Duncan Sheik musical to debut in San Diego

NEW YORK, June 4 (UPI) -- Songwriter Duncan Sheik is following up his Broadway hit "Spring Awakening" with his new musical "Whisper House," Sony Music Entertainment said Thursday.

Concert readings of the production are to take place at Vassar and New York Stage and Film's Powerhouse Theater program in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., on the Vassar campus July 10-11. The show will then have a debut run at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, Calif., Jan. 13 through Feb. 21.

"Duncan Sheik introduced the story of 'Whisper House' last January in the form of a CD of the same name," Sony Music said in a release. "The collection of songs, written specifically for the theatrical production, marked Sheik's first solo album since 2006's critically-acclaimed 'White Limousine' and came on the heels of the success of the Broadway musical 'Spring Awakening' for which Sheik collaborated with lyricist Steven Sater and composed an original score."

"Spring Awakening" won eight Tony Awards.

The concept for "Whisper House" came about when "30 Rock" actor Keith Powell approached Sheik about developing a musical theater piece with him, Sony said.

Following a trip Powell took to New England, a story began to emerge centered around a lighthouse. Up-and-coming playwright Kyle Jarrow signed on to write the script and Sheik penned most of the music during a writing retreat on an island off Charleston, S.C.