''Temptation'' is a 2004 movie musical written by Sydney Forest and John Taylor and directed by

Mark Tarlov Mark Tarlov (1952 – July 31, 2021) was an American film producer and director, attorney, speechwriter, and winemaker. Death Tarlov died on July 31, 2021, at his Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely pop ...

. The film starred

Adam Pascal Adam Pascal (born October 25, 1970) is an American actor, singer, and musician, known for his performance as Roger Davis in the original 1996 cast of Jonathan Larson's musical '' Rent'' on Broadway, the 2005 movie version of the musical, and the ...

Alice Ripley Alice Ripley (born December 14, 1963) is an American actress, singer, songwriter and mixed media artist. She is known, in particular, for her various roles on Broadway in musicals, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning ''Next to Normal'' (2009 To ...

, and

Zoe Saldana Zoe (also ZOE, Zoë, Zoé, etc.) can refer to: *ζωή (''zōḗ''), the Ancient Greek word for "life" People * Zoe (name), including list of persons and fictional characters with the name Film and television * ''Zoe'' (film) * ZOE Broadcast ...

. The film has not yet had a theatrical or video release.

Plot and production

The story tells the tale of

Faust Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroads ...

, making a deal with the devil, in a rock musical form. There is little-spoken dialogue in the film as the majority of the show is sung. The story is Annie (Zoe Saldana) works in a nightclub to support her boyfriend Billy. To settle an old debt with the nightclub owner Pablo (Michael Cerveris), Nicholi (Adam Pascal) and his personal assistant Sabrina (Alice Ripley) make a deal with Annie to make Billy a star, however Nicholi warns her if she utter "After all I've done for you" then Nicholi will claim a part of her soul. Annie is confident her love for Billy and agrees. However she does ultimately lose the deal and has to pay, and Nicholi takes her voice. Howie (Deven May)makes a deal with Nicholi to get back her voice, even if he has too lose his entire soul for her. The show uses characteristics of operatic

recitative Recitative (, also known by its Italian name "''recitativo''" ()) is a style of delivery (much used in operas, oratorios, and cantatas) in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms and delivery of ordinary speech. Recitative does not repea ...

, as it is only being sung in Rock form, and is similar to musicals such as ''

Rent Rent may refer to: Economics *Renting, an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property *Economic rent, any payment in excess of the cost of production *Rent-seeking, attempting to increase one's share of e ...

'' and '' Bare''. The vocals were recorded live on the set during filming, much like in the independent musical film '' Open House'', rather than the

lip synching Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , the same as the word ''sink'', short for lip synchronization) is a technical term for matching a speaking or singing person's lip movements with sung or spoken vocals. Audio for lip syncing is generated th ...

process done in most movie musicals. Its website was once active but now has been taken down and no longer active. The film was shot primarily shot with green screen backgrounds, and all of the songs were sung live on set long before the film version of ''Les Miserables''. In 2017 producer Kerry Barden revealed the film has not yet had its release due to the fact they "felt the product was unfinished. We hope to release the film soon."

Cast

- Nicholi *

- Sabrina *

- Annie *

Anika Noni Rose Anika Noni Rose (born September 6, 1972) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for voicing Tiana, Disney's first African-American princess, as seen in ''The Princess and the Frog'' (2009). She was named a Disney Legend in 2011. S ...

- Fog *

Michael Cerveris Michael Cerveris (born November 6, 1960) is an American actor, singer, and guitarist. He has performed in many stage musicals and plays, including several Stephen Sondheim musicals: ''Assassins'', ''Sweeney Todd'', '' Road Show'', and '' Passio ...

- Pablo *

Orfeh Orfeh (born March 28, 1971 as Orfeh Or) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Orfeh and her husband, Andy Karl, performed at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Lincoln Center's American Songbook Series in 2016, and in the B ...

- Yvonne * Deven May - Matt *

Annie Golden Annie Golden (born October 19, 1951) is an American actress and singer. She first came to prominence as the lead singer of the punk band the Shirts from 1975 to 1981 with whom she recorded three albums. She began her acting career as Mother in ...

- Nora *Manley Pope - Billy *David St. Louis - Bartender

Release

The film was shown at the New York Musical Festival in 2004.

References

External links

* 2004 films 2000s musical films Unreleased American films {{musical-film-stub