Stephen Lee Anderson, Stephen Bogardus, Patti Cohenour and More to Lead Steve Martin's BRIGHT STAR at The Old Globe; Walter Bobbie Directs!
The Old Globe today announced the full cast and creative team for the World Premiere of Bright Star, a new American musical featuring music by Edie Brickell and Steve Martin, lyrics by Brickell, and book by Martin, based on an original story by Martin and Brickell. Directed by Walter Bobbie, Bright Star will run September 13 - November 2, 2014 on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the Old Globe Theatre, part of the Globe's Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. Preview performances run September 13 - September 27. Opening night is Sunday, September 28 at 7:00 p.m.
From award-winning screenwriter and playwright Steve Martin (Picasso at the Lapin Agile, Roxanne) and chart-topping singer-songwriter Edie Brickell comes a world premiere American musical inspired by their Grammy Award-winning collaboration "Love Has Come For You." Bright Star features 25 new songs-Americana with a touch of rock-and tells a beguiling tale that unfolds in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina between 1923 and 1945. Billy Cane, a young soldier just home from World War II, meets Alice Murphy, the brilliant editor of a southern literary journal. Together they discover a powerful secret that alters their lives. Tony Award-winning director Walter Bobbie (Broadway's Chicago) makes his Globe debut with this entertaining musical of enduring love, family ties, and the light of forgiveness that shines from a bright star.
The acting company includes Stephen Lee Anderson (Daddy Murphy; Broadway's Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, Richard III at the Old Vic and BAM, Chasing the Song at La Jolla Playhouse), Stephen Bogardus (Daddy Cane; the Globe's The Last Goodbye, many Broadway roles), Allison Briner (Ensemble), Max Chernin (Ensemble), Patti Cohenour (Mama Murphy; Broadway's The Light in the Piazza and The Sound of Music), Carmen Cusack (Alice Murphy; Broadway/West End, Nellie Forbush in South Pacific in the LCT National Tour), Wayne Duvall (Mayor Josiah Dobbs; the Globe's Working, Bonnie & Clyde at LJP), Hannah Elless (Margo Crawford; Broadway's Godspell revival), Jeff Hiller (Daryl Ames; Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson at The Public and Broadway), Leah Horowitz (Ensemble; Broadway's Follies and LES MISERABLES), Joe Jung (Ensemble; Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, The Public and Broadway), Lulu Lloyd (Swing; San Diego native, God's Country Off Broadway), Kate Loprest (Lucy Grant; Broadway's First Date and Hairspray), Ashley Robinson (Ensemble; Merrily We Roll Along on the West End, The Last Goodbye at Williamstown, Giant in Chicago), Greg Roderick (Swing; Broadway's South Pacific/LCT and Ragtime), Sarah Jane Shanks (Ensemble), A.J. Shively (Billy Cane; Broadway's La Cage Aux Folles, Brigadoon concert), Scott Wakefield (Ensemble; Broadway's Hands on a Hardbody, Ring of Fire), Wayne Alan Wilcox (Jimmy Ray Dobbs, Broadway's Chaplin, The Normal Heart, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, and Coram Boy), and Libby Winters (Dora Murphy; Broadway's American Idiot).
The creative team includes Broadway powerhouses Josh Rhodes (Choreographer), Peter Asher (Musical Supervisor), Rob Berman (Musical Director, Vocal Arrangements), August Eriksmoen (Orchestrator), Eugene Lee (Scenic Design), Jane Greenwood (Costume Design), Japhy Weideman (Lighting Design), Nevin Steinberg (Sound Design), Lee Wilkins (Associate Choreographer), Howie Cherpakov CSA (Casting), and Anjee Nero (Stage Manager).
"Bright Star is simply fantastic," said Old Globe Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. "It is that rarest of rare birds: a genuinely original, new American musical. The music is gorgeous and completely captivating, and the story heartfelt and very sweet. I know that San Diego audiences will adore it." Edelstein continued, "I am grateful that Steve Martin and Edie Brickell have entrusted their world premiere to The Old Globe. Along with their director, the great Walter Bobbie, they have assembled a world-class company whose bright stars will shine spectacularly on our stage."
Steve Martin commented, "That our musical is premiering at the wonderful Old Globe in San Diego where Shakespeare first performed his plays fills me with humility." Edie Brickell added, "After visiting the Globe, I realize how lucky I am to be a part of a production there. I cannot wait to see Bright Star rise and shine at the gorgeous Old Globe."
