
Musicals

Book by
Juliana Pedroso & Matt Gurren
Music by
Nanny Assis & Matt Gurren
Lyrics by
Matt Gurren
RIO UPHILL is the first wholly original Brazilian musical developed in New York, blending samba, forró, funk, rap, and rock with a contemporary Broadway twist. The musical captures the complexities and richness of Brazilian culture, offering an authentic, fun, and sensitive view of the stories that arise there. It is a grand celebration of vibrant settings and features a powerful story and an award-winning score by Nanny Assis & Matt Gurren.
The show received its world premiere at Teatro Adolpho Bloch in Rio de Janeiro in October 2024 and played thru November 17, 2024. The show then transferred to Teatro Villa Lobos in Sao Paulo from January 18 - February 17th, 2025 to critical and commercial acclaim. It was a 2021 Richard Rodgers Award finalist, presented in the 2019 ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshop led by Stephen Schwartz and featured as a "Show You Should Know" in the NAMT Festival. It has been performed at Off-Broadway workshops and as staged readings at The York Theatre Company, the Dramatist Guild and Feinstein's/54 Below.


In a strange turn of fate, the three most powerful theater critics, who have taken countless shows off the stage, must now put one on. With time running short, they enlist the help of a struggling Broadway writer, Nathan Wood, who has had a string of critically panned flops and needs a comeback. Can the critics pull through and succeed despite their overly critical natures? Can cooperation, harmony, and perhaps even love exist between an artist and a critic? Find out if poetic justice will be served cold or in a warm review in WHAT DO CRITICS KNOW?
The show had a sold-out Off-Broadway run at the New York Musical Theatre festival at the Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre (in the Pershing Square Signature Center). It won the NYMF Next Link Award, "Best Music" (Honorable Mention), Best Choreography, Best Featured Actress and was listed in several of “Top Shows Not to Miss at NYMF” including Playbill.com, Ken Davenport’s Top 5, New York Theatre Guide’s Top Shows of the Week and Backstage.com. It has been optioned by commercial producers and has had performances at Feinstein’s/54 Below, Brookfield Theatre and Center Stage, with plans for a full production.
Music & Lyrics by
James Campodonico & Matt Gurren
Book by
Matt Gurren

Plays

The Suffragette
Set in 1913 England, Jane Tassell, a former suffragette, is visited by Diane Kyllmann, her oldest friend and a member of the Women’s Social and Political Union. When given an opportunity to return to the women’s movement, Jane must choose between her former life as a suffragette or salvage her failing marriage and dreams of starting a family.


Charles Sterling never imagined that a writing desk he purchased at auction would hide a dark secret: a tape recording of a private cabinet meeting between Winston Churchill and his top advisors concerning the Nazi bombing of London. If exposed, the contents of the tape could result in a disastrous political scandal and tarnish the legacy of one of Britain’s most cherished leaders. Plunged into a government conspiracy involving foreign espionage, Charles’ life is threatened by ruthless forces that will stop at nothing to recover the tape. As the 1945 British general election draws near, Charles must confront a horrible truth that could decide the fate of Postwar Britain.
The Appraiser's Desk
