Every day is opening night.

Contact:
Rick Miramontez / Briana Sanchez / Shea McGovern
rick@omdkc.com / briana@omdkc.com / shea@omdkc.com
212 695 7400

FOR RELEASE ON TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 2025

 “JOY: A NEW TRUE MUSICAL”
ANNOUNCES FREE, LIVE VIRTUAL CHAT
“THE MAKING OF JOY”
WILL TAKE PLACE ON TUESDAY, MAY 13 

GO BEHIND THE CURTAIN
WITH
BUSINESS ICON
JOY MANGANO

TONY AWARD^® NOMINEE
BETSY WOLFE

AND MEMBERS OF THE CREATIVE TEAM

HOSTED BY
KATHARINE QUINN

SIGN UP AT
WWW.JOYTHEMUSICAL.COM/THE-MAKING-OF-JOY 

New York, NY (April 29, 2025) –Today it was announced that JOY: A New True Musical will be presenting a free, live virtual chat titled “The Making of JOY” on Tuesday, May 13 at 7pm ET that will feature inventor and entrepreneur Joy Mangano, Tony Award^® nominee Betsy Wolfe, and members of the creative team that include GRAMMY^® and Tony Award nominee AnnMarie Milazzo (music and lyrics), and Lorin Latarro (director). Hosted by Katharine Quinn, “The Making of JOY” is for musical theater fans, creators, and dreamers everywhere.

This exclusive look at the making of the new musical, based on the true story of business icon Joy Mangano, will take you into the heart of the creative process with the theater makers who are bringing her story to the stage. The topics covered will include building the blueprint of the show and writing the book, music, and lyrics, directing the show and bringing JOY to the stage, lessons in perseverance, and a live Q&A with attendees.

Registration is free, but space is limited. To register, please visit www.joythemusical.com/the-making-of-joy.

Headshots can be found HERE.

The cast of JOY: A New True Musical includes Wolfe as ‘Joy, ’Jill Abramovitz as ‘Toots,’ Adam Grupper as ‘Rudy,’ Mauricio Martinez as ‘Tony,’ Honor Blue Savage as ‘Christie,’ Charl Brown as ‘Dan,’ Gabriela Carrillo as ‘Ronni,’ and Paul Whitty as ‘Cowboy Eddie.’

JOY: A New True Musical will begin previews at the Laura Pels Theatre at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre (111 West 46^th Street) on Saturday, June 21 with an opening night set for Sunday, July 20.

Tickets for JOY: A New True Musical are on sale now at www.joythemusical.com or by calling (833) 274-8497.

JOY: A New True Musical is an uplifting work based on the true story of entrepreneur and inventor Joy Mangano. Her journey—also told in the 2015 film JOY, starring Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence—now comes to life on stage. From single motherhood and financial struggles to building a business empire, Joy’s story epitomizes the power of resilience and determination, an inspiring celebration of a woman who never gave up and redefined the American Dream!

The musical features a book by Tony Award winner Ken Davenport, music and lyrics by GRAMMY^® and Tony Award nominee AnnMarie Milazzo, music supervision and arrangements by Andy Einhorn, choreography by Emmy Award^® winner Joshua Bergasse, and direction by Lorin Latarro.

The creative team for JOY: A New True Musical includes Tony Award nominee Anna Louizos (Scenic Design), Tina McCartney (Costume Design), Yael Lubestzky (Lighting Designer), Daniel Lundberg (Sound Designer), Tony Award nominee David Bengali (Projection and Video Design), Darion Matthews (Hair and Wig Design), Jillian Zack (Music Director), Gary Mickelson (Production Stage Manager), with ShowTown Theatricals serving as general manager.

JOY: A New True Musical is produced by Sandi Moran and Ken Davenport with TBD Theatricals, Christine Petti, Jonathan & Rae Corr, Scott Abrams, Adam Riemer, Christine G. Williamson, Sheri & Les Biller, Michael T. Cohen & Robin Reinach, Ashley Howe, Stark Sands, Laurie & Emily Tisch, Marco Santarelli, Beauty Theatrical Productions, Mark Jacobs, Shalini Matani, Sara Miller McCune, Megan Ann Rasmussen, and Larry & Robin Kaufman.

Earlier this year, Milazzo released “The Shape of Things: Songs From Joy The Musical,” a concept album inspired by JOY: A New True Musical on Joy Machine Records.

Written and performed by Milazzo, produced by Sonny Paladino, and with music supervision by Andy Einhorn, the digital album is available for streaming HERE.

Additionally, the music video for “The Shape of Things” performed by Milazzo is now available HERE.

Though it is being performed at The Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre, JOY: A New True Musical is not a Roundabout Theatre Company production.

BIOGRAPHIES

Joy Mangano is a legendary product inventor, fearless female entrepreneur, and one of the most influential voices in TV shopping history. Trusted by millions of people worldwide, Joy has been reinventing clean for over 30 years with game changing products designed to make life better and brighter for you and your family. Her $3 billion clean empire includes products across virtually every category, including the iconic Miracle Mop, the billion-dollar Joy Hanger, and now CleanBoss, the world’s most powerful non-toxic cleaning brand. Joy’s journey inspired the Oscar-nominated movie JOY, starring Jennifer Lawrence, and will soon come to life on the stage. Joy has been named one of Fast Company’s “Most Creative People” and has been featured on Good Morning America, 20/20, the TODAY Show, The View, Glamour, InStyle, O, The Oprah Magazine, and many more.

