Lustily Ever After: The Musical
Los Angeles, California | Theatre
Comedy, Musical
A parody musical inspired by romance novels and 90s pop music—where desire sings, fantasy sparkles, and love gets loud! It’s silly, sincere, and deeply human—because desire, fantasy, and joy deserve to be taken seriously… even when they’re being ridiculous. The world needs more joy-mance!
Lustily Ever After: The Musical
Los Angeles, California | Theatre
Comedy, Musical
1 Campaigns | California, United States
137 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$23,977
Goal: $20,000 for festivals
A parody musical inspired by romance novels and 90s pop music—where desire sings, fantasy sparkles, and love gets loud! It’s silly, sincere, and deeply human—because desire, fantasy, and joy deserve to be taken seriously… even when they’re being ridiculous. The world needs more joy-mance!
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Lustily Ever After is an original musical parody about romance novels, blending ’90s pop–inspired original music with titillating tropes and comedic cliches, climaxing in the most entertaining of happy endings!
Based on the award winning audiobook musical available on Audible.com, the stage show invites the audience to become members of the baddest bookclub on the block!
Roxie, Foxie, and Moxie, charter members of the BETA Romance-landia book club, guide the audience through the story of their new favorite read obsession: Lustily Ever After. Acting as a greek chorus, the Betas introduce us to their favorite characters, the ingenue dreamer with dirty desires Riley Jackson, her love interest hottie most perfect human schmillionaire Trystan Lay, and Riley’s ride or die, the delightfully forgettable, Kim Nolastname.
Each chapter the Betas replay brings the audience along in this page turner of a novel. Starting out as a flashy billionaire romance, the story takes a surprising detour through a mysterious portal to the land of Romantasy, before arriving at the Christmas Epilogue complete with a Scottish Highlander and some very big surprises.
Romance novels and romance communities empower women to feel connected to their bodies, and free them from systemic shame.
The romance genre is the highest earning fiction genre, generating over $1–1.5 billion annually in the U.S. alone.
Romance readers make up one of the most engaged and loyal audiences in entertainment.
Romance positive communities like BookTok and Bookstagram give women safe spaces to be in conversation about desire and intimacy. We want to be a part of opening up another sex-positive space for women to feel safe and supported!
Stephanie Bentley / (romance narrator Stephanie Rose) - Writer - Book, Music, Lyrics
With a dynamic voice that has brought over 500 titles to life, a nominee for both the prestigious Audie Award and a recipient of the coveted Earphones Award, Stephanie Bentley has garnered recognition for her talent and dedication to the craft of storytelling.
Beyond the realm of audiobooks, Stephanie is a Meisner-trained actor with a diverse background in film, television, and theater. Stephanie is also a skilled improviser, having trained and performed at the renowned Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in improv comedy and musical improv.
Stephanie was both a musical improv comedy performer and audiobook narrator for years before the most passionate of passion projects struck and she brought the best of both worlds together. She continues to narrate several romance novels per month and loves every steamy minute of it. Stephanie is an active presence on social media, where fans can follow her journey and behind-the-scenes insights on Instagram and TikTok at @stephrosevoice.
Jenni Barber - Director
JENNI BARBER (Director, Choreographer) has starred on Broadway in Beetlejuice, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Performers, The Nance, Annie, Sunday In The Park With George, All My Sons, and as Glinda in Wicked. Her other theatrical credits include the Signature Theatre revival of Lynn Nottage’s By The Way, Meet Vera Stark, As You Like It & The Tempest for The Bridge Project directed by Sam Mendes, From Up Here at Manhattan Theatre Club, Paint Your Wagon, A New Brain, and Urinetown at NYCC Encores, and Sunday In The Park With George at the Huntington Theatre, winning the 2017 Elliot Norton Theatre Award for portraying Dot/Marie. Television credits include Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Master of None, Elementary, Smash, Law & Order: SVU, The 68th Annual Tony Awards (‘For Good’ – Glinda, Wicked 10th Anniversary Performance), Live from Lincoln Center (The Nance), and as Lisa Heffenbacher in the Emmy Award-winning The Electric Company. Jenni has recorded several audiobook titles for Simon & Schuster, including tween favorite The Dork Diaries Series. She can be heard on the 2015 Original Cast Recordings of A New Brain and Paint Your Wagon, as well as the 2017 Broadway Cast Recording of Sunday In The Park With George. Jenni has been a guest lecturer, director, and choreographer for the University of Southern California (Adjunct Professor), Pasadena Playhouse, Ohana Arts in partnership with the University of Hawaii, NYU Tisch, the University of Michigan, TUTS (Houston), and Shakespeare Theatre Company (DC). She is a solo performance coach for the National High School Music Theatre Awards (aka “The Jimmy’s”) and currently serves as a theatre panelist for YoungArts National Arts Competition. She is a proud graduate of the University of Michigan BFA Musical Theatre Department.
