Nick has recently been hired as the asst conductor for the touring company of Doctor Dolittle. The show begins rehearsals on June 24 in NYC and will open in Pittsburgh on Aug 2. The show is booked through Aug of 2006 and the hope is to move to Broadway some time after. Glenn Casale is directing, Rob Ashford is choreographer and Michael Duff is musical director. Michael Curry, the puppet designer for The Lion King, has been hired to create the animals for this production and everyone is hoping for a big hit. Based on the 1967 movie musical of the same name, the show enjoyed a West End run and a British tour in the late ’90’s, but is being completely rewritten for this American tour. Leslie Bricusse is the bookwriter and composer & lyricist.

Nick is composer on one of three teams vying to write the songs for a new McCoy/Rigby musical based on the Darby O’Gill stories. Scott Guy has been selected as the book writer and the show will be developed in collaboration with the Academy for New Musical Theatre (ANMT). It is expected that Cathy Rigby will star in the new show.

The Nine O’Clock Players have commissioned Nick and Scott Guy to write another musical for them. This will be loosely based on the Cinderella story. Scott will write book and lyrics and Nick will write the music. Expected opening is Sept of 2006 or Spring of 2007

Big River at the Ford’s Theatre closed on June 4 after a very successful 11 week run. Nick had a wonderful time as the conductor/musical director and will take with him many fond memories of the run.

On June 27, Nick will conduct the Ocean City Symphony for Lorna Luft.

And, believe it or not, there is no Happily Ever After… news this month. Bud Schatezle is still working on packages and investors, and remains hopeful that things will start happening in the near future.