"The Vampire Lestat", the new musical by songwriters Elton John and Bernie Taupin, based on the blood-thirsty and love-hungry characters of Anne Rice, gets a private reading for the producers and creative team beginning November 4, 2003, Playbill On-Line reports.

The cast for the 29-hour, Equity-approved reading of the early draft of the show includes James Barbour (Jane Eyre) as Lestat, Jack Noseworthy (Sweet Smell of Success), Steve Blanchard (Beauty and the Beast) and Max Von Essen (Dance of the Vampires) and other performers.

The project, from new producer Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures — and with Manny Azenberg as a partner — was announced in May 2003, aiming for a 2005 staging.

The score of the dawning show is said to be more legit and traditional than pop and rock. The libretto is by Linda Woolverton (Beauty and the Beast, Aida and the film, "The Lion King"). Robert Jess Roth (Beauty and the Beast) directs.

When it was announced in spring 2003, the project's working title was The Vampire Lestat. "'Interview With the Vampire' is one of my favorite books and Anne Rice is one of my favorite authors," Elton said in an earlier statement. "Although this project has taken a while to come together, I firmly believe we have the right team in place. The Vampire Lestat is the first stage musical that I've written with Bernie which makes it even more special for me."

Taupin added, "Anne had always loved the idea of seeing her Vampire Chronicles set in some sort of serious and seductive musical setting and for all of the parties involved this is the opportunity of a lifetime. Our intention is make a classically-based show that is stripped of gothic clichés and that shows the vampire dealing with his damnation on a more realistic and human level. Please let me make this clear this is NOT a rock opera. Our hope is that it will be stylish, sexy, intelligent, rich and hypnotically dark."

The title character has been adapted for the screen in such films as "Interview With the Vampire" and "Queen of the Damned." Both movies drew on the original best-selling novels by Anne Rice.

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