A workshop production of Bright Star was presented by New York Stage and Film & Vassar at the Powerhouse Theater, Summer 2013. Workshop production produced by The Old Globe, rehearsed and presented at the New 42nd Street Studios, March 6 and 7, 2014.
Following the multi-platinum success of her debut album with New Bohemians, Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars, in 1988, and then Ghost of a Dog, Edie Brickell (Music, Lyrics, Original Story) settled down and delighted in the privilege of being a stay-at-home mom. She has since written and recorded albums produced by guitar hero Charlie Sexton, as well as The Gaddabouts, a collaboration with legendaries Steve Gadd, Andy Fairweather Low, and Pino Palladino. And she still loves to play and record with her old friends in New Bohemians. Additionally, Brickell began her Song of the Day project in April 2012, writing and posting a song-which she recorded live into her phone-to her website daily for two years. Brickell's most recent work, a rootsy, 13-track collaboration with Steve Martin titled Love Has Come For You, was released to widespread acclaim. The title track won the Grammy for Best American Roots Song. The album combines Martin's five-string banjo work with Brickell's distinctive, slightly Southern-sounding vocals. It's this success that led Brickell and Martin to collaborate yet again, this time on the musical Bright Star.
Steve Martin (Music, Book, Original Story) is one of the most acclaimed and beloved talents in entertainment. His work has earned numerous honors including an Academy Award, five Grammy Awards, an Emmy Award, and the Kennedy Center Honor. Martin began his career on "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" (1967-1969), for which he earned his first Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy, Variety or Music in 1969. In the mid-1970s, Martin shone as a stand-up on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" and NBC's "Saturday Night Live." Martin's films are widely popular successes and are the kind of movies that are viewed again and again: The Jerk (1979), Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987), Roxanne (1987), Parenthood (1989), L.A. Story (1991), Father of the Bride (1991), and Bowfinger (1999). As an author, Martin's work includes the novel An Object of Beauty; the play Picasso at the Lapin Agile; a collection of comic pieces, Pure Drivel; a bestselling novella, Shopgirl; and his memoir, Born Standing Up. His writing has often appeared in The New Yorker. Martin is also an accomplished, Grammy Award-winning, boundary-pushing bluegrass banjoist and composer. In 2013, Martin released his third full-length album called Love Has Come For You, a unique collaboration with songwriter Edie Brickell. The remarkable album offers 13 eloquently rootsy compositions that combine Martin's inventive five-string banjo work with Brickell's distinctive vocals and vivid, detail-rich lyrics. Love Has Come For You won a Grammy for Best American Roots Song for the title track and inspired their new musical Bright Star.
Walter Bobbie (Director) is a director, actor, writer, and the recipient of the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Tony Awards. His production of the international hit Chicago is the longest-running American musical in Broadway history. His select credits on Broadway and Off Broadway include The Landing, Golden Age, Venus in Fur, The School for Lies, Irving Berlin's White Christmas, The Submission, The Savannah Disputation, New Jerusalem, High Fidelity, The Marriage of Bette and Boo, Sweet Charity, Twentieth Century, Footloose, Durang/Durang, and A Grand Night for Singing, as well as the City Center Encores! productions of Fiorello!, Tenderloin, Golden Boy, and No, No, Nanette and the Carnegie Hall concerts of South Pacific and Carousel. As an actor his credits range from the original Grease through A History of the American Film, I Love My Wife, Cafe Crown, Anything Goes, Getting Married, Driving Miss Daisy, Assassins, Guys and Dolls, Polish Joke, and last season's On Your Toes at Encores! He has served as Artistic Director of City Center Encores! and an Executive Board member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.
Tickets to Bright Star were initially available only as part of a Season Package. Subscription prices for the 2014-2015 Season range from $99 to $615. Subscription packages may be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE or by visiting the Box Office at 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park. Single tickets go on sale on Friday, August 8 at noon and start at $39. Regular Performances: Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m., Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings at 8:00 p.m., Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m. and Sunday evenings at 7:00 p.m. There will a Wednesday matinee performance on October 15 at 2:00 p.m. and no matinee performance on Saturday, October 18. Discounts are available for full-time students, patrons 29 years of age and under, seniors and groups of 10 or more.
