STARRY CAST ANNOUNCED FOR GOODSPEED S HELLO, DOLLY! KLEA BLACKHURST, TONY SHELDON & ASHLEY BROWN LEAD CAST

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "STARRY CAST ANNOUNCED FOR GOODSPEED S HELLO, DOLLY! KLEA BLACKHURST, TONY SHELDON & ASHLEY BROWN LEAD CAST"

Ethel Franklin
6 years ago
Views:

NEWS RELEASE FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Elisa Hale at (860) 873-8664, ext. 323 Elisa.Hale@goodspeed.org Dan McMahon at (860) 873-8664, ext. 324 Dan.McMahon@goodspeed.

1 NEWS RELEASE FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Elisa Hale at (860) , ext. 323 Dan McMahon at (860) , ext. 324 [EDITORS: Please join us for our Press Event in New York City on May 20 th. For details and to reserve a spot to Meet the Cast, please contact Elisa Hale at ext. 323 by May 17 th ] STARRY CAST ANNOUNCED FOR GOODSPEED S HELLO, DOLLY! KLEA BLACKHURST, TONY SHELDON & ASHLEY BROWN LEAD CAST DOLLY GRACES GOODSPEED S STAGE BEGINNING JUNE 28 EAST HADDAM, CONN., MAY 13, 2013: Dolly looks swell as ever as Goodspeed Musicals brings everyone s favorite meddlesome matchmaker to its main stage. Hello, Dolly! will run from June 28 September 8 at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Conn. Hello, Dolly! will be sponsored by Bank of America, Comcast, The Shops at Mohegan Sun, and Essex Meadows. [Official Press Opening will be July 17, 2013] Hellooo Dolly! Well Hellooo Dolly! Join us when one of the greatest musicals ever written lights up the Goodspeed stage for the very first time. You ll grin from ear to ear as Dolly Levi meddles in many a person s affairs while at the same time seeking her own "half a millionaire." Jerry Herman s rousing score is bursting with joy and tunes like "Put On Your Sunday Clothes," "Before the Parade Passes By," and "It Only Takes a Moment." Sparkling, dazzling, delightful one musical that you cannot miss! Music and lyrics for Hello, Dolly! are written by Jerry Herman and the book is by Michael Stewart based on Thornton Wilder s The Matchmaker. Leading the cast in the role of Dolly Levi will be cabaret diva Klea Blackhurst. Ms. Blackhurst is best known for her award-winning tribute to Ethel Merman, Everything the Traffic Will Allow, which she has performed in venues across the U.S. and in London. She was most recently seen in Happy Hunting at The York Theatre. She also created the role of Miss Lemon in the new musical The Nutty Professor, which premiered this past summer in Nashville. The cast also includes Ashley Brown as Irene Malloy. Ms. Brown created the title role in Broadway s Mary Poppins and played Belle in Broadway s Beauty and the Beast. Horace Vandergelder will be played by Tony Sheldon whose turn in Broadway s Priscilla Queen of the Desert earned him a Tony nomination. Jeremy Morse will play Barnaby Tucker. Brooke Shapiro will play Ermengarde. Spencer Moses of Broadway s Guys and Dolls and The Farnsworth Invention will play Cornelius Hackl. Charles MacEachern will play Ambrose Kemper. Minnie Fay will be played by Catherine Blades who appeared in Broadway s Bye Bye Birdie and Goodspeed s Hello, My Baby! at The Norma Terris Theatre.

