Fascinating, frightening and darkly romantic, the classic tale of Dracula
continues to intrigue audiences. Now, a new musical version has been
conceived by Broadway performers and local residents, Kevin Gray and
Dodie Pettit. It is titled Dracula…The Covenant.
Gray and Pettit are veterans of such Broadway hits as Phantom of the
Opera, Miss Saigon, CATS, The King and I and the 2000 Jesus Christ Superstar,
among many others. It was while the pair was on tour, performing in the
Broadway hit, Titanic, that Dodie and Kevin took pen in hand and conceived
this classic yet modern version that will delight fans of the story,
both young and old.
Sponsored by Westport Historical Society, a “concert” version
of the musical will be performed at Bedford Middle School in Westport
on Friday October 25, at 8p.m. Kevin Gray will appear as the title role
and Dodie Pettit, who composed the score, will accompany Gray on the
piano. The pair will be joined by another local resident, Scott Bryce,
as well as other actors from the Broadway field, who will be announced
later. This is a rare opportunity to see a musical theater work in “workshop” stage
and to experience an original work directly from the author and composer.
Kevin Gray
Kevin Gray has just completed a highly acclaimed Broadway run as Pontius
Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar. Prior to this, Gray appeared as Thomas
Andrews in Titanic and as The King in the revival of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s
The King & I, only the third actor in history to play the role
on Broadway. Gray has also starred in Harold Price’s production
of Showboat, toured as the star of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Music
of the Night and appeared as The Engineer in the Los Angeles and Toronto
productions of Miss Saigon, receiving the Dora Mavor Moore and Dramalogue
awards for his performance. He appears on The Complete Miss Saigon,
recorded in London. He was the youngest actor to play the title role
in The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway and on the U.S. National Tour.
He has guest starred on Law & Order, Linc’s, Miami Vice and
The Equalizer, played role on Ryan’s Hope and The Guiding Light
and co-starred in the film White Hot. He can be heard on Voices of
Broadway, a joint venture with Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids, and
Songs from the Journey, both written by his wife, Dodie Pettit.
Dodie Pettit
Dodie Pettit is an actress, singer, dancer, and songwriter. Just returning
from a national tour of the Broadway show Titanic, Pettit was also
and original Broadway cast member of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The
Phantom of the Opera, in which she completed a six-year-run. Prior
to this, she performed for four years in CATS on Broadway. Between
these two shows, she has nearly 4,500 shows to her credit, a milestone
that only a handful of Broadway performers have achieved. Before her
Broadway career, Dodie was principal dancer with the Garden State and
Princeton Ballet Companies. A BMI songwriter, whose credits include
songs on the Billboard Pop and Dance charts, Shel Silverstein’s
Grammy-nominated “A Light In the Attic” and the film “Critters”.
She has released two CD’s of original pop/country songs on Landfill
Records. She also produced Voices of Broadway an album of her songs
featuring the voices of many of Broadway’s best known names.
This premier performance will benefit the Westport Historical Society
(of which Gray and Pettit are both members).