Anthony Lucca - Music Director
Anthony Lucca is an award-winning music director, orchestrator, and arranger.
World premieres include KING OF PANGEA (King's Head Theatre),
BRONCO BILLY (Skylight Theatre Company, LA Drama Critic's Circle Award), MUTT HOUSE (Kirk Douglas Theater), CULT OF LOVE (IAMA Theatre Company), INTO LIGHT (short-film), and workshop productions of new musical theatre in Los Angeles, New York, and London. He is currently music director for KID GLOVES! at the Skylight Theatre and the upcoming production of MILLENNIALS ARE KILLING MUSICALS at the Colony Theatre Company.
Sami Kolko - Producer
SAMI KOLKO (Producer; SAG AFTRA) has a diverse background spanning film, television, and theatre. In 2017, she co-produced and starred in her own comedy web series Finding Fillion directed by Joel Zwick (Full House and My Big Fat Greek Wedding). Her short films have garnered recognition at prestigious events, including the Tribeca Film Festival, LA Shorts International Film Festival, and HollyShorts. Her last short Cut Off (Meg Swertlow) won the audience award at the Miami Jewish Film Festival, and has played at festivals around the country. Other TV film credits include producing two seasons of the web-series I’m Fine which you can stream on Dekkoo. Currently, Sami is in pre-production on a thriller feature and in post on a horror feature. She just wrapped her first comedy pilot Sandwiched (Meg Swertlow) that will have its world premiere at the Napa Valley Streamfest this April. Other theatre producing credits include: Time Stands Still (The Lounge Theatre), The Brothers Abelson 1946 (Electric Lodge), Kid Gloves (Skylight Theatre).
Ted Goldenberg - Producer
TED GOLDENBERG From his roots as a freelance stage manager to his years directing artistic and administrative operations for educational theatre programs, Ted has always loved the "controlled chaos" of a production. After a long hiatus from the theatre world, he couldn’t ask for a better team or a better project to welcome him back to live performance. He is thrilled to be behind the scenes once again and grateful for the opportunity to help bring this vision to the Fringe stage.
Beth Holmes - Casting Director
After graduating with an MFA in Theatre from the California Institute of the Arts, Beth Holmes began her career casting television at Aaron Spelling Productions. Beth also built the commercial casting department for Bengston/Cohn Casting, pioneering the trend of casting both professional actors and real people in numerous award winning campaigns. She opened her own business, Beth Holmes Casting, Inc., in 1988 and has enjoyed continued success as a leader in the Los Angeles casting community. Her casting career came full circle with director Ted Melfi, and producer Fred Roos, who brought Beth back to film casting, hiring her as the Los Angeles Casting Director for the film ST. VINCENT in 2014. Films include EL CAMINO CHRISTMAS for Netflix, INDIA’S SWEETS AND SPICES for Bleeker Street Media, HAIL MARY for Sparkhouse Media and CAMERA for Jay Silverman Productions. In early 2025, Beth cast REUNION the last feature produced by Fred Roos, and which screened at the Cinequest Film Festival, followed by YALE, another Jay Silverman production.
Beth continues casting for commercials as well, working with film directors Grant Heslov(Nespresso) and Damien Chazelle(Apple, Squarespace) when they venture into directing commercial campaigns.