2 -more- PAGE 2 GOODSPEED MUSICALS ANNOUNCES CAST OF HELLO, DOLLY! The ensemble includes Maddy Apple, Will Burton, Jack Doyle (Broadway s Young Frankenstein, The Music Man, and The Will Rogers Follies and Goodspeed s Pajama Game, Annie 2, Leave It To Jane, and Miss Liberty), Steve Geary (Broadway s Cats, Miss Saigon, Aida, and Contact), Drew Humphrey (Broadway s Irving Berlin s White Christmas and Goodspeed s Singin In The Rain), Matthew Kilgore (Broadway s Irving Berlin s White Christmas and Goodspeed s My One And Only and How To Succeed ), Frankie Paparone (Broadway s Shrek The Musical), Kristyn Pope (Broadway s Irving Berlin s White Christmas and Goodspeed s My One And Only and 42 nd Street), Robbie Smith, Kathryn Lin Terza, and Melodie Wolford. The swings are Melissa Chaty and Gregory Dassonville. Hello, Dolly! will be directed by Daniel Goldstein who directed the recent Broadway revival of Godspell and Goodspeed s The Unauthorized Autobiography of Samantha Brown at The Norma Terris Theatre. Choreography will be by Kelli Barclay. Ms. Barclay served as Associate Choreographer for Broadway s Irving Berlin s White Christmas and Assistant Choreographer for Broadway s 42 nd Street. She also choreographed Goodspeed s Hello, My Baby at The Norma Terris Theatre, My One And Only, and How To Succeed Scenic designs will be by Adrian W. Jones who designed Goodspeed s Something s Afoot, Cutman at The Norma Terris Theatre, and Carnival!. Costumes will be designed by Wade Laboissonniere whose Broadway credits include Costume Designer for The Story of My Life and Associate Costume Designer for That Championship Season, Collected Stories, and The Sound of Music. His Goodspeed credits include Cutman and The Story of My Life. Lighting design will be by Jason Lyons who served as Lighting Designer for Broadway s Bring It On The Musical, Rock of Ages, The Threepenny Opera, Barefoot in the Park, and Good Vibrations. Mr. Lyons Goodspeed credits include Cutman and The Story of My Life. Sound design will be by Jay Hilton who is in his 28 th season at Goodspeed. The Music Director for Hello, Dolly! will be Michael O Flaherty who is in his 22nd season as Goodspeed s Resident Music Director. F. Wade Russo will be assistant music director. Orchestrations will be provided by Dan DeLange, who has created the orchestrations for numerous Goodspeed productions. Hello, Dolly! is produced for Goodspeed Musicals by Michael P. Price. Hello, Dolly! will run June 28 through September 8, 2013 [Official Press Opening July 17, 2013]. Curtain times are Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Thursday at 7:30 p.m. (with select performances at 2:00 p.m.), Friday at 8:00 p.m., Saturday at 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. (with select performances at 6:30 p.m.). There will also be performances on Tuesday, August 13 and 27 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are available through the Box Office ( ), open seven days a week, or on-line at goodspeed.org. For show highlights, exclusive photos, special events and more visit us at goodspeed.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. -more-

3 PAGE 3 GOODSPEED MUSICALS ANNOUNCES CAST OF HELLO, DOLLY! Dedicated to the preservation and advancement of musical theatre, Goodspeed Musicals produces three musicals each season at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Conn., and additional works at The Norma Terris Theatre in Chester, Conn., which was opened in 1984 for the development of new musicals. The first regional theatre to receive two Tony Awards (for outstanding achievement), Goodspeed celebrates another milestone, its 50 th Anniversary, in In addition to the two theatres and production facilities, Goodspeed maintains The Scherer Library of Musical Theatre and The Max Showalter Center for Education in Musical Theatre. Goodspeed gratefully acknowledges the support of the Assisting Production Sponsor Bank of America; Corporate Partner Comcast; Ovation Sponsor The Shops at Mohegan Sun; Supporting Production Sponsor Essex Meadows; Sennheiser, the Official Audio Sponsor; United, the Official Airline Sponsor; and Hoffman Audi, the Official Auto Sponsor of Goodspeed Musicals. Goodspeed is supported in part by the Department of Economic and Community Development with support from the Connecticut Office of the Arts. ### For more information, to schedule an interview, or to receive stock art, please contact Elisa Hale (ext. 323) or Dan McMahon (ext. 324) at , Elisa.Hale@goodspeed.org/Dan.McMahon@goodspeed.org. -more-

5 PAGE 4 GOODSPEED MUSICALS ANNOUNCES CAST OF HELLO, DOLLY! GOODSPEED MUSICALS HELLO, DOLLY! FACT SHEET Production: Music and Lyrics by: Book by: Hello, Dolly! Jerry Herman Michael Stewart Based on The Matchmaker by: Thornton Wilder Theatre: Director : Choreographer: Set Designer: Costume Designer: Lighting Designer: Sound Designer: Music Director: Assistant Music Director: Orchestrations: Principals: Ensemble: Swings: Goodspeed Opera House 6 Main Street, East Haddam, Connecticut Daniel Goldstein Kelli Barclay Adrian W. Jones Wade Laboissonniere Jason Lyons Jay Hilton Michael O Flaherty F. Wade Russo Dan DeLange Klea Blackhurst (Dolly Levi) Catherine Blades (Minnie Fay) Ashley Brown (Irene Malloy) Charles MacEachern (Ambrose Kemper) Jeremy Morse (Barnaby Tucker) Spencer Moses (Cornelius Hackl) Brooke Shapiro (Ermengarde) Tony Sheldon (Horace Vandergelder) Maddy Apple Will Burton Jack Doyle Steve Geary Drew Humphrey Matthew Kilgore Frankie Paparone Kristyn Pope Robbie Smith Kathryn Lin Terza Melodie Wolford Melissa Chaty Gregory Dassonville more-

