Freeman, James, DeRosa, Etc. Set for 'Walmartopia'

The producers of Walmartopia, "the musical with a mission," have announced casting for the upcoming Off-Broadway premiere. 

This irreverent political satire of big business and eternal smiley faces is written by Catherine Capellaro (Book) and Andrew Rohn (Music and Lyrics).  With direction by Daniel Goldstein and choreography by Wendy Seyb, the cast features Cheryl Freeman (The Civil War, Play On!, The Who's Tommy) and Nikki M. James (All Shook Up, Bernarda Alba, The Wiz at La Jolla) as mother and daughter (and Wal-Mart employees) at the center of this lampoon of the corporate giant.  The cast also features Sarah Bolt, Bradley Dean (Company, Man of La Mancha), Stephen DeRosa (Hairspray, Into the Woods), John Jellison (All Shook Up, Caroline, or Change, Anything Goes), Brennen Leath, Andrew Polk (The Accomplices), Pearl Sun (How the Grinch Stole Christmas!), Scotty Watson, and Helene Yorke.  Watson plays the 'head' of the late Wal-Mart founder, Sam Walton.

Walmartopia begins performances August 21st at The Minetta Lane Theatre (18 Minetta Lane), with Opening Night set, appropriately, for Labor Day 2007 - Monday, September 3rd at 7:00 p.m.

"It's Mom vs. Mart!  Walmartopia tells the hilarious and timely tale of Vicki Latrell, a single mom and Wal-Mart employee who speaks out against her company's working conditions and finds herself and her young daughter jettisoned to 2036, into a future where Wal-Mart dominates the entire world," state press notes.

"A previous version of Walmartopia was a sensation of last summer's New York International Fringe Festival.  In its earlier life, (including nascent productions of the musical in the great liberal State of Wisconsin), Walmartopia has become something of a lightning rod for its prescient message (Wal-Mart has faced increasing scrutiny in the past years for its stingy health insurance plan and treatment of its workers and producers abroad.  The company also faces the largest sex-discrimination suit in history - 1.6 million current and former female employees)...Rohn's tuneful and eclectic score incorporates pop, rhumba, marches, anthems and power ballads, set against a book that is campy and caustic and, well, as timely as today's headlines."

The Walmartopia creative team includes David Korins (Sets), Miranda Hoffman (Costumes), Ben Stanton (Lights), Erin Kennedy Lunsford (Hair, Wigs and Make-up), Tony Smolenski and Walter Trarbach (Sound), August Eriksmoen (Music Supervisior), and is produced by Leading Light, LLC and Outside the Big Box Productions, LLC.  The Production Stage Manager is Bess Marie Glorioso.

The show will play the following performance schedule: Tuesdays through Saturdays 8:00 p.m., Sundays 7:00 p.m., with matinees on Saturdays & Sundays at 3:00 p.m.  Tickets are priced at $65 & $45, and may be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com or by calling (212) 307-4100.

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