey Show, which ran for 20 years in New York City/Cambridge at A.R.T.

Rachel has played in and co-created many character-based interactive theater experiences and cabarets including Conni’s Avant Garde Restaurant (Bushwick Starr, Joe’s Pub, Cleveland Public Theater), Little West 12th Night (Meatpacking District Street Tour), and with Peter Szep, The Millay Sisters Cabaret (Don’t Tell Mama, Stonington Opera House ME, Abingdon Theater).

She performed on the road with Matthew Milligan as GOMO the Ghost and created the YouTube series GOMO TV. Recent cabaret creations with Peter and Matthew include Fear of Clowns, Gershwin Odyssey, and GOMO’s Christmas Show at SMUSH Gallery.

Rachel and Bibi are so pleased to be back at Clear Space Theatre, having brought Dreaming of Thunder Road to Rehoboth in the Summer of 2024.

Peter Szep

Conductor/pianist Peter Szep is the founder of the New York Opera Fest and New York Opera Alliance, as well as the Indie Opera Podcast (indieopera.com).

Peter is known for his “tremendously affecting” accounts of difficult works. His production of Il Tabarro performed on an oil tanker at the Red Hook container port received critical acclaim in The New York Times and was called “exhilarating” by Brian Kellow in Opera News.

He is a champion of new works, including the premiere of Farberman’s Diamond Street, the New England premiere of Ned Rorem’s Our Town, and Benjamin Yarmolinsky’s The Constitution at VPR.

Conducting engagements include the Yonkers Symphony, Kalamazoo Symphony, Opera House Arts, and Raylynmor Opera. Peter is overjoyed to be back at Clear Space Theatre with Rachel Murdy and friends.

Matthew Milligan

Matthew Milligan has been a professional musician since 2006, best known for his work with Wheatus (“Teenage Dirtbag”), Mike Doughty (formerly of Soul Coughing), MC Frontalot (Nerdcore Rising), and MC Lars (“Download This Song”).

He has performed alongside Vernon Reid (Living Colour), Dan Wilson (Semisonic), Billy Martin (Medeski Martin & Wood), Wayne Kramer (MC5), Money Mark (Beastie Boys), Marc Ribot (Tom Waits), and more. He is also a writer, producer, and founding member of NYC-based groups Fashion Bird Danger Danger & Grim All Day, as well as long-distance collaboration Maeges.

Matthew hosts the “Weird Al-Gorithm” podcast on the Geekscape Network and worked as an engineer on Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast from 2020 until Gilbert’s passing in 2022. He mixed the Wheatus live album M (Live in America), released in 2020.

He has collaborated with Rachel Murdy since 2019 on multiple stage productions in NYC and a full USA tour supporting Mike Doughty.

Joey Slater

Joey Slater is a British-born, NYC-dwelling alt-rock singer-songwriter. She performs in multiple bands, most notably as a backing vocalist in the rock band Wheatus.

Growing up in 90s England on a healthy balance of Led Zeppelin and the Spice Girls influenced Joey as a solo artist. She crafts garage-esque alternative punk rock instrumentation with delicate pop vocals that nearly conceal her dark and often existential lyrical content.