Additional events taking place during the run of Bright Star include:
INSIGHTS SEMINAR: Monday, September 15 at 7:00 p.m.
The seminar series features a panel selected from the current show. Reception at 6:30 p.m. FREE
POST-SHOW FORUMS: Tuesday, September 30, and Wednesday, October 8
Discuss the play with members of the cast and crew following the performance. FREE
SUBJECT MATTERS: Saturday, October 11
Following the 2:00 p.m. performance, explore the ideas and issues raised by the production through brief, illuminating post-show discussions with local experts. FREE
The Old Globe is located in San Diego's Balboa Park at 1363 Old Globe Way. There are numerous free parking lots available throughout the park. Guests may also be dropped off in front of the Mingei International Museum. The Balboa Park valet is also available during performances ($12), located in front of the Japanese Friendship Garden. For additional parking information visit www.BalboaPark.org. For directions and up-to-date information, please visit www.TheOldGlobe.org/Directions. To look up online or GPS directions to The Old Globe, please do not use the Delivery Address above. There is only a 10-minute zone at that physical address. For GPS users, please click here for the map coordinates, and here for written directions to The Old Globe and nearby parking in Balboa Park.
The Tony Award-winning Old Globe is one of the country's leading professional regional theatres and has stood as San Diego's flagship arts institution for over 75 years. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Barry Edelstein and Managing Director Michael G. Murphy, The Old Globe produces a year-round season of 14 productions of classic, contemporary, and new works on its three Balboa Park stages: the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the 600-seat Old Globe Theatre and the 250-seat Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, both part of The Old Globe's Conrad Prebys Theatre Center, and the 605-seat outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, home of its internationally renowned Shakespeare Festival. More than 250,000 people attend Globe productions annually and participate in the theatre's education and community programs. Numerous world premieres such as 2014 Tony Award winner for Best Musical, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, A Catered Affair, and the annual holiday musical Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! have been developed at The Old Globe and have gone on to enjoy highly successful runs on Broadway and at regional theatres across the country.
CAST & CREATIVE TEAM BIOGRAPHIES
Stephen Lee Anderson (Daddy Murphy) recently appeared in Richard III at The Old Vic in London and at Brooklyn Academy of Music with the Bridge Project directed by Sam Mendes. He has appeared in 10 Broadway productions including Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, Julius Caesar, Wicked, The Crucible, Footloose, The Capeman, and The Kentucky Cycle. His Off Broadway credits include Violet and Floyd Collins (Playwright Horizons) and productions at Atlantic Theater Company, Vineyard Theatre, and Manhattan Theatre Club. He has performed regionally at La Jolla Playhouse, Huntington Theatre Company (IRNE Award for Best Supporting Actor (Drama) for Bus Stop), Signature Theatre Company, Long Wharf Theatre, The Kennedy Center, The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, and seven seasons with Denver Center Theatre Company. His film and television credits include The Treatment, "Orange Is the New Black," "Those Who Kill," "Unforgettable," "Law & Order," and "Autopsy 5" (HBO).
Stephen Bogardus (Daddy Cane) appeared at the Globe last fall as Friar Laurence in The Last Goodbye. He has appeared on Broadway in Irving Berlin's White Christmas, Old Acquaintance, Man of La Mancha, James Joyce's The Dead, High Society, Love! Valour! Compassion!, King David, Falsettos, The Grapes of Wrath, LES MISERABLES, and West Side Story (1980 revival). His Off Broadway work includes Passion (Classic Stage Company), The Pavilion (Rattlestick Playwrights Theater), Go Back to Where You Are, Falsettoland, and Falsettos (Playwrights Horizons), and Love! Valour! Compassion! (Manhattan Theatre Club). Regionally he has appeared in God of Carnage (Huntington Theatre Company), The Exorcist (Geffen Playhouse), M. Butterfly (Arena Stage), and 80 Days (La Jolla Playhouse). His national tour credits include Show Boat, City of Angels, and Chess. He has been seen on television in "The Big C," "Smash," "Monk," all three "Law & Order" series, and "Without a Trace." His film credits include Julie & Julia, Little Ones, States of Control, and Love! Valour! Compassion!
