Aléna Watters and Natalie Joy Johnson Join Cast of HAD IT BLUE Industry Readings

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The cast also features Kim Maresca, Ariania Morales, Paul Pecorino, Ryan Williams and Jada Valenciaga.

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Aléna Watters (West Side Story, The Addams Family, Sister Act, The Cher Show, Mrs. Doubtfire) and Natalie Joy Johnson (Lempicka, Kinky Boots, Legally Blonde) join Kim Maresca , Ariania Morales, Paul Pecorino , Ryan Williams and Jada Valenciaga in two invite-only industry staged readings of Had It Blue. An award-winning new rock-and-roll musical with book and lyrics by Paul Pecorino and music by David Nehls (The Great American Trailer Park Musical), the readings will be staged at Pearl Studios in NYC on Monday, June 8, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Danilo Gambini directs.

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Had It Blue is a bold, semi-autobiographical rock-and-roll musical that follows The Barman, a gay man caught in a fractured journey through addiction, identity, memory, and self-discovery. Told through a surreal and fantastical lens, the story moves between past, present, and future as The Barman attempts to outrun his pain, his choices, and the ghosts of the life he once imagined for himself. Guiding — and often misguiding — him along the way are the Muses of the Moonshine: Vivvy Vodka, Ginny Gin, Tia Tequila, and Betty Bourbon, four dazzling, razor-tongued narrators who function as a fabulous Greek chorus with gospel-soul flair. Equal parts divine intervention and dangerous temptation, the Muses lead The Barman through a dreamlike landscape of broken bars, lost love, comic detours, and emotional reckoning.

Inspired by Pecorino’s own journey through addiction and recovery, Had It Blue began as a private journal, evolved into a one-man show, and later became the musical that won Best Production at the 2022 New York Theater Festival. Had It Blue blends humor, pathos, theatrical fantasy, and a driving contemporary score to explore what it means to lose your way — and what it takes to come home to yourself. At once deeply personal and universally resonant, the musical asks how far one must fall before finally choosing to face the day.

Following its 2022 New York Theater Festival win, Had It Blue has undergone major reconstruction, including new songs, reshaped scenes, deepened characters, and a clarified timeline. This reading marks the first presentation of the musical’s newly expanded version.

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/industry/article/Alna-Watters-and-Natalie-Joy-Johnson-to-Star-in-HAD-IT-BLUE-Industry-Readings-20260520)._