GRAMMY NOMINEE STEPHEN KAMINSKI AND NICHOLAS KAMINSKI
ANNOUNCE FINAL CASTING FOR ONE-NIGHT-ONLY BENEFIT CONCERT FOR THE DIRECTORS COMPANY
STARRING BRIAN RUSSELL CAREY, LISA HELMI JOHANSON, LEENYA RIDEOUT, JONATHAN JUDGE RUSSO, CHRISTINA SAJOUS, DOMINIQUE SCOTT, AND MORE
Directed by RACHEL KLEIN
October 26, 2026
New York, NY - October 19, 2026: The Directors Company (Leah Michalos, Producing Director; Michael Parva, Artistic Director) is proud to announce the rest of the cast for the benefit concert of the new musical BIG FAMOUS, directed by Rachel Klein. This laugh-out-loud comedy features book, music, and lyrics by Nicholas Kaminski and music and lyrics by Grammy Award nominee Stephen Kaminski. The benefit concert will take place at WARSAW, 261 Driggs Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222 on Monday, October 26, 2026. Doors at 6 p.m.; presentation begins at 7 pm. For more information, visit www.BigFamousMusical.com, and for tickets, visit here.
Meet Jan Lewan—the most ambitious polka star you’ve never heard of… until now. BIG FAMOUS is a high-energy, satirical new musical based on the unbelievable true story of a Polish immigrant who turned his accordion-fueled dreams into a glittering empire—by any means necessary.
BIG FAMOUS shines a satirical spotlight on Jan Lewan, an obscure yet wildly determined polka musician whose extraordinary life story inspired the show. Driven by relentless ambition and personal charisma, the Polish immigrant builds an unlikely, accordion-fueled empire that grows from local Pennsylvania polka halls to top-tier Atlantic City casinos. But as his grand financial schemes begin to unravel, can he maneuver out of an impending downfall?
Packed with high-energy polka rhythms and sharp comedic writing, BIG FAMOUS delivers an emotional rollercoaster ride through ambition, fame, and the unexpected turns of the American Dream.
“BIG FAMOUS is both an immigrant story and an exploration of identity in the face of an entertainment industry that demands conformity,” says co-creator Nicholas Kaminski. “It's also a show with heart, written by the people who lived it.”
“BIG FAMOUS tells the compelling story of the pursuit of the American Dream,” pitches in his father and Grammy Award nominee Stephen Kaminski, “only to have it go so very wrong. It is a story filled with laughter, choices, greed, tragedy, and, most of all, music!.”
"A polka Ponzi scheme? I was intrigued by this story from the moment I read it,” exclaims director Rachel Klein. “I'm excited to work with the Kaminskis, the incredible father and son writing team, who were authentically a part of this world of 1980s/90s polka-mania, and tell this clever, heartfelt, and deeply entertaining story about an unconventional anti-hero."
The benefit concert stars Jonathan Judge Russo (Music City) as Jan Lewan, Christina Sajous (It's a Wonderful World) as Diane Trent, Dominique Scott (Rock & Roll Man) as Pally Pulaski, Lisa Helmi Johanson (POTUS, Drag: The Musical) as Rhoda Jeleski, Leenya Rideout (War Horse, Company) as Zosia Brzeczyszczykiewicz, Brian Russell Carey (Cabaret) as Vick, with Devon Meddock, Tina Stafford, Avery Whitted, Louis Jannuzzi III, Andy Paterson, Laura Elizabeth Flanagan and Benny Poort round out the dynamic ensemble.
Larry Pressgrove serves as music director, with associate direction from Josh Zacher. Morgan Holbrook is production stage manager, with assistant stage management from Kelly Merritt. The benefit performance supports The Directors Company, Artistic Director Michael Parva, Producing Director Leah Michalos, and Associate Artistic Director Heather Arnson, with general management by Michalos Management LLC, casting by Stephanie Klapper, and marketing and publicity by Katie Rosin/Kampfire PR.
Running Time: 105 minutes
For more information, visit bigfamousmusical.com
The one-night-only concert benefits The Directors Company. Proceeds from the evening will support The Directors Company and its mission to develop and produce new theatrical works.