Allison Briner (Ensemble) has appeared in the national tours and Broadway productions of Mamma Mia!, Follies, Irving Berlin's White Christmas, Titanic, and LES MISERABLES. Her Off Broadway credits include Forbidden Broadway, Listen to My Heart, Return to the Forbidden Planet, Song of Singapore, Forbidden Hollywood, and Pete 'n' Keely. She has performed at numerous regional theatres such as TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Berkshire Theatre Festival, Syracuse Stage, Westport Country Playhouse, and Actors Theatre of Louisville. Her television credits include "Law & Order," "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," "The Carrie Diaries," "All My Children," and "One Life to Live." Briner is a principal performer in the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra's production of Pops Goes Vegas!, touring symphony halls across the U.S. and Canada. Her future projects include Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park.
Max Chernin (Ensemble) has appeared in New York in Really Bad Things (New York Musical Theatre Festival) and World Famous (Theater for the New City). His readings and workshops include Brooklynite (New York Stage and Film), Sheila Levine is Dead and Living in New York (Vineyard Theatre), The Underclassman (Prospect Theater Company), Fall Springs (Ars Nova), and Darling (Weston Playhouse). Chernin has been featured in concerts at The Town Hall, 54 Below, and Joe's Pub. He trained at University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music.
Patti Cohenour (Mama Murphy) recently appeared as Charlotte in A Room with a View (The 5th Avenue Theatre) and in her critically acclaimed portrayal of Margaret in The Light in the Piazza (South Coast Repertory). She has originated the Broadway roles of Signora Naccarelli/Margaret (alternate) in Light in the Piazza, Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music, Christine in The Phantom of the Opera (also in Canada), Rosa Bud in The Mystery of Edwin Drood (also in London), and Mary Jane in Big River. Her additional credits include Sweet Adeline (City Center Encores!), Magnolia in Hal Prince's Show Boat, Mimi in La Bohème, and Isabel/Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance (New York Shakespeare Festival), and Florence Foster Jenkins in Souvenir (A Contemporary Theatre, San Jose Repertory Theatre). She's a recipient of a Tony Award nomination, two Drama Desk Award nominations, a Jeff Award nomination, Actors' Equity Association's Clarence Derwent Award, a Theatre World Award, and a 2013 Gregory Award for her work in 5th Avenue Theatre/ACT's co-production of Grey Gardens.
Carmen Cusack (Alice Murphy) recently played the Mother in Ragtime at Milwaukee Repertory Theater and received a Jeff Award nomination for Dot/Marie in Sunday in the Park with George at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Her other theatre credits include Lynn Gardner in Carrie (MCC Theater), her Helen Hayes Award-nominated portrayal of Nellie Forbush in Broadway/Lincoln Center Theater?s national tour of South Pacific, and Elphaba in Wicked (Chicago, first national tour, and Melbourne, Australia). Her West End credits include Chesty Prospects in Saucy Jack and the Space Vixens, Eva Cassidy in Over the Rainbow (U.K. and Ireland), Fantine in LES MISERABLES, Rose in The Secret Garden (Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon, and West End), Kim in Personals, and Christine in The Phantom of the Opera. In her downtime she plays and writes music and is embarking on her first original album this year.
Wayne Duvall (Mayor Josiah Dobbs) last performed at the Globe in the musical revival of Working directed by Gordon Greenberg. His other theatre credits include Pride in the Falls of Autrey Mill directed by Michael Kahn, Bonnie & Clyde directed by Jeff Calhoun (La Jolla Playhouse, Asolo Repertory Theatre), Of Thee I Sing directed by John Rando (City Center Encores!), On the Wing directed by Seth Barrish, and Happy Days - A New Musical directed by Garry Marshall. His film highlights include Prisoners, Lincoln, Edge of Darkness, Duplicity, Pride and Glory, Leatherheads, In the Valley of Elah, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Hard Rain, My Fellow Americans, and Apollo 13, as well as the upcoming Hello, My Name Is Frank, Greater and West End. His television credits include about 100 guest starring roles such as four years as Sgt. Phil Brander on "The District" (CBS) and recurring roles on "The Leftovers" and "The Good Wife."
Hannah Elless (Margo Crawford) made her Broadway debut in the revival of Stephen Schwartz's Godspell, followed by a turn in the Drama Desk-nominated The Other Josh Cohen under the direction of Tony Award winner Ted Sperling. She was last seen starring as Elise McKenna in the new musical Somewhere in Time at Portland Center Stage. Her television and film credits include Fox TV's "Glee," Before Winter, The Lake Effect, and About Face. Elless has headlined many readings, workshops, and concerts in New York City including performances at Birdland, 54 Below, Café Carlyle, Lincoln Center, and many more.