Betsy Wolfe (Joy) recently wrapped her acclaimed tenure with the hit new musical & Juliet as Anne Hathaway where her performance was nominated for the 2023 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Previously, Wolfe starred in the Tony nominated musical Waitress, where she gave a multi-faceted performance as Jenna. Prior to that, she played Cordelia, one of the lovable “lesbians from next door,” in the Broadway revival of Falsettos, which airs frequently on PBS. She is perhaps best known for her critically acclaimed performance as Cathy in the Off-Broadway revival of The Last Five Years.

Wolfe can be seen in the indie feature First One In (on all streaming platforms) and starred in the holiday film Estella Scrooge: A Christmas Carol With A Twist. Wolfe had a guest starring role on the CBS series Instinct.

Originally from California, Betsy received her BFA in musical theatre from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. At age 20—she made her Carnegie Hall debut with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra under Maestro Erich Kunzel. After receiving her BFA, Betsy quickly moved on to star as Rona Lisa Peretti in the San Francisco and Boston companies of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Soon after, she made her Broadway debut in the revival of 110 in the Shade. Betsy gained attention for her next role in both the Off-Broadway and Broadway productions of Sherie Rene Scott’s Everyday Rapture, where she played one of the two Mennonettes.

Betsy’s other Broadway credits include Ellen in the 2014 production of Bullets Over Broadway, directed by Susan Stroman, and Rosa Bud in the revival of The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

Other notable productions include Beth in the City Center Encores! production of Sondheim’s, Merrily We Roll Along, a world premiere production of Bobby Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez’s musical Up Here, and Mary Ann Singleton in ACT’s world premiere of Tales of the City.

Betsy made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Die Fledermaus (Ida). She has been a guest artist for over 65 symphony, pops, and philharmonic orchestras across the U.S. and internationally, including the New York Philharmonic and BBC Symphony Orchestra. She has collaborated with The New York Pops and played to sold-out crowds at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center with their Broadway Today and Women of Notes concerts.

Recordings include & Juliet, Falsettos, Bullets over Broadway, The Last Five Years, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Everyday Rapture, Stage Door Canteen,35MM, and Merrily We Roll Along. She can also be seen in the film adaptation of The Last Five Years.

In 2018 Wolfe founded BroadwayEvolved, a groundbreaking musical theatre training program for students which has been named (seven years in a row) as one of the best summer programs along with top universities. www.broadwayevolved.com

AnnMarie Milazzo (Music and Lyrics) Lucky Us (co-music and lyrics with David Foster), A Walk On The Moon, The Snow Guardian, Pretty Dead Girl, (winner of the Special Jury Award Sundance Film Festival) and JOY: A New True Musical. As Vocal Designer: Spring Awakening, Next to Normal, If/Then, Finding Neverland, revival of Carrie, Bright Lights Big City, Superhero, Dangerous Beauty, Prometheus Bound, Some Lovers, Dave, A Walk On The Moon, revival of 1776, Almost Famous, A Beautiful Noise. As Co-Orchestrator of Once On This Island, AnnMarie was nominated for a Tony, Grammy, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Award. She is the Grammy-nominated female vocalist for East Village Opera Company.

Lorin Latarro (Director) directed Candace Bushnell’s one woman show, Is There Still Sex in the City – NYTimes Critics Pick, Queen of the Night which garnered a Drama Desk Award, Kill the Boy Band by Lowdermilk and Kerrigan, #DATEME at The Westside Theatre, Taste of Things to Come at Chicago’s Nederlander Broadway, Swelling and Irritation by Jodi Picoult and Tim McDonald, Trails, Rodgers after Hammerstein – 92Y Lyrics and Lyricists, Beth Malone’s Three Part Harmony. Lorin is currently developing Lauren Sandler’s novel This Is All I Got with Kirsten Greenidge and Crystal Monee Hall, Begin Again with music by Train, and an immersive Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.

Choreography includes Broadway’s Once Upon a Mattress, Into the Woods, Tommy, Heart of Rock and Roll, Waitress, Mrs. Doubtfire, Les Liasons Dangereuse with Janet McTeer and Live Schreiber, Waiting for Godot with Ian McKellen and Patrick Stuart, Merrily We Roll Along (Roundabout), La Traviata (The Met Opera), Oliver (Encores), Chess (The Kennedy Center), Lin-Manuel Miranda’s 21 Chump Street for “This American Life”(BAM), The Public Theater’s Twelfth Night and The Odyssey (Delacorte Theater), Assassins (Encores).

Ms. Latarro is a Drama Desk, Lortel, and Chita Rivera nominee. BFA Juilliard. MA NYU. Lorin performed in 14 Broadway shows and has traveled to India and Africa multiple times to work with The Gates Foundation in family health and planning. She is the founder of ArtAmmmo.org Artists Against Gun Violence as seen in the NY Times, PBS, Rachel Maddow, BBC.

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