Elizabeth Vitale - Casting Director
Elizabeth Vitale received her BA in Visual & Media Arts from Emerson College, and her Master’s degree in Entertainment Business from Full Sail University. Elizabeth has contributed her casting expertise to high-profile projects such as HBO’s limited series Love and Death (directed by Leslie Linka Glatter), Disney's smash-hit Hocus Pocus 2 (directed by Anne Fletcher), and the independent feature Audrey’s Children (directed by Ami Canaan Mann), among many others. Her exceptional work in casting earned her a 2025 CSA Artios Award for the Netflix animated series Blue Eye Samurai.
In 2019, Elizabeth launched Vitale Casting, where she has made a meaningful impact by casting undergraduate & graduate student thesis films, giving back to her education by helping the next generation of filmmakers. Since opening, she has expanded Vitale Casting's portfolio to include a diverse range of short films and independent features, establishing herself as a respected force in both emerging and established filmmaking circles.
A happily ever after for everyone starts with artists who are supported from the very beginning.
Paying artists is IMPORTANT because
~ A single performance includes the years of training, expertise, discipline and professionalism it took to get there.
~ Unpaid art leads to a less diverse and accessible industry that is more dependent on privilege.
~ Paying artists supports building a thriving, vibrant and culturally rich creative economy.
We wouldn't be what we are without our amazing team! Most of the budget goes to the cast and crew, but everyone's job is extremely important and necessary.
Paying our team fairly allows them to continue doing what they do best, raises the quality of the project itself, and supports a thriving local economy. We’re not just funding our production—we’re investing in a sustainable, vibrant creative community.
20k is what we need to put up the show but we are hoping to reach 25k to be able to market the show and hire more crew!
When you contribute, you’re doing more than funding a musical—you’re saying 'I see you!' to women who write and read about desire, hope and self worth.
You’re supporting artists who have spent years honing their craft, giving them the ability to create boldly and sustainably.
And you’re saying yes to a world where women’s stories—especially stories about pleasure, agency, and choosing yourself—are celebrated instead of silenced.
If you believe in happily-ever-afters—not just on the page, but in real life—this is your chance to help create one.
We would love to have you be a part of this chapter of our story!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Venue Rental
Costs $2,700
Our rent for the famous Broadwater Theatre and our rehearsal space.
Contigency
Costs $1,850
We built in a small buffer in case things don't go according to plan, which NEVER happens in live theatre ;)
Set, Costume and Props
Costs $1,100
Now that we can see this audiobook musical, let's decorate it!
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Stephanie Bentley / Stephanie Rose - Writer- Book, Music, Lyrics
Sami Kolko - Producer
Ted Goldenberg - Producer
Anthony Lucca - Music Director
Jenni Barber - Director
Beth Holmes & Elizabeth Vitale Casting Directors
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Lustily Ever After is an original musical parody about romance novels, blending ’90s pop–inspired original music with titillating tropes and comedic cliches, climaxing in the most entertaining of happy endings!
Based on the award winning audiobook musical available on Audible.com, the stage show invites the audience to become members of the baddest bookclub on the block!
Roxie, Foxie, and Moxie, charter members of the BETA Romance-landia book club, guide the audience through the story of their new favorite read obsession: Lustily Ever After. Acting as a greek chorus, the Betas introduce us to their favorite characters, the ingenue dreamer with dirty desires Riley Jackson, her love interest hottie most perfect human schmillionaire Trystan Lay, and Riley’s ride or die, the delightfully forgettable, Kim Nolastname.
Each chapter the Betas replay brings the audience along in this page turner of a novel. Starting out as a flashy billionaire romance, the story takes a surprising detour through a mysterious portal to the land of Romantasy, before arriving at the Christmas Epilogue complete with a Scottish Highlander and some very big surprises.
Romance novels and romance communities empower women to feel connected to their bodies, and free them from systemic shame.
The romance genre is the highest earning fiction genre, generating over $1–1.5 billion annually in the U.S. alone.
Romance readers make up one of the most engaged and loyal audiences in entertainment.
Romance positive communities like BookTok and Bookstagram give women safe spaces to be in conversation about desire and intimacy. We want to be a part of opening up another sex-positive space for women to feel safe and supported!
Stephanie Bentley / (romance narrator Stephanie Rose) - Writer - Book, Music, Lyrics
With a dynamic voice that has brought over 500 titles to life, a nominee for both the prestigious Audie Award and a recipient of the coveted Earphones Award, Stephanie Bentley has garnered recognition for her talent and dedication to the craft of storytelling.