Jeff Hiller (Darryl Ames) is a comedian most often seen at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York and Los Angeles, including performing with Baby Wants Candy and signature show ASSSSCAT 3000. His stage credits include Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (both on and Off Broadway), Nathaniel in Love's Labour's Lost and Trinculo in The Tempest (New York Shakespeare Festival), and Silence! The Musical (both Off Broadway and L.A. premiere). His regional credits include Li'l Abner and the premiere of Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas. Hiller has appeared in the films Ghost Town, The Little Tin Man, Adam, Gayby, and Morning Glory. His television credits include "30 Rock," "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," "Ugly Betty," "Community," "Psych," "The McCarthys," "The Hotwives of Orlando," "Go On," "Partners," "Boiling Points," and "Guiding Light". Hiller recently created the web series "Long Distance."
Leah Horowitz (Ensemble) has appeared on Broadway as Young Heidi in the recent revival of Follies, singing "One More Kiss" (also at The Kennedy Center and the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles), Cosette in LES MISERABLES, Irving Berlin's White Christmas, The Woman in White, Fiddler on the Roof, La Cage aux Folles, and Thoroughly Modern Millie. Her other New York credits include The Most Happy Fella, Evelyn in Merrily We Roll Along, and Where's Charley? (City Center Encores!). Regionally she has been seen as Sarah in Guys and Dolls (Great Lakes Theater), Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof (Music Circus), Magnolia in Show Boat (The Muny, Kevin Kline Award nomination), and Cosette in LES MISERABLES (Theatre Under The Stars, The Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire, and The Muny). Her television credits include The Sound of Music Live! (NBC) and Carousel with "Live from Lincoln Center" (PBS).
Joe Jung (Ensemble) appeared in Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson at The Public Theater and on Broadway and recently toured the country with the Stephen King/John Mellencamp musical Ghost Brothers of Darkland County. His New York credits include H4 (Clurman Theatre), Michael Ian Black's My Custom Van, Shel's Shorts, and Language of Angels (Project: Theater), and The Nightingale and the Rose (Metropolis Opera Project). His regional credits include Siddhartha, Assassins, and Floyd Collins (Berkshire Theatre Group) and A Midsummer Night's Dream, Translations, and Red Noses (Connecticut Repertory Theatre). Jung is the Artistic Director of Project: Theater, where he directed The Secretaries and J.B. along with the world premieres of Occupation and Mangella. He also contributes to the monthly performance series Our Bar. As a musician, Jung enjoys has recorded three solo albums and plays regularly with his jug band, The Salt Cracker Crazies.
Lulu Lloyd (Swing) is a San Diego native and is making her Globe debut. Lloyd has appeared Off Broadway in God's Country (York Theatre Company, Signature Theatre Company, New York Musical Theatre Festival 2013), Mother Jones and the Children's Crusade (The Pearl Theatre Company, NYMF 2014), and Pure Country (Playwrights Horizons). Some of her regional credits include Lucy in Jekyll & Hyde (Ovation Award nomination), Judy in 9 to 5, Missy in The Marvelous Wonderettes, Lizzie in Baby, Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Ado Annie in Oklahoma!, and Louise Seger in Always...Patsy Cline. Her television credits include "A Crime to Remember" (Discovery Channel).
Kate Loprest (Lucy Grant) has been seen on Broadway as Allison in the original cast of First Date, Amber in Hairspray, Wonderland, Xanadu, and The Drowsy Chaperone. Her tour credits include Glinda/Nessarose understudy in Wicked and Nellie Oleson in Little House on the Prairie. She has been seen Off Broadway as Victoria in Under My Skin and Heather in Sistas. Her recent credits include Emma in Single Girls Guide (Capital Repertory Theatre) and Ellie in Show Boat (Washington National Opera). Her television credits include Corrine in "Boardwalk Empire," "Running Wilde," and "All My Children."