6 PAGE 5 GOODSPEED MUSICALS ANNOUNCES CAST OF HELLO, DOLLY! Background: Hello, Dolly! first opened on Broadway at the St. James Theatre on January 16, 1964 and closed after 2,844 performances on December 27, The original production was directed and choreographed by Gower Champion and starred Carol Channing. The production won 10 Tony Awards. Dolly had its first short-lived revival starring Pearl Bailey; it ran for 42 performances in A 147- performance revival was mounted in 1978 bringing back Ms. Channing to play the title role. The most recent revival (again starring Channing) opened at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on October 19, 1995 and ran for 116 performances. Hello, Dolly! was adapted for film in The movie musical, starring Barbra Streisand, Walter Matthau, and Michael Crawford, won three Academy Awards. Synopsis: Hellooo Dolly! Well Hellooo Dolly! Join us when one of the greatest musicals ever written lights up the Goodspeed stage for the very first time. You ll grin from ear to ear as Dolly Levi meddles in many a person s affairs while at the same time seeking her own "half a millionaire." Jerry Herman s rousing score is bursting with joy and tunes like "Put On Your Sunday Clothes," "Before the Parade Passes By," and "It Only Takes a Moment." Sparkling, dazzling, delightful one musical that you cannot miss! Dates: June 28 September 8, 2013 Performances: Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Thursday at 7:30 p.m., (with select performances at 2:00 p.m.), Friday at 8:00 p.m., Saturday at 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. (with select performances at 6:30 p.m.). There will also be performances on Tuesdays, August 13 and 27 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets: Start at $ All prices subject to change based on availability. Goodspeed Box Office ( ) or online at goodspeed.org Special Events: Girls Night Out: Friday, June 28, 7:00 pm. Celebrate Opening Night in style! Gather the girls for glitz and glamour Broadway-style with our Ticket n Tini special. Package includes one ticket to the 8 pm performance and a specialty martini. A hot deal at $46 per person. Wine Tasting: Sunday, June 30, 5:00 pm. Treat yourself to a sampling of fine wines, compliments of Shore Discount Liquors of Deep River, and hors d oeuvres provided by the Gelston House of East Haddam. Only $15 with your ticket to the 6:30 pm performance. Reserve in advance through the Box Office. Kids Nights: July 3 & 4, 7:30 pm; July 5, 8 pm. Introduce your favorite young person to the magic of musical theatre. Each adult who buys a regular-priced ticket on the specified dates may purchase a $15 ticket for a youth age 5 to 18. Meet the cast after the July 5th performance for autographs. Lady Katharine Lunch Cruise: Enjoy summer on the Connecticut River. Add a leisurely cruise and sumptuous buffet aboard the Lady Katharine to your theatre ticket. Available on Wednesday, July 17 and Thursday, August 29. Cruises depart at 11:30 a.m. $40 with your ticket to the 2 p.m. performance. Meet the Cast: Take part in a lively discussion with the cast after the Thursday evening performances on July 25 and August 8 & 22. Meet the Cast events are free with a ticket to that evening s performance. Friday Dinner Theatre Package: Includes dinner at the Gelston House (located next door to the Opera House) and a ticket to the 8:00 pm performance. Only $76! ALL OFFERS ARE FOR SELECT SEATS AND ARE SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY For more information, to schedule an interview, or to receive stock art, please contact Elisa Hale (ext. 323) or Dan McMahon (ext. 324) at , Elisa.Hale@goodspeed.org/Dan.McMahon@goodspeed.org. ###

SPARKLING CAST ANNOUNCED FOR THE MOST HAPPY FELLA NEW PRODUCTION WILL COMPLETE GOODSPEED S 50 TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON

SPARKLING CAST ANNOUNCED FOR THE MOST HAPPY FELLA NEW PRODUCTION WILL COMPLETE GOODSPEED S 50 TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON NEWS RELEASE FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Elisa Hale at (860) 873-8664, ext. 323 Elisa.Hale@goodspeed.org Dan McMahon at (860) 873-8664, ext. 324 Dan.McMahon@goodspeed.org SPARKLING CAST ANNOUNCED FOR