Oakland University announced this week that a musical written and directed by one of its professors played before Broadway industry leaders in New York City, landing the Rochester Hills campus a mention in Playbill.

Jacob ben Widmar, assistant professor of musical theatre in Oakland University's School of Music, Theatre and Dance, wrote the book for and directed "Pringle & Finn, The Musical!" The 50-minute show for young audiences received an invitation-only reading Aug. 31 at The Creative Center at Manhattan Theatre Club, a milestone OU detailed in a Sept. 9 news release.

The cast of 11 actors brought a combined 40 Broadway credits to the room. Tony Award nominee Grey Henson led the ensemble. Henson earned his 2018 Tony nomination for his role as Damian in "Mean Girls" and has appeared in "The Book of Mormon," "Shucked" and the 2024 revival of "Elf The Musical." Broadway performers Josh Daniel and Tari Kelly were also in the cast.

Playbill announced the reading on Aug. 3, highlighting Oakland University's support of ben Widmar's work through its Faculty Research Fellowship.

That fellowship gave ben Widmar time and resources to develop the musical with composer Matthew Nassida and lyricist James Powers. The show is based on children's books by Seattle-based author and illustrator Paul Castle, whose "Pringle & Finn" series follows two penguins delivering elaborate wedding cakes alongside their overbooked friend Foxy, a wedding planner.

"This project truly would not have been possible without the Faculty Research Fellowship," ben Widmar said, according to Oakland University. "The support has allowed me to pursue a level of artistic research and creative development that has challenged and expanded my work in ways I hadn't anticipated."

The production paired original songs with classical music, including opera, ballet and orchestral pieces, drawing mid-century Looney Tunes-style animation as inspiration.

Two current and recent Oakland University students played key roles behind the scenes. Recent graduate Evelyn Shelton served as stage manager. Student Zander Brown designed all graphics for the presentation, including a program with an audio component that let cast members introduce themselves by name, an accessibility feature created for Castle, who is visually impaired.

Castle and his husband, Matthew Castle, flew from Seattle to attend. They shared a post about the project with their social media audience of more than 8 million followers immediately after the reading.

Ben Widmar said in the university's announcement that the reading has already drawn responses from theatre leaders across the country. Future development will require additional funding and producing partnerships to support orchestrations, recording sessions and licensable performance tracks. No next production date has been announced.