Beyond the realm of audiobooks, Stephanie is a Meisner-trained actor with a diverse background in film, television, and theater. Stephanie is also a skilled improviser, having trained and performed at the renowned Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in improv comedy and musical improv.
Stephanie was both a musical improv comedy performer and audiobook narrator for years before the most passionate of passion projects struck and she brought the best of both worlds together. She continues to narrate several romance novels per month and loves every steamy minute of it. Stephanie is an active presence on social media, where fans can follow her journey and behind-the-scenes insights on Instagram and TikTok at @stephrosevoice.
Jenni Barber - Director
JENNI BARBER (Director, Choreographer) has starred on Broadway in Beetlejuice, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Performers, The Nance, Annie, Sunday In The Park With George, All My Sons, and as Glinda in Wicked. Her other theatrical credits include the Signature Theatre revival of Lynn Nottage’s By The Way, Meet Vera Stark, As You Like It & The Tempest for The Bridge Project directed by Sam Mendes, From Up Here at Manhattan Theatre Club, Paint Your Wagon, A New Brain, and Urinetown at NYCC Encores, and Sunday In The Park With George at the Huntington Theatre, winning the 2017 Elliot Norton Theatre Award for portraying Dot/Marie. Television credits include Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Master of None, Elementary, Smash, Law & Order: SVU, The 68th Annual Tony Awards (‘For Good’ – Glinda, Wicked 10th Anniversary Performance), Live from Lincoln Center (The Nance), and as Lisa Heffenbacher in the Emmy Award-winning The Electric Company. Jenni has recorded several audiobook titles for Simon & Schuster, including tween favorite The Dork Diaries Series. She can be heard on the 2015 Original Cast Recordings of A New Brain and Paint Your Wagon, as well as the 2017 Broadway Cast Recording of Sunday In The Park With George. Jenni has been a guest lecturer, director, and choreographer for the University of Southern California (Adjunct Professor), Pasadena Playhouse, Ohana Arts in partnership with the University of Hawaii, NYU Tisch, the University of Michigan, TUTS (Houston), and Shakespeare Theatre Company (DC). She is a solo performance coach for the National High School Music Theatre Awards (aka “The Jimmy’s”) and currently serves as a theatre panelist for YoungArts National Arts Competition. She is a proud graduate of the University of Michigan BFA Musical Theatre Department.
Anthony Lucca - Music Director
Anthony Lucca is an award-winning music director, orchestrator, and arranger.
World premieres include KING OF PANGEA (King's Head Theatre),
BRONCO BILLY (Skylight Theatre Company, LA Drama Critic's Circle Award), MUTT HOUSE (Kirk Douglas Theater), CULT OF LOVE (IAMA Theatre Company), INTO LIGHT (short-film), and workshop productions of new musical theatre in Los Angeles, New York, and London. He is currently music director for KID GLOVES! at the Skylight Theatre and the upcoming production of MILLENNIALS ARE KILLING MUSICALS at the Colony Theatre Company.
Sami Kolko - Producer
SAMI KOLKO (Producer; SAG AFTRA) has a diverse background spanning film, television, and theatre. In 2017, she co-produced and starred in her own comedy web series Finding Fillion directed by Joel Zwick (Full House and My Big Fat Greek Wedding). Her short films have garnered recognition at prestigious events, including the Tribeca Film Festival, LA Shorts International Film Festival, and HollyShorts. Her last short Cut Off (Meg Swertlow) won the audience award at the Miami Jewish Film Festival, and has played at festivals around the country. Other TV film credits include producing two seasons of the web-series I’m Fine which you can stream on Dekkoo. Currently, Sami is in pre-production on a thriller feature and in post on a horror feature. She just wrapped her first comedy pilot Sandwiched (Meg Swertlow) that will have its world premiere at the Napa Valley Streamfest this April. Other theatre producing credits include: Time Stands Still (The Lounge Theatre), The Brothers Abelson 1946 (Electric Lodge), Kid Gloves (Skylight Theatre).
