CHAPLIN to Open at Broadway's Barrymore Theatre in September 2012; Warren Carlyle to Direct

CHAPLIN, a new musical depicting the life of film icon Charlie Chaplin, with music and lyrics by Christopher Curtis and book by three-time Tony Award-winner Thomas Meehan (Annie, The Producers, Hairspray) and Christopher Curtis, will open on Broadway on Monday, September 10, 2012 at the Barrymore Theatre (243 West 47th Street). Previews will begin Tuesday, August 21, 2012. Acclaimed director/choreographer Warren Carlyle (Finian's Rainbow, Hugh Jackman, Back on Broadway) directs and choreographs the production. Casting and additional creative team to be announced soon.

From the slums of London to the heights of Hollywood, CHAPLIN is the showbiz Broadway musical about the silent film legend the world couldn't stop talking about - Charlie Chaplin. The brand new 22-person musical reveals the man behind the legend, the undeniable genius that forever changed the way America went to the movies.

CHAPLIN will be produced on Broadway by the Rich Entertainment Group (Bob & Mindy Rich), Roy Gabay (Fela!, The Little Dog Laughed, Steel Magnolias), and John and Claire Caudwell (John is a high profile UK entrepreneur, philanthropist and champion of many charitable causes including his own charitable foundation "Caudwell Children"), with additional producers to be announced. Rich/Caudwell are also co-producing this season's productions of Jesus Christ Superstar and Leap of Faith.

CHAPLIN comes to Broadway following the popular success of a production at the La Jolla Playhouse in 2010, under the name Limelight.

Christopher Curtis (Music & Lyrics, Book). As a pianist and singer Chris Curtis has performed in Los Angeles, New York, Japan and Ireland with such artists as Stevie Wonder. As a composer he wrote and sang the theme song for the popular Discovery Channel/The Learning Channel TV series "A Wedding Story" as well as the songs for the Discovery Channel's "Travelers" and "On the Inside." He wrote and sang the theme song to the Trimark Pictures film The Break starring Martin Sheen. Chris was signed to the songwriter program at Disney Animation. Chaplin, formerly entitled Limelight, was the recipient of the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle's Craig Noel Award for Best Musical for its run at the La Jolla Playhouse.

Thomas Meehan (Book) won the 2001 Tony Award for co-writing the book of The Producers with Mel Brooks, and then went on to win the 2003 Tony Award for co-writing the book of Hairspray with Mark O'Donnell. He received his first Tony Award in 1977 for writing the book of Annie, which was his first Broadway show, and he has since written books for, among others, the musicals I Remember Mama, Ain't Broadway Grand, Annie Warbucks and the American version of Bombay Dreams. His most recent works are the Broadway musicals Young Frankenstein, for which he co-wrote the book with Mel Brooks; Cry-Baby, co-written with Mark O'Donnell; and Elf, co-written with Bob Martin. Meanwhile, the summer of 2010 saw the limited-run premiere of Death Takes a Holiday, for which he co-wrote the book with the late Peter Stone to music and lyrics by Maury Yeston. Future projects include Rocky, for which he has written the book to lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty. Other works in earlier stages of development include musicals based on the life of Roy Rogers, the early years of Judy Garland entitled Chasing Rainbows, the movie Tootsie and the movie Dave. In addition, he is a long-time contributor of humor pieces, including Yma Dream, to The New Yorker; an Emmy Award-winning writer of television comedy; and a collaborator on a number of screenplays, including Mel Brooks' Spaceballs, To Be or Not to Be and the film version of The Producers. He is also the co-author, with the poet J.D. McClatchy, of the libretto of 1984, an opera composed by Lorin Maazel, based on George Orwell's classic novel, which had its world premiere in the spring of 2005 at London's Royal Opera House and was performed in 2008 at La Scala in Milan, and last year at the opera house in Valencia. Mr. Meehan is a member of the Council of the Dramatists Guild.

Warren Carlyle (Director/Choreographer) Warren was represented on Broadway this season by Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway (Director and Choreographer, Broadhurst Theater) and as choreographer of Follies (Marriott Marquis Theatre, The Kennedy Center). Most recently he directed and choreographed Cotton Club Parade at City Center Encores! and the critically acclaimed, Tony-nominated Broadway revival of Finian's Rainbow at the St James Theater. Other Broadway credits include A Tale of Two Cities (director/choreographer) at the Al Hirschfeld Theater. Selected additional New York credits include: choreographed Girl Crazy, On The Town, Finian's Rainbow, Juno and Stairway To Paradise (all Encores! at City Center); 101 Dalmatians (Madison Square Garden / Tour); You Again (NY Fringe); Working (Zipper Theater); Slut! (ATA); Roundabout 40th Anniversary Gala and The 24 Hour Musicals (The Public Theater). Regional credits include: produced, directed and choreographed Hugh Jackman In Performance (Curran Theater San Francisco); Camelot (Stratford Canada); musical staging for the new Randy Newman revue Harps & Angels (Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles); directed and choreographed the award winning, Broadway-bound musical Limelight (La Jolla Playhouse); directed and choreographed Buddy's Tavern (The O'Neill Theater Center, Richard Rodgers Award Winner); Lucky Guy (Goodspeed); choreographed Mame (The Kennedy Center); The Pirates Of Penzance (Paper Mill Playhouse, Goodspeed - CT Critics Circle Award for Best Choreography); The Bakers Wife (Goodspeed) and Pageant (Second City Chicago). In his native England his work has included Me and My Girl (director and choreographer, UK Tour - Award Winning Best Production, Theater Goers Choice Award); The Goodbye Girl (1st National UK Tour); Pageant (Vaudeville Theater); Sondheim's Moving On (Bridewell Theater); and Scrooge (European Tour). He is represented on film and television by Deception starring Hugh Jackman (20th Century Fox); "Hope and Faith" (ABC); "An Evening at the Boston Pops" (PBS); and Elton John's Made in England music video.

For more information, visit: www.ChaplinBroadway.com