Ashley Robinson (Ensemble) was recently seen as Tyler in Merrily We Roll Along (Menier Chocolate Factory, West End). He originated the role of Tybalt in The Last Goodbye, the Jeff Buckley/Romeo and Juliet musical (Williamstown Theatre Festival), as well as the role of Jett Rink in the world premiere of Giant (Helen Hayes Award nomination). His other theatre credits include Sweeney Todd (New York Philharmonic), Wicked (original Chicago cast), Juliet/Benvolio in Shakespeare's R&J, Richard in Take Me Along, Lon in Meet Me in St. Louis, and A Child's Christmas in Wales (Irish Repertory Theatre), Claude in Hair, the title role in Floyd Collins directed by Gerald Freedman, the world premiere of Studs Terkel's The Good War, Feste in Twelfth Night, Lucky in Waiting for Godot (Lucky), and Billy in The Cripple of Inishmaan. He also performed in Adam Guettel and Maria Friedman's West End concert. His film and television credits include Merrily We Roll Along, Hate with Marcia Gay Harden, Fallen Souls, and The Accident.
Greg Roderick (Swing) has appeared in South Pacific (Broadway/Lincoln Center Theater) and Ragtime (15th anniversary concert at LCT), as well as the national tours of LCT's South Pacific, Parade directed by Harold Prince, and The Sound of Music. His Off Broadway credits include Barcode (New York International Fringe Festival), Is There Life after High School? (York Theatre Company), and The Butterfly (Making Books Sing at Mint Theater Company). He has appeared at numerous regional companies, including Goodspeed Musicals, Paper Mill Playhouse, The Muny, Atlanta's Theatre of the Stars, Houston's Theatre Under The Stars, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Maltz Jupiter Theatre, and Northern Stage.
Sarah Jane Shanks (Ensemble) was last seen in the Off Broadway premiere of Far From Heaven at Playwrights Horizons. Prior to that, she often stepped in for Kristin Chenoweth in Promises, Promises on Broadway. Her other Broadway credits include Shrek The Musical, The Apple Tree, Wicked, and Wonderful Town. She has appeared regionally as Kathy Selden in Singin' in the Rain (Goodspeed Musicals), Gloria Upson in Mame (The Kennedy Center), and in various projects at Williamstown Theatre Festival, New York Musical Theatre Festival, New York City Center Encores!, and York Theatre Company. Shanks has also participated in developmental production workshops with The Weinstein Company, Roundabout Theatre Company, DreamWorks, and Centre Theatre Group.
A.J. Shively (Billy Cane) has been seen on Broadway in the most recent revival of La Cage aux Folles, where he originated the role of Jean-Michel, and in a concert staging of Brigadoon, where he sang the role of Charlie. Other credits include the national tour of The Sound of Music and the Off Broadway productions of February House (The Public Theater), A Contemporary American's Guide to a Successful Marriage (Cherry Lane Theatre), Things to Ruin (Second Stage Theatre), and Little Airplanes of the Heart (The Ensemble Studio Theatre). Regionally, he has appeared at Center Stage, George Street Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and TheatreWorks Silicon Valley. He has worked on developmental projects for DreamWorks Theatricals, Manhattan Theatre Club, Playwrights Horizons, Center Theatre Group, New York Musical Theatre Festival, and New York International Fringe Festival. His film credits include Syrup, HairBrained, and "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart."
Scott Wakefield (Ensemble) has appeared on Broadway in Hands on a Hardbody, Ring of Fire, and It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues. His Off Broadway credits include The Joy Luck Club, The American Clock, Howling at the Moon, and Still Getting My Act Together. His regional performances include Millet in Fuddy Meers (Millet), Camille in A Flea in Her Ear, Victor in The Price, Kruger in The Front Page, Tom in The Glass Menagerie, Louis DeRougemont in Shipwrecked! An Entertainment, Michael in Dancing at Lughnasa, and others at such prestigious venues as Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Seattle Repertory Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, and Alliance Theatre. Wakefield garnered three Best Actor awards for his portrayal of Will Rogers in The Will Rogers Follies and another Best Actor award for playing Sheriff Ed Earl Dodd in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Wakefield has written and produced two CDs of original music: Older Than Dirt and Vegetarian Nightmare.
