HARRISON BRYAN AND KATIE EMERSON LEAD NEW MUSICAL MARLISE!

NEW YORK, NY — July 13, 2026 — Harrison Bryan (Classic Stage Company’s Marcel on the Train) and Katie Emerson will star in a developmental production of new musical comedy Marlise! Performances begin August 13, 2026 at The Players Theatre in Greenwich Village and continue through September 6, 2026.  Tickets are available at MarliseMusical.com.

Set in Hollywood, Marlise! follows Marlise Mattox, a once-beloved movie star whose career shatters overnight when she’s arrested for murder at the 1954 Academy Awards. Abandoned by the industry that made her a legend, the only person who believes in her innocence is her biggest fan: Arnold Berman, a lonely movie studio prop-room assistant whose imagination has always been larger than his place in Hollywood. After breaking her out of jail, Arnold convinces Marlise to solve the crime with him, filming every twist and turn as they go, in the hopes of creating the greatest comeback movie ever made.

Written by Jesse Ayala (book/lyrics) and Justino Tesoro (music/lyrics), Marlise! is executive produced by Sharon Fallon Productions. Directed and choreographed by Joe Barros, with music direction by Dan Gibson, the original musical was developed through BerkleeNYC and the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop.

“We wanted Marlise! to feel like a Technicolor fever dream that lovingly spoofs the glamour and excess of Golden Age Hollywood and classic movie musicals, with an underlying universal message of finding love and acceptance,” said co-writer Jesse Ayala. “Harrison and Katie bring exactly the kind of larger-than-life performances, impeccable comic instincts, and genuine heart that make that style sing.”

Director Joe Barros added: “At its heart, this is a story about family and the indelible power of home. It’s about the families we choose, the families we're born into, and the impossible desire to rewrite our own story. The show also argues that home is not a place we leave behind or a fantasy we achieve through fame. Home is the people who continue to see us, even after the illusion falls away.”

The actors are appearing courtesy of Actors' Equity Association in an Equity approved Showcase. Additional casting and creative team members will be announced soon.