NICHOLAS KAMINSKI (Book, Music, and Lyrics) is a composer/lyricist, music director and actor originally from Edison, New Jersey and now based in Manhattan. Of his songwriting, BroadwayWorld says “Mr. Kaminski has a talent for catchy melodies and wry, self-deprecating lyrics that have the elegance of Bock & Harnick combined with the bawdiness of William Finn. [...] It is well worth your time to check out this exciting new writing voice before you have to pay Broadway prices.” Nicholas holds his Bachelors of Arts in Music from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University and was a private songwriting student of Mark Hollmann (URINETOWN). Nicholas is also a music educator, currently teaching Musical Theatre Voice at Rider University and previously working as Music Supervisor at LaGuardia High School of the Arts in NYC, and as the Upper School Choir Director and Music Teacher for Golda Och Academy.
STEPHEN KAMINSKI (Music and Lyrics) is a versatile Grammy-nominated composer and arranger whose work has graced a wide range of entertainment mediums. With a career spanning over multiple decades, Kaminski has composed and arranged soundtracks for various film and television productions, showcasing his talent and versatility. His music can be heard on all major networks and streaming services. Notable credits in his extensive portfolio include the composition and arrangement of the soundtrack for THE POLKA KING (Netflix), starring Jack Black, which was released in 2017 on Netflix. His work also extends to the horror and drama genre with projects such as THE WOMEN IN THE ROOM and ROAD VIRUS HEADS NORTH. Kaminski's expertise in composition and arrangement is further evident in his contributions to popular animated series like THE SHAMAN KING (Fox) and the theme for THE WORLD SERIES OF POP CULTURE on VH1. His portfolio also includes a diverse range of projects, from documentaries and theatrical trailers to orchestral works and radio ads. With a keen ability to tell stories through his music, Stephen Kaminski continues to leave an indelible mark on the entertainment industry. Kaminski graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston with a degree in Film Scoring.
RACHEL KLEIN (Director) most recently directed and choreographed the world premiere of I Was a Teenage She-Devil at the Other Palace in London. West End: Bettie Page Queen of Pinups, the Musical at the Lyric Theatre (starring EastEnders' Shona McGarty). Off-Broadway: The Gospel According to Heather (Theatre 555; starring Katey Sagal); Red Roses, Green Gold (Minetta Lane Theatre/ft. the music of the Grateful Dead); Around the World in 80 Days (The Davenport Theatre); The Anthem (Lynn Redgrave Theatre). Selected Regional & International: Spells of the Sea in the Kennedy Center's 2024 season (Artistic Director: Deborah Rutter), I Was a Teenage She-Devil (Edinburgh Fringe Festival, UK), Esther (The George Theatre; starring Sharna Burgess of Dancing with the Stars), The Suffragist (Gallagher Bluedorn Theatre; starring Nancy Opel), Dead Certain (composer: Air Supply's Graham Russell); 54 the Musical (House of Independents; starring Michaela Jaé Rodriguez & Frankie Grande) Selected Workshops & Readings: High Priest (Paul Iacono’s meditation on the Warhol Factory); Helen (Starring Tony winner Bonnie Milligan), Big Famous! at New 42, Almost Got 'Em (starring Marc Kudisch, Alison Fraser, Brooks Ashmanskas, Howard McGillin, and Jim Walton); Medusa: A New Pop Opera (Ludlow House); Savage: The Unconquerable Wanda Savage, the true story of a Chickasaw Hollywood Starlet and Stuntwoman.
THE DIRECTORS COMPANY (Producer) is an award-winning, not-for-profit theatre company that has championed bold new plays, musicals, and the artists behind them for more than four decades. Its legacy includes Dan Gordon’s Irena’s Vow, starring Tovah Feldshuh, which transferred to Broadway following its Off-Broadway premiere; Bat Boy: The Musical, developed at TDC in New York before winning the Lucille Lortel and Outer Critics Circle awards for Outstanding Musical and Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical, respectively; Douglas Lyons’s Broadway comedy Chicken & Biscuits, written during his TDC residency; and Beau, by Lyons and Ethan D. Pakchar, originally developed at TDC before its Off-Broadway productions. Additional producing credits include Joyce Carol Oates’s Bad Girls, The Passion of Frida Kahlo starring Priscilla Lopez, and the world premieres of Terms of Endearment, Murder in the First, and Jericho. From early readings and workshops to fully realized productions, TDC gives artists the mentorship, resources, and creative freedom to bring ambitious original work to the stage. The company is also home to the Next Wave Initiative, founded by Douglas Lyons to support the next generation of Black theatre artists through scholarships and development opportunities. www.directorscompany.org
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