Wayne Alan Wilcox (Jimmy Ray Dobbs) has appeared in Chaplin directed by Warren Carlyle, The Normal Heart (Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance), Priscilla Queen of the Desert, and Coram Boy, all on Broadway. His Off Broadway and other theatre credits include Suddenly Last Summer (Roundabout Theatre Company), Carrie (MCC Theater), The Great American Trailer Park Musical, A Death in the Family, The Importance of Being Earnest with Lynn Redgrave, The Full Monty with Elaine Stritch, The Last Five Years, The Light in the Piazza, The Sisters Rosensweig, and A Man of No Importance (Lincoln Center Theater). His film and television credits include Under directed by Mark Raso, "Wallflowers," Rent directed by Chris Columbus, Interview directed by Steve Buscemi, and "Gilmore Girls," to name a few.
Libby Winters (Dora Murphy) debuted on Broadway as part of the original cast of Green Day's American Idiot, later taking over the role of The Extraordinary Girl. She played Sophie in the Las Vegas production of Mamma Mia! Her regional credits include American Idiot (Berkeley Repertory Theatre) and White Noise (New York Musical Theatre Festival). Her television credits include the role of Suzanne on Lisa Cholodenko's upcoming HBO miniseries Olive Kitteridge, "Smash" (NBC), and "Champs" (ABC/Dreamworks). Her recent films include My Man is a Loser (Lionsgate), Dreaming American, and Casual Encounters. She has been seen in the New York workshops of If/Then, American Psycho, Regina Spektor'sBeauty, American Idiot, and White Noise. Her past performances in New York include shows at the Bowery Ballroom, Mercury Lounge, Knitting Factory, Glasslands, Pianos, Joe's Pub, and Cake Shop. In L.A. she has played Silverlake Lounge and The Roxy.
Josh Rhodes (Choreographer) has Broadway credits that include First Date and Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella (Outer Critic Circle Award, Astaire Award, and Drama Desk Award nominations). He choreographed Company starring Neil Patrick Harris, Sweeney Todd, and Sondheim! The Birthday Concert for the New York Philharmonic and PBS. His other stage credits include Working (The Old Globe, Broadway Playhouse in Chicago, and the Drama Desk Award-winning production at Prospect Theater Company in New York), John Kander's The Landing (Vineyard Theatre), Broadway: Three Generations (The Kennedy Center), On the Town (Los Angeles Philharmonic), Annie Get Your Gun starring Patti LuPone (Ravinia Festival), Barnum (Asolo Repertory Theatre, Sarasota Magazine Theater Award), and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (The Shakespeare Theatre Company, Helen Hayes Award nomination).
Peter Asher (Musical Supervisor) was born in London and began his career as a child actor. In 1964 he was one half of Peter & Gordon, who amassed nine Top 20 records, beginning with their global hit "A World Without Love". In 1968 Asher was appointed head of A&R for The Beatles's record company, Apple, where he found, signed, and produced James Taylor. In 1971 he founded Peter Asher Management, representing James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell, Carole King, and more. He has produced 13 Grammy Award-winning recordings, and in 1977 and 1989 he won the Grammy for Producer of the Year. His recent projects include several soundtrack albums with Hans Zimmer; Steve Martin and Edie Brickell's Love Has Come For You; and a production project with Elton John, with current artists like Ed Sheeran, Miguel, Hunter Hayes, and Fall Out Boy singing the songs from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.
Rob Berman (Musical Director, Vocal Arrangements) is an Emmy Award-winning, New York-based conductor and music director. He is the music director of Encores!, New York City Center's acclaimed series of great American musicals in concert. In seven seasons there, he has conducted 18 productions, including Finian's Rainbow, Merrily We Roll Along, and The Most Happy Fella. For eight years, Berman has been music director of "The Kennedy Center Honors" on CBS, for which he won the 2012 Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Direction. Berman's many Broadway credits as a conductor include the revivals of Wonderful Town and The Pajama Game, the stage adaptation of Irving Berlin's White Christmas, and revivals of Finian's Rainbow, The Apple Tree, and Promises, Promises. Berman was music director of "A Broadway Celebration: In Performance at the White House," which aired on PBS, and he has conducted 10 original cast recordings.
August Eriksmoen (Orchestrator) has worked on the Broadway productions of First Date (orchestrations), Hugh Jackman, Back On Broadway(additional orchestrations), The Addams Family (dance arrangements), Memphis (dance arrangements), Million Dollar Quartet (associate music supervisor), Ring of Fire (associate music director), All Shook Up (music director), and Rent (associate conductor). His Off Broadway credits include Bare (orchestrations), Romantic Poetry (orchestrations), Walmartopia (orchestrations/supervision), and Imperfect Chemistry(orchestrations/supervision). His television orchestration credits include the 2011 Billboard Music Awards and 2014 Tony Awards. He has created orchestrations for the touring and regional productions of Bull Durham, Kristin Chenoweth (in concert), Chita Rivera (in concert), Brother Russia,James and the Giant Peach, and All Shook Up (first national tour, dance arrangements/additional orchestrations). His other orchestration credits include Universal Orlando's The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Always...Patsy Cline, Honky Tonk Angels, Berlin, and Winnie the Pooh (Disney Junior).
Eugene Lee (Scenic Design) has been the production designer for NBC's "Saturday Night Live" since 1974 and also designed the new "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon." He has received the Tony Award, Emmy Award, American Theatre Wing's Henry Hewes Design Award, Outer Critic Circle Award, Drama Desk Award, Lucille Lortel Award, Pell Award, and Elliot Norton Award for Sustained Excellence. He is a recent inductee into the Theater Hall of Fame in New York. Lee is currently represented on Broadway by the musical Wicked. His recent New York work includes A Streetcar Named Desire, Glengarry Glen Ross, My Name Is Asher Lev, and The Velocity of Autumn. His films include Francis Ford Coppola's Hammett, Danny Huston's Mr. North, Louis Malle's Vanya on 42nd Street, and Jonathan Demme's A Master Builder.
Jane Greenwood (Costume Design) has designed more than 125 productions on Broadway including The Assembled Parties, A View from the Bridge, Harvey, A Moon for the Misbegotten, James Joyce's The Dead, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Plenty, The Ballad of the Sad Cafe, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, and Hamlet starring Richard Burton. Her credits at Lincoln Center Theater comprise 18 productions including Act One, Nikolai and the Others, Belle Epoque, A Man of No Importance, A Delicate Balance, The Heiress, The Sisters Rosensweig, Two Shakespearean Actors, Abe Lincoln in Illinois, Our Town, Oh, Hell, and Mr. Gogol and Mr. Preen. She will also design the upcoming Broadway production of You Can't Take It With You. Her Off Broadway credits include The Garden of Earthly Delights, Vita & Virginia, Sylvia, and The Lisbon Traviata. Greenwood's film credits include Arthur, The Four Seasons, 84 Charing Cross Road, and Glengarry Glen Ross. She has been inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame and received the 2014 Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement. She has also received an additional 18 Tony Award nominations and an Irene Sharaff Award.
Japhy Weideman (Lighting Design) previously designed the Globe productions of Bethany, The Rainmaker, and August: Osage County. His recent Broadway projects include Of Mice and Men (2014 Tony Award nomination) and Macbeth (Drama Desk Award nomination). His other Broadway credits include The Snow Geese with Mary Louise Parker, Cyrano de Bergerac, and The Nance (2013 Tony nomination). Weideman's other noted projects in New York include 4000 Miles (Lincoln Center Theater), What's It All About (New York Theatre Workshop), Sons of the Prophet (Roundabout Theatre Company), and Jack Goes Boating with Phillip Seymour Hoffman and The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (LAByrinth Theater Company). His other regional credits include American Conservatory Theater, Arena Stage, Alley Theatre, Houston Grand Opera, Huntington Theatre Company, Santa Fe Opera, The Shakespeare Theatre Company, and Williamstown Theatre Festival. Internationally, Weideman has designed at Edinburgh International Festival, London's West End, Royal Shakespeare Company, Ancient Theater of Epidaurus, Greece, National Theater of Korea, La Scala in Milan, Opéra de Lyon, and De Nederlandse Opera in Amsterdam. His awards and nominations for lighting design include Tony, Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, Hewes Design, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle, and San Diego Craig Noel Awards.
Nevin Steinberg (Sound Design) previously designed Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at the Globe. His recent Broadway credits include Mothers and Sons, Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella (Tony Award nomination), The Performers, and Magic/Bird. His recent Off Broadway credits includeThe Landing (Vineyard Theatre) and Far From Heaven (Playwrights Horizons). Steinberg is the Audio Consultant for Carnegie Hall's Isaac Stern Auditorium. He worked on over 30 Broadway productions as a former founding principal of Acme Sound Partners and received five additional Tony nominations for The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, Fences, Hair, and In the Heights.