Ted Goldenberg - Producer
TED GOLDENBERG From his roots as a freelance stage manager to his years directing artistic and administrative operations for educational theatre programs, Ted has always loved the "controlled chaos" of a production. After a long hiatus from the theatre world, he couldn’t ask for a better team or a better project to welcome him back to live performance. He is thrilled to be behind the scenes once again and grateful for the opportunity to help bring this vision to the Fringe stage.
Beth Holmes - Casting Director
After graduating with an MFA in Theatre from the California Institute of the Arts, Beth Holmes began her career casting television at Aaron Spelling Productions. Beth also built the commercial casting department for Bengston/Cohn Casting, pioneering the trend of casting both professional actors and real people in numerous award winning campaigns. She opened her own business, Beth Holmes Casting, Inc., in 1988 and has enjoyed continued success as a leader in the Los Angeles casting community. Her casting career came full circle with director Ted Melfi, and producer Fred Roos, who brought Beth back to film casting, hiring her as the Los Angeles Casting Director for the film ST. VINCENT in 2014. Films include EL CAMINO CHRISTMAS for Netflix, INDIA’S SWEETS AND SPICES for Bleeker Street Media, HAIL MARY for Sparkhouse Media and CAMERA for Jay Silverman Productions. In early 2025, Beth cast REUNION the last feature produced by Fred Roos, and which screened at the Cinequest Film Festival, followed by YALE, another Jay Silverman production.
Beth continues casting for commercials as well, working with film directors Grant Heslov(Nespresso) and Damien Chazelle(Apple, Squarespace) when they venture into directing commercial campaigns.
Elizabeth Vitale - Casting Director
Elizabeth Vitale received her BA in Visual & Media Arts from Emerson College, and her Master’s degree in Entertainment Business from Full Sail University. Elizabeth has contributed her casting expertise to high-profile projects such as HBO’s limited series Love and Death (directed by Leslie Linka Glatter), Disney's smash-hit Hocus Pocus 2 (directed by Anne Fletcher), and the independent feature Audrey’s Children (directed by Ami Canaan Mann), among many others. Her exceptional work in casting earned her a 2025 CSA Artios Award for the Netflix animated series Blue Eye Samurai.
In 2019, Elizabeth launched Vitale Casting, where she has made a meaningful impact by casting undergraduate & graduate student thesis films, giving back to her education by helping the next generation of filmmakers. Since opening, she has expanded Vitale Casting's portfolio to include a diverse range of short films and independent features, establishing herself as a respected force in both emerging and established filmmaking circles.
A happily ever after for everyone starts with artists who are supported from the very beginning.
Paying artists is IMPORTANT because
~ A single performance includes the years of training, expertise, discipline and professionalism it took to get there.
~ Unpaid art leads to a less diverse and accessible industry that is more dependent on privilege.
~ Paying artists supports building a thriving, vibrant and culturally rich creative economy.
We wouldn't be what we are without our amazing team! Most of the budget goes to the cast and crew, but everyone's job is extremely important and necessary.
Paying our team fairly allows them to continue doing what they do best, raises the quality of the project itself, and supports a thriving local economy. We’re not just funding our production—we’re investing in a sustainable, vibrant creative community.
20k is what we need to put up the show but we are hoping to reach 25k to be able to market the show and hire more crew!
When you contribute, you’re doing more than funding a musical—you’re saying 'I see you!' to women who write and read about desire, hope and self worth.
You’re supporting artists who have spent years honing their craft, giving them the ability to create boldly and sustainably.
And you’re saying yes to a world where women’s stories—especially stories about pleasure, agency, and choosing yourself—are celebrated instead of silenced.
If you believe in happily-ever-afters—not just on the page, but in real life—this is your chance to help create one.
We would love to have you be a part of this chapter of our story!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Venue Rental
Costs $2,700
Our rent for the famous Broadwater Theatre and our rehearsal space.
Contigency
Costs $1,850
We built in a small buffer in case things don't go according to plan, which NEVER happens in live theatre ;)
Set, Costume and Props
Costs $1,100
Now that we can see this audiobook musical, let's decorate it!
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Stephanie Bentley / Stephanie Rose - Writer- Book, Music, Lyrics
Sami Kolko - Producer
Ted Goldenberg - Producer
Anthony Lucca - Music Director
Jenni Barber - Director
Beth Holmes & Elizabeth Vitale Casting Directors