Adorable wowlebrity Ryan Raftery follows up his smash musicals about Anna Wintour and Andy Cohen with another Titan of Media, Martha Stewart.
“The Rise and Fall (and Rise) of Martha Stewart” tells the fascinating story of the woman who changed the way we live our lives by daring us to try harder. From her humble beginnings in Nutley, New Jersey, to her empire-building years in Westport, Connecticut, to her highly-publicized stint in federal prison, this is a chronicle of epically blind ambition set to the music of artists as varied as Beyonce, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Adele and Metallica.
Speaking to Vulture, Ryan explains
“What other titan — Andy is a very powerful guy, Anna Wintour is a very powerful woman — is on her level that I could do a show about?” he tells the Cut. “It really didn’t take long to land on America’s favorite purveyor of perfectionism.”
The show begins with Stewart (Raftery), on the day she’s to report to prison, tearfully saying good-bye to her chickens. We’re then taken back to her youth and shown how a girl from Nutley, New Jersey, became the lifestyle icon we know today — all the way up to her recent rebranding and friendship with Snoop Dogg.
The Rise and Fall (and Rise) of Martha Stewart shows at Joe’s Pub on August 7, 22, & 28, and September 11 & 12.
Definitely more to come about Ryan and the Martha musical as it gets